Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Durham

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
Thompson Hall, UNH 1Photo: AcrossTheAtlantic · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Durham

Durham is a college town: 55 of every 100 residents are students

The University of New Hampshire (12,999 students on campus) is inside the town. Across New Hampshire, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town55% of residents are studentsUniversity of New Hampshire

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 Durham. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
14,196 students on campus
Nearest college
1.3 mi
UNH
Residents in college
55%
Above NH (6%)
Nearest community college
6.9 mi
Great Bay · $7,200 tuition
Nearest public university
1.3 mi
UNH · $19,202 in-state
Students on campus in Durham
12,999
next to 15,346 residents

What stands out about college in Durham

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

A college town55 of every 100 Durham residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.A university in DurhamThe University of New Hampshire has 12,999 students on campus in Durham, 76% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at UNHLiving in New Hampshire, the University of New Hampshire charges $19,202 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $39,852. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 6.9 miles awayGreat Bay Community College in Portsmouth: tuition and fees $7,200 a year for New Hampshire residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Durham

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

55 of every 100 Durham residents are in college (NH: 6).

12,999students on campus at University of New Hampshire, next to 15,346 residents (dorm students count as residents)
1,591college students live in Durham households rather than dorms
20.8median age · NH 43.3
36%of homes rented · NH 27%
$1,429median rent · 4% below the state
DurhamDurham, NH
Cost of living$1,429/mo median rentB−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIAHealthCDC estimatesAJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundAHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Durham’s other numbers

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

Jobs & income A

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 15.4% of Durham residents are below the poverty line, 2.6% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 8 points either way). 68% 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 B−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (55% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Durham’s median age is 20.8 (New Hampshire 43.3), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety A

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 Durham

Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Durham.

5 mi10 mi15 miUNHGreat BayDurham
University or collegeCommunity college
University of New HampshireUniversity or college · Public · 12,999 on campus · In Durham88%admitted$24knet price76%graduate$66kearningsEarnings are reported for all 4 campuses that file with it.Great Bay Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,197 on campus · 6.9 mi · Portsmouth$16knet price34%graduate$42kearningsTuition and fees: $7,200 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 Over $110k, where Durham’s median household income ($124,056) falls.

Great Bay Community College6.9 mi · Portsmouth · sticker $21,963 · tuition $7,200$21,963a year
University of New HampshireIn Durham · sticker $35,537$28,588a 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 Durham: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →UNHGreat Bay
University of New Hampshire76% graduate$66k earnings*$27k typical debt
Great Bay Community College34% graduate$42k earnings$14k 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: UNH (4).

Majors

What students study in Durham

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

Business 19%Biology 10%Health professions 9%Psychology 8%Engineering 8%Social sciences 7%Everything else 41%

Biggest programs

Business Administration, Management and Operations618 graduates a year
$87k4 yrs out
Psychology, General211 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Biology, General181 graduates a year
$77k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies134 graduates a year
$69k4 yrs out
Mechanical Engineering94 graduates a year
$94k4 yrs out
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services84 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Criminology81 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness80 graduates a year
$59k4 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 Durham

Is Durham a college town?

Yes. 55 of every 100 Durham residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across New Hampshire. The University of New Hampshire has 12,999 students on campus, next to 15,346 residents.

What colleges are in Durham?

The University of New Hampshire is inside the town. Great Bay Community College is 6.9 miles away in Portsmouth.

Why is Durham’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 15.4% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 2.6% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 8 points).

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

Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth, 6.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $7,200 a year for New Hampshire residents; the federal net price, $15,768, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into the University of New Hampshire?

The University of New Hampshire admitted 88% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,090–1,330 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 Durham. 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 →