‘Wake-up call': N.H. ranked last in US in higher education funding, new report shows
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Four-year public colleges in New Hampshire have bumped up tuition between 2.5 percent to 4.9 percent, while community colleges have seen a nearly 7 percent increase for the 2025 to 2026 school year, the report found.
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At the University of New Hampshire in Durham, tuition and fees for this school year for an in-state student are $19,682. Including room and board bumps the total up to $34,386 per year. For an out-of-state student, tuition, fees, room and board now total $55,548.
'Our findings should serve as a wake-up call,' said Heller.
'Underfunding our public colleges and universities not only makes it harder for Granite Staters to afford to pursue college degrees, it also risks leaving the state unprepared to meet its workforce needs,' she said.
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The report found that the gap between New Hampshire and other states could widen in coming years, given the last state budget, which allocated 17.6 percent less to the University System than it previously received.
New Hampshire ranked last in the nation for the state's contribution to higher education, according to a new report the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute released on Aug. 14, 2025.
Courtesy of NHFPI
For the University System of New Hampshire, which includes two universities and one college, that amounted to $35 million less compared to the last two-year budget period.
After New Hampshire, Vermont's contribution to higher education is the second lowest in the nation, followed by Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Illinois is the state that contributed the most to higher education in 2024, at $25,529 per full-time equivalent student. Connecticut ranked fifth highest at about $16,800, and Massachusetts ranked ninth at about $14,400, according to the
Here's how the New England states compare in funding per full-time equivalent student:
New Hampshire: $4,629
Vermont: $5,300
Rhode Island: $7,800
Maine: $9,500
Massachusetts: $14,400
Connecticut: $16,800
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday,
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Amanda Gokee can be reached at
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