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The �鶹app has once again earned the designation of No. 1 best value public university in New England, according to U.S. News & World Report, marking the sixth consecutive year that UNH landed in the top spot in the region.

UNH also climbed seven positions from last year to rank No. 50 among top public schools nationally, tied with UC Boulder, UC Santa Cruz, and the University of Tennessee. Additionally, the School of Nursing’s undergraduate program reached the top 100 in the country, vaulting 41 positions from last year to No. 94.

The distinctions are part of the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings, released Sept. 22.

Extending its streak of consecutive years as the top value public university in New England to six is a reflection of UNH’s dedication to providing students the biggest return on their investment, something that becomes more and more important as demographic changes decrease the number of students attending college.

“Our goal for New Hampshire’s public research university is to make an excellent education attainable and deliver value that lasts well beyond graduation,” says UNH President Elizabeth Chilton. “That means helping students afford their education, giving them meaningful opportunities to learn through experience and preparing them to succeed in their careers.”

Virtually all first-year UNH students – 96% – received scholarships and/or need-based aid this year, and the university just awarded a record $40 million in financial aid to incoming students, with the average student award topping $16,918, a 34% increase from last year.

Additionally, the first-year retention rate was 88% last year, well above the national average of 78%. UNH’s four-year graduation rate of 78% also outpaced the national average (59%).

Beyond financial assistance, UNH students have access to a wealth of hands-on experience, with 72% of students completing at least one internship before graduation, according to a First Destination survey of 2025 graduates. That same survey showed that 94% of 2025 graduates were employed or seeking further education within six months of graduation, and that the vast majority of employed graduates – 88% – had earned jobs in fields related to their major.

UNH has continued to expand the variety of differentiating programs available to students in recent years, launching the Hamel Honors & Scholars College in 2024 and unveiling the School of Nursing within the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) in 2025. That preceded the climb of more than 40 spots in the rankings for UNH’s undergraduate nursing program, from No. 135 in 2026 to No. 94 this year.

The program’s rise to the top 100 follows a year of growing interest and momentum. More than 2,000 students applied for 120 projected spots in this fall’s incoming class, a 20% increase from the previous year. Demand was so strong that the program reached capacity before UNH’s May 1 enrollment deposit deadline.

"We are so proud of our nation-leading School of Nursing. This rise in rankings and recognition as a top 100 school, reflects our nursing faculty's innovative pedagogy, transformative nursing science, and our partnerships across our state and region for world-class clinical learning opportunities,” says Kirsten Corazzini, dean of CHHS. “Above all, this ranking exemplifies the UNH nurse who is leading care and creating new ways to support human health and well-being.”