Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in New Hampshire
8
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$7,170
With a Fully Online Option
4
General Studies Associate Degrees in New Hampshire
General studies associate degrees in New Hampshire are eight programs, and one of them, Southern New Hampshire University's online associate in Manchester, awarded 496 degrees in the latest year, more than the other seven combined. Four of the eight meet the ranking threshold: SNHU, which is private, and three public community colleges, White Mountains in Berlin, Nashua and NHTI-Concord's Community College. The four below the threshold are Lakes Region Community College in Laconia with 9 degrees, the University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online with 6, Great Bay in Portsmouth with 3 and Manchester Community College with 2. Seven of the eight are public.
SNHU has the top score at 58.1, 127th in the national associate ranking, and size is what carries it, because its 43% graduation rate and $16,450 price are both weaker than White Mountains Community College's 62% and $7,050. White Mountains scores 54.5 on only 10 degrees a year, right at the threshold. Nashua Community College scores 40.1 with a 38% graduation rate at $7,140, and NHTI-Concord scores 32.9, graduating 29% at $7,200 on 49 degrees a year, the most of any community college in the state.
Four of the eight programs can be finished fully online: SNHU, Nashua, NHTI and UNH's College of Professional Studies Online. The community colleges charge residents between $6,720 and $7,200, and nonresidents $14,970 to $15,450, while SNHU charges everyone $16,450.
The 4 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in New Hampshire
The best general studies associate degrees in New Hampshire are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in New Hampshire. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Southern New Hampshire University
New Hampshire
58.1- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 43%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $16,450 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 496
About the Program
Manchester, New Hampshire is home to Southern New Hampshire University, a private nonprofit university of 189,531 students. Some 496 associate's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 90% of the programs ranked alongside it. Its college-wide graduation rate is 43%, the 74th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $16,450 a year in tuition and fees. Nothing in the degree requires attending in person, since it is offered fully online. Admission is close to open, with 100% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the number of degrees it awards, which lands at the 90th percentile.
2
White Mountains Community College
New Hampshire
54.5- Public
- College graduation rate
- 62%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $7,050 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 10
About the Program
Some 577 students attend White Mountains Community College, a public community college in Berlin, New Hampshire. The program's last federal report shows 10 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 2 in every 100 programs measured here. Across the whole college, 62% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 97% of the institutions behind this list. Expect tuition and fees of $7,050 a year as a resident and $15,300 otherwise. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 97th percentile.
3
Nashua Community College
New Hampshire
40.1- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 38%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $7,140 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 18
About the Program
Nashua Community College is a public community college in Nashua, New Hampshire that enrolls 1,342 students. It conferred 18 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 13% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. A 38% graduation rate puts the college at the 59th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $7,140 a year for residents and $15,390 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 35% of programs at this level. Nothing in the degree requires attending in person, since it is offered fully online. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 59th percentile.
4
NHTI-Concord's Community College
New Hampshire
32.9- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 29%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $7,200 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 49
About the Program
Concord, New Hampshire is home to NHTI-Concord's Community College, a public community college of 2,657 students. Some 49 associate's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 38% of the programs ranked alongside it. Its college-wide graduation rate is 29%, the 29th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Tuition and fees run $7,200 a year in state against $15,450 out of state, so on price it sits at the 34th percentile. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. Strongest of its measures is the number of degrees it awards, which lands at the 38th percentile.
Other General Studies Associate Degrees in New Hampshire
The other general studies associate degrees in New Hampshire awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakes Region Community College, Laconia | 9 | 46% | $6,720 |
| University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online, Manchester | 6 | 30% | $7,812 |
| Great Bay Community College, Portsmouth | 3 | 34% | $7,200 |
| Manchester Community College, Manchester | 2 | 41% | $7,090 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in New Hampshire?
A general studies associate degree in New Hampshire costs $7,170 a year in resident tuition and required fees at the median of the eight programs, and the range runs from $6,720 at Lakes Region Community College to $16,450 at Southern New Hampshire University. The six community colleges sit within $480 of each other: Lakes Region at $6,720, White Mountains at $7,050, Manchester at $7,090, Nashua at $7,140, and Great Bay and NHTI-Concord at $7,200. The University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online lists $7,812, and SNHU is the outlier at $16,450. Those are 2023-24 published rates. Nonresidents pay $14,970 to $15,450 at the community colleges and $9,372 at UNH's online college, while SNHU's $16,450 is the same for everyone.
One saving is built into the transfer route rather than the tuition bill. A community college graduate who moves on through the New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee has the application fee and personal essay requirement waived at the participating four-year college they choose. The larger saving is the two years themselves: at $7,050 a year, White Mountains costs $9,400 less per year than SNHU, and it graduates 62% of its students against SNHU's 43%.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in New Hampshire?
A general studies associate degree will transfer in New Hampshire with junior standing and all general education met at a University System of New Hampshire campus if it's an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science inside one of the state's transfer pathways. The pathways come from RSA 187-A:16-c, effective July 1, 2024, which requires general education and lower division major requirements at community colleges that are fully transferable as a block upon completion of an AS or AA degree. A graduate in a pathway is deemed to have met all general education and lower division requirements for transfer as a junior. The law covers at least the 30 undergraduate majors in highest demand among community college students, so ask which pathway, if any, the general studies degree sits in.
Admission is the New Hampshire Transfer Guarantee's job: students with an associate degree from a New Hampshire community college who meet the required grade point average are guaranteed admission at the four-year institution they choose among participating colleges. The New England Board of Higher Education lists the minimum GPA as either 2.0, 2.5 or 3.0. SNHU's associate is a private university degree, so neither the block transfer nor the guarantee attaches to it by law, and admission to a particular program stays competitive and no time to degree is promised even under the statute.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in New Hampshire?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in New Hampshire pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in New Hampshire
How to choose a general studies associate degree program in New Hampshire starts by deciding whether SNHU's size is worth $9,400 a year more than a community college, because that is the whole shape of the list. SNHU awards 496 degrees a year online at $16,450 and graduates 43%. White Mountains Community College awards 10 at $7,050 and graduates 62%, the highest completion figure at this level in the state. Nashua (38%, $7,140) and NHTI-Concord (29%, $7,200) are the other ranked community colleges, and both are online, so you don't have to pay SNHU's price to study from home.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's at a University System of New Hampshire campus, a community college is the route the state's law was written for, so ask whether the general studies degree is an AA or AS in a transfer pathway that moves as a block and which GPA tier the Transfer Guarantee sets at the campus you want. If you plan to finish at SNHU itself, its associate feeds its own bachelor's, the only general studies bachelor's in the state, and the question to ask is how many associate credits carry forward.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in New Hampshire have their own page.