Online and On-Colleges in NEW HAMPSHIRE

The University of New Hampshire is the flagship school within the University System of New Hampshire. Although the university also operates a satellite location in Manchester and a law school in Concord, the main campus in Durham serves as the system's crown jewel.

The 11 colleges and schools at UNH offer more than 200 campus-based and online degree programs. Its location near the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge presents special opportunities for students who want to focus their studies on the life and features of marine environments -- the institution maintains an entire school of marine science and ocean engineering.

Founded in 1866, the Durham campus of UNH has grown into a robust college that educates more than 13,000 students annually. Over 30 club sports are available to help you stay active, and more serious competitors can choose among 20 Division I athletic teams.

Plymouth State University -- another University System of New Hampshire school -- takes an innovative approach to education. By employing a system of integrated learning clusters, PSU provides a cross-disciplinary academic environment that involves real-world projects and encourages knowledge sharing both among students and with professors.

Undergraduate students have more than 50 bachelor's degree plans to choose from, while the catalog of degree and certificate programs for graduate students tops out at nearly 70. PSU is also one of the top online schools in New Hampshire for aspiring educators, thanks to Master of Education (M.Ed.) programs in curriculum and instruction, education technology, online instructional design and more.

Plymouth State University was founded in 1871 and has its campus in the city of Plymouth. Close to 6,000 students were enrolled at the university in 2017.

Originally established in 1933 as a school for the daughters of local millworkers, this private, Catholic institution takes its name from Anne Marie Rivier, the foundress of Sisters of the Presentation of Mary. Rivier University became accredited in 1948 and today offers more than 50 academic programs to around 2,700 students.

Programs at Riv, as the university is often called, lead to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. It's also one of the best small schools in New Hampshire for online degrees and courses, offering over a dozen bachelor's and master's degree plans and providing the option to transfer up to 90 credits from previous education.

Rivier's origins in the Catholic religious tradition are reflected in its general education curriculum. As of 2018, core courses in religion and faith from a Catholic perspective are required of both first-years and advanced students.

Just one New Hampshire native has ascended to the highest political office in the U.S., and Franklin Pierce University chose its name to honor and memorialize him, our 14th president. The small, private institution admitted its first class of students in 1963 and became a full-fledged university with the addition of graduate degrees in 2007.

Today, the Rindge-based school awards certificates, bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. On-campus undergraduates have around two dozen majors to choose from, including an option for independently minded students who want to collaborate with advisors on designing their own major. A range of online bachelor's degree programs are available as well, if you're looking for extra flexibility.

If you think you'll need help paying for college at FPU, fear not. Financial aid was awarded to 100 percent of incoming students in the 2017-18 academic year.

Dartmouth College is a name you likely expected to see among the best colleges and universities in New Hampshire. This Ivy League school was founded before the American Revolution, possesses an endowment of nearly $5 billion and is ranked among the top 50 institutions on the globe by the Center for World University Rankings.

The total student population at Dartmouth comes in around 6,500, with nearly 2,100 graduate students and more than 4,400 undergrads. Traditional college departments are present here, but the school also makes use of interdisciplinary programs to help students gain wider academic context for their studies.

Dartmouth is a highly selective school, and students who get in tend to stay enrolled and finish their degrees. The Hanover school has some of the best retention and graduation rates in the state -- 97 and 96 percent, respectively.

Founded as a teacher training academy in the first decade of the 20th century, Keene State College joined the University of New Hampshire System in 1963 and serves today as the public liberal arts college of New Hampshire. More than 4,400 students attend classes at this exclusively undergraduate institution, and the degree catalog consists of 40 academic majors and 36 minors.

The city of Keene, where Keene State is located, is a community of around 23,000 people with a rich artistic tradition. Its location in the geographical heart of New England means you can reach major metro areas like Boston, New York, Montreal and Portland within a few hours.

Keene State was also one of the more accommodating New Hampshire colleges for students with financial need. About 90 percent of students receive some form of aid, according to the school.

Southern New Hampshire University maintains a campus in Manchester where approximately 3,000 students attend classes, but that figure belies the true size of the SNHU student body. The private, non-profit institution reports that more than 90,000 students attend online classes there, making it one of the top online colleges in New Hampshire and nationwide.

More than 200 accredited bachelor's, master's and associate degree programs are available online at SNHU. Distance education students can choose from 14 areas of study that include art and design, criminal justice, social science, math and business, among others.

SNHU was founded in 1932 as the New Hampshire School of Accounting and Secretarial Science but earned a university charter and began granting degrees in the 1960s. Tuition and fees for its online programs cost more than 20 percent less per 24-credit year than the national average.

It may not have the largest online student body among New Hampshire colleges, but New England College makes distance education a big part of its mission. More students attend NEC in the virtual classroom than attend on campus -- 1,500 and 1,200, respectively -- and its catalog of online programs is strikingly diverse.

Online degrees for undergraduates include accounting, communication, psychology, homeland security and several specialized concentrations in business administration and criminal justice. Graduate students can choose from a variety of Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees, as well as a few graduate certificates and a Master of Arts (M.A.) in professional writing.

NEC's home city of Henniker is located 15 minutes from Concord and half an hour from Manchester. Fewer than 5,000 people live in this Contoocook River town, making for a quiet and picturesque place to study.

Unlike its counterpart in Durham, the University of New Hampshire at Manchester is a close-knit school in an busy urban area. More than 110,000 people live in the city -- New Hampshire's largest, with arts, culture and entertainment on tap -- and the enrolled population tops out at roughly 1,000 students.

UNH Manchester is also one of the youngest institutions among New Hampshire universities, having just over 30 years of history behind it, but by no means does that mean it's lacking in academic opportunity. More than 20 bachelor's degree plans are available here, including cutting-edge programs in digital media and digital language arts.

Thanks to an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio, UNH at Manchester makes it possible for professors to enhance classroom lessons by working closely with individual students. Around 90 percent of students here receive some form of financial aid.

Founded in 1972, Granite State College is a medium-small institution in Concord that concentrates its energy on educating non-traditional students. The average age of GSC undergraduates is 34, for example, while less than 30 percent of students are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Part-time and transfer students make up a significant portion of the student body here as well, which may be thanks to GSC's Transfer Pathways -- streamlined course plans accessible to applicants who already hold an associate degree. Returning students can also get course credit for prior job training or work experience that meets program requirements.

More than 40 degree programs are available in total at GSC. Undergraduates have around 30 Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) options to choose from, including four degree programs that include teacher certification.