University of New Hampshire Admission
University of New Hampshire Undergraduate Program
University of New Hampshire Application

The Facts

The University of New Hampshire is a great, large state school located in the town of Durham, New Hampshire.  The university is home to over 11,000 undergraduate students and approximately 2,324 graduate and part-time students.  The school is divided up into seven smaller undergraduate colleges, including schools of arts and sciences, life sciences and agriculture, the Whittemore School of Business, health and human services, engineering, and physical sciences.  U New Hampshire offers over 100 undergraduate major in a wide range of disciplines; some of the most popular choices include business administration, English, psychology, biology, political science, and communications.

Admission to UNH is not terrifically competitive, although the administration has significantly upped its admissions standards in recent years.  Last year, just over 10,800 students applied for admission and about 7,500 were accepted; of those, about 2,452 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1010 to 1230, and over 59% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of around 3.45.

UNH has a manageable student to faculty ratio of 14:1, and students say that their professors are remarkable approachable and accessible, and actively work to foster mutual relationships with their many students.  Lots of teachers act as mentors to their students, coaxing them in the right direction in terms of getting the most out of their degrees.  Unfortunately, however, some students remark that the administration is just as inaccessible as their professors are available, and there is an awful lot of red tape to hack through in order to speak with a human in the administration, particularly when it comes to issues of financial aid.  All in all, though, students are quite satisfied with their UNH experience, and think of it as their home.

The Social Scene

The town of Durham is quite small, but it is near the ocean, and many students have cars so they can take advantage of the lovely, albeit cold beaches.  The cities of Boston, and Portsmouth are also relatively nearby, and many students drive out to those more urban locations on the weekends.  If you don’t have a car, we hear it is pretty easy to just hitch a ride. 

There is definitely a Greek scene on campus, although it doesn’t really tend to clearly dominate the social scene on campus.  Of course, the various houses do throw the occasional large and rowdy "Animal House" type party, but those are apparently few and far between due to recent administrative crackdowns on drinking.  Apparently, smoking pot is a favorite activity among students, and sometimes it takes away from students’ studies.

The dating scene has something for everyone--both designer-clad rich kids with perfect hair and tie-dye-clad kids with dredlocked hair can be expected by the thousands.

What's Good

“Even though it’s a large state school, UNH feels really comfortable and homey.”

“The teachers really care about you and make sure you know they are there to guide you along.”

“The dorms are actually quite nice and large.  You have some room to wiggle about.”

What's Bad

“The town is pretty boring.  There is like, one bar, and it's full of creepy farmers and the like.”

“The school is full of a lot of snobby rich kids who were too lazy to apply to an Ivy League.”

“The intro classes are interminable, and are usually taught by T.A.’s who have no clue what they’re talking about.”

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