Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hamden

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
HamdenCT TownHall2Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Hamden

Hamden is a college town: 15 of every 100 residents are students

Quinnipiac University (7,803 students on campus) is inside the town, and Southern Connecticut State University (7,886) is 4.6 miles from the center, just over the line in New Haven. Across Connecticut, 7 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town15% of residents are studentsQuinnipiac UniversitySouthern Connecticut State University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Hamden. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
7
42,203 students on campus
Nearest college
2.1 mi
Quinnipiac University
Residents in college
15%
Above CT (7%)
Nearest community college
28.7 mi
Connecticut State · $5,338 tuition
Nearest public university
4.6 mi
Southern Connecticut State · $13,438 in-state
Students on campus in Hamden
7,803
next to 61,824 residents

What stands out about college in Hamden

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town15 of every 100 Hamden residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.Two colleges within 4.6 milesQuinnipiac University admits 72% of applicants; Southern Connecticut State University admits 91%. Together they have 15,689 students on campus.In-state price at Southern Connecticut StateLiving in Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University charges $13,438 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $27,378. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 28.7 miles awayConnecticut State Community College in New Britain: tuition and fees $5,338 a year for Connecticut residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Hamden

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

15 of every 100 Hamden residents are in college (CT: 7).

7,803students on campus at Quinnipiac University, next to 61,824 residents (dorm students count as residents)
4,010college students live in Hamden households rather than dorms
38.7median age · CT 41.1
53%of residents are women · CT 51% (±1.3 points)
38%of homes rented · CT 34%
$1,746median rent · 17% above the state
HamdenHamden, CT
Cost of living$1,746/mo median rentDSafetyCrime reported to the FBIDHealthCDC estimatesA−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB+HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Hamden’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B+

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 9.3% of Hamden residents are below the poverty line, 8.4% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 2 points either way). 21% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living D

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 15%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health A−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Hamden’s median age is 38.7 (Connecticut 41.1), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety D

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Hamden

Five private colleges within 12.6 miles, and two public colleges within 12.5 miles.

5 mi10 mi15 miYale UniversityUniversity of New HavenSouthern Connecticut StateHamden
University or collegeCommunity college
Quinnipiac UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 7,803 on campus · In Hamden72%admitted$41knet price76%graduate$84kearningsAlbertus Magnus CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 715 on campus · 4.5 mi · New Haven59%admitted$34knet price51%graduate$60kearningsSouthern Connecticut State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 7,886 on campus · 4.6 mi · New Haven91%admitted$21knet price50%graduate$55kearningsYale UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 15,025 on campus · 6 mi · New Haven4%admitted$24knet price96%graduate$101kearningsUniversity of New HavenUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 8,817 on campus · 7.6 mi · West Haven60%admitted$34knet price63%graduate$60kearningsUniversity of Connecticut-Waterbury CampusUniversity or college · Public · 745 on campus · 12.5 mi · Waterbury87%admitted$11knet price53%graduate$74kearningsEarnings are reported for all 5 campuses that file with it.Post UniversityUniversity or college · For-profit · 1,212 on campus · 12.6 mi · Waterbury · mostly online$22knet price25%graduate$39kearnings94% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Hamden’s median household income ($98,306) falls.

Yale University6 mi · New Haven · sticker $88,300$12,558a year
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus12.5 mi · Waterbury · sticker $22,933$15,621a year
Post University12.6 mi · Waterbury · mostly online · sticker $28,897$16,362a year
Southern Connecticut State University4.6 mi · New Haven · sticker $29,673$22,532a year
Albertus Magnus College4.5 mi · New Haven · sticker $59,407$30,273a year
University of New Haven7.6 mi · West Haven · sticker $66,962$34,853a year
Quinnipiac UniversityIn Hamden · sticker $72,215$39,096a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Hamden: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k$120k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Quinnipiac UniversitySouthern Connecticut StateYale UniversityUniversity of New HavenUniversity of Connecticut-Waterbury CampusPost University
Yale University96% graduate$101k earnings$13k typical debt
University of New Haven63% graduate$60k earnings$27k typical debt
Southern Connecticut State University50% graduate$55k earnings$22k typical debt
Quinnipiac University76% graduate$84k earnings$26k typical debt
Post University25% graduate$39k earnings$30k typical debt
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus53% graduate$74k earnings*$22k typical debt
Albertus Magnus College51% graduate$60k earnings$31k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus (5).

Majors

What students study in Hamden

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Quinnipiac University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 35%Business 21%Psychology 6%Communication 6%Visual & performing arts 5%Biology 4%Everything else 23%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing290 graduates a year
$99k4 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other284 graduates a year
$80k4 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management Services106 graduates a year
$86k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations92 graduates a year
$82k4 yrs out
Biology, General65 graduates a year
$71k4 yrs out
Marketing63 graduates a year
$83k4 yrs out
Psychology, General61 graduates a year
$62k4 yrs out
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication54 graduates a year
$74k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Hamden

Is Hamden a college town?

Yes. 15 of every 100 Hamden residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 7 across Connecticut. Quinnipiac University has 7,803 students on campus, next to 61,824 residents.

What colleges are in Hamden?

Quinnipiac University is inside the town. Southern Connecticut State University is 4.6 miles from the center, in New Haven, and Connecticut State Community College is 28.7 miles away in New Britain.

Why is Hamden’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 9.3% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 8.4% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 2 points).

What is the closest community college to Hamden, and what does it cost?

Connecticut State Community College in New Britain, 28.7 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,338 a year for Connecticut residents; the federal net price, $11,513, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Quinnipiac University?

Quinnipiac University admitted 72% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,150–1,320 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Hamden. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →