New England's flagship public research university, founded 1866, offering 200+ majors across three campuses.
UNH comprises eleven colleges and graduate schools offering over 200 majors and 2,000 courses. The institution is particularly strong in engineering, marine biology, oceanography, and business. The School of Law in Concord is the only law school in New Hampshire and ranks in the top ten nationally for intellectual property law. The Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics (formerly Whittemore School) offers degrees in business administration, hospitality, and economics. The Thompson School of Applied Science confers associate degrees in applied science across seven programs.
UNH is classified as an R1 institution with very high research activity, spending $146 million on research and development in 2018 (ranking 137th nationally). The university operates the UNH Interoperability Laboratory, which tests networking and data communication devices, and the Carsey School of Public Policy, which conducts research on vulnerable populations and sustainable community development. The university maintains the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory and jointly operates the Shoals Marine Laboratory with Cornell University.
The Durham campus spans 2,600 acres and features historic buildings including Thompson Hall (1892). The university has approximately 250 student organizations and a notably independent Student Senate, one of the few in the US without faculty or staff advisors. Housing includes Smith Hall (first women's dorm, 1908) and numerous residence halls. The university supports a robust Greek system and offers extensive study abroad opportunities across 22 managed programs in locations including England, France, Japan, and Spain.
Admission is rated 'selective' by U.S. News & World Report. For Fall 2019, UNH received 18,040 applications with an 84% acceptance rate (2,731 enrolled). The middle 50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1080–1260 composite; ACT middle 50% was 22–28. As of Fall 2023, the undergraduate body was 86% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Asian, with 82% from affluent backgrounds and 18% low-income.
UNH is ranked as the best value public university in New England and ranked 117th by Money magazine in its 2019 'Best Colleges For Your Money' report. The university offers generous financial aid, with 95% of first-time, full-time students receiving aid. However, UNH was noted in 2012 as having the sixth most expensive in-state tuition for a public four-year college and ranks lowest in the country for state subsidy received.