More Than 400 Incoming N.H. Students Will Attend UNH Tuition-Free Thanks to Granite Guarantee

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

More Than 400 Incoming N.H. Students Will Attend UNH Tuition-Free Thanks to Granite Guarantee

DURHAM, N.H. – Response by this year’s incoming class to the Granite Guarantee, a new program that guarantees all full-time, first-year New Hampshire students receiving federal Pell grants will pay no tuition, exceeded initial expectations. More than 400 University of New Hampshire students, up significantly from early estimates of 285, will benefit from the program first announced just six months ago.

When the fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, those 400 students will be part of an incoming undergraduate class of about 3,000; up from about 2,900 last year. And for the second year, the university is seeing an increase in the number of New Hampshire students enrolling (about 5 percent more than last year), including an increase in New Hampshire multicultural students, which represents slightly more than 11 percent of incoming New Hampshire students.

“We’re not only seeing an increase in the number of in-state students, but more of the state’s best and brightest are choosing to attend UNH,” said Victoria Dutcher, vice president for enrollment management. “We remain committed to ensuring a UNH education is affordable and accessible to Granite State residents.”

The university will also welcome 35 Hamel Scholars this fall, up from 11 last year. These New Hampshire students receive an average of $10,000 in merit scholarship thanks to the generosity of long-time UNH supporter Dana Hamel. 

The Granite Guarantee remains in place for four years, provided the student is enrolled full-time, remains Pell eligible and makes satisfactory progress toward their degree. No separate application is needed. Students simply apply for admission to UNH and apply for financial aid through the existing procedures. The admission application deadline for first-year students for next fall is Feb. 1.

The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH’s research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.