Hillsborough Sun

Hillsborough County's nine universities admitted an estimated 82.8% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 18.8% enrolled.

Of the nine institutions in the county, four provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Saint Anselm College, Harmony Health Care Institute and University of New Hampshire at Manchester.

At least 5,516 people applied to Hillsborough County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 8,580 students enrolled in the universities, including 7,341 in undergraduate and 1,239 in graduate programs. In total 6.6% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (71.8%) and Hispanic (9.7%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Rivier University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 2,551 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Nashua Community College	--	--	1,245
Rivier University	1,629	1,368	2,551
Harmony Health Care Institute	13	13	36
Thomas More College of Liberal Arts	--	--	89
St Joseph School of Nursing	--	--	135
New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts	--	--	37
University of New Hampshire at Manchester	360	306	534
Saint Anselm College	3,514	2,881	1,977
Manchester Community College	--	--	1,976