The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover, moved to Durham in 1893, and adopted its current name in 1923.
The university's Durham campus comprises six colleges. A seventh college, the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, occupies the university's campus in Manchester. The University of New Hampshire School of Law is in Concord, the state's capital. The university is part of the University System of New Hampshire and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
, its combined campuses made UNH the largest state university system in the state of New Hampshire, with over 15,000 students. It was also the most expensive state-sponsored school in the United States for in-state students.
History
The Morrill Act of 1862 granted federal lands to New Hampshire for the establishment of an agricultural-mechanical college. In 1866, the university was first incorporated as the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts in Hanover, New Hampshire, in association with Dartmouth College. The institution was officially associated with Dartmouth College and was directed by Dartmouth's president. Durham resident Benjamin Thompson left his farm and assets to the state for the establishment of an agricultural college. On January 30, 1890, Benjamin Thompson died and his will became public. On March 5, 1891, Governor Hiram A. Tuttle signed an act accepting the conditions of Thompson's will. On April 10, 1891, Governor Tuttle signed a bill authorizing the college's move to Durham, New Hampshire.
In 1892, the Board of Trustees hired Charles Eliot to create a site plan for the first five campus buildings: Thompson, Conant, Nesmith, and Hewitt Shops (now called Halls) and the Dairy Barn. Eliot visited Durham and worked for three months to develop the plan before the college's relocation. The Class of 1892, excited about the move to Durham, held their commencement exercises in an unfinished barn on the new campus. On April 18, 1892, the Board of Trustees voted to "authorize the faculty to make all the arrangements for the packing and removal of college property at Hanover to Durham." The Class of 1893 followed the previous class and held commencement exercises in unfinished Thompson Hall, the Romanesque Revival campus centerpiece designed by the prominent Concord architectural firm of Dow & Randlett.
In fall 1893, classes officially began in Durham with 51 freshmen and 13 upperclassmen, which was three times the projected enrollment. Graduate study was also established in the fall of 1893 for the first time. The number of students and the lack of state funds for dormitories caused a housing crunch and forced students to find housing in town. The lack of housing caused difficulty in attracting women to the university. In 1908, construction on Smith Hall, the first women's dorm, was completed using private and state funds. Before the construction of Fairchild Hall in 1915 for male students, 50 freshmen lived in the basement of DeMerritt Hall. With the continuing housing shortage for men, the administration encouraged the growth of the UNH Greek system. From the late 1910s through the 1930s, the fraternity system expanded and provided room and board for male students.
In 1919, supervising architect Eric T. Huddleston prepared a master plan for the campus, which guided development of the school for the next thirty years. As supervising architect Huddleston is credited with the design of over a dozen campus buildings.John Milne, "One Man's Vision: Eric Huddleston's legacy is the campus we know today," UNH Magazine Online, 2002. Accessed October 15, 2022. In 1923, Governor Fred H. Brown signed a bill changing the name of the college to the University of New Hampshire. The university was incorporated on July 1, 1923.
In the spring of 2015, the university was given $4 million from the estate of Robert Morin, who had been a librarian at the university for almost 50 years. Having lived a frugal and secluded life, he allowed for his life's savings to be given to the university without restraint. In 2016, the news that the university was spending $1 million on a new video screen for the football stadium provoked criticism, both on and off campus. Critics thought that the difference between that amount and the $100,000 the university transferred to the library was inappropriate.
Academics
The University of New Hampshire is the flagship of the University System of New Hampshire. UNH is composed of eleven colleges and graduate schools, offering 2,000 courses in over 100 majors. The eleven colleges of UNH are: College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) College of Liberal Arts (COLA) College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COLSA) Thompson School of Applied Science (TSAS) College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) University of New Hampshire at Manchester (UNHM) UNH Graduate School Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics (PCBE), formerly the Whittemore School of Business and Economics (WSBE) University of New Hampshire School of Law Carsey School of Public Policy School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering
The university is a member of the New England Board of Higher Education's New England Regional Student Program (NERSP) where New England public universities and colleges offer a number of undergraduate curricula with special considerations to students from other New England states. If an out-of-state student's home state school does not offer a certain degree program offered by UNH, that student can receive the in-state tuition rate, plus 75 percent if enrolled in the program.
The Thompson School of Applied Science (TSAS), first established in 1895 and now a division of COLSA, confers an associate degree in applied science in seven different programs: Applied Animal Science, Forest Technology, and Veterinary technology. Four other degree programs were discontinued in spring of 2018.
The coastal proximity of the university affords excellent programs in marine biology and oceanography. Facilities include the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory at Adams Point in Durham, and the Shoals Marine Laboratory jointly operated with Cornell University on Appledore Island in the Isles of Shoals.
The University of New Hampshire Observatory is operated by the Department of Physics for educational purposes.
There are three main university-wide undergraduate research programs: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), and International Research Opportunities Program (IROP).
The university offers many opportunities for students to study abroad through managed programs, exchange programs and approved programs. The university runs/manages 22 study abroad programs in locations which include Cambridge, England; London, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Brest, France; Dijon, France; Grenoble, France; Budapest, Hungary; Osaka, Japan; Utrecht, Netherlands; Maastricht, Netherlands; Ascoli Piceno, Italy; New Zealand; India; South Africa; Kenya; and Granada, Spain. The university also accepts credit from over 300 approved programs that are run through other institutions. The university organizes an annual summer abroad program at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University. There are also over 100 National Exchange Program opportunities.
In 2010, the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord was incorporated into the University of New Hampshire System and renamed the University of New Hampshire School of Law. It is the only law school in the state of New Hampshire. The School of Law offers Juris Doctor degrees in addition to graduate studies in Intellectual Property and Commerce & Technology. The University of New Hampshire Law School is renowned for its intellectual property law programs, consistently ranking in the top ten of U.S. News & World Report rankings. In 2012, it was ranked 4th behind the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University and George Washington University.
The Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics building was opened for occupancy in January 2013. Formerly the Whittemore School of Business and Economics (WSBE), the Paul School offers degrees in Business Administration (featuring focuses in Accounting, Entrepreneurial Venture Creation, Finance, Information Systems Management, International Business and Economics, Management, and Marketing), Hospitality, and Economics (either in B.A. or B.S).
As of the 2015 fall semester, the university had 12,840 undergraduate students and 2,500 graduate students enrolled in more than 200 majors. The student body comprises 47% in-state students, 49% out-of-state students, and 4% foreign students; and is 54% female and 46% male.
Admissions
Admission to UNH is rated as "selective" by U.S. News & World Report.
UNH received 18,040 applications for admission to the Fall 2019 incoming freshman class; 15,159 were admitted (an acceptance rate of 84.0%), and 2,731 enrolled. The middle 50% range of enrolled freshmen SAT scores was 1080-1260 for the composite, 540-640 for evidence-based reading and writing, and 530-630 for math, while the ACT composite middle 50% range was 22–28.
Rankings
U.S. News & World Report ranks New Hampshire tied for 109th among 434 "national universities" and tied for 52nd among "top public schools" in 2025. The University of New Hampshire is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
In 2012, the Department of Education ranked the University of New Hampshire as having the sixth most expensive in-state tuition for a public four-year college. The University of New Hampshire ranks lowest in the country for the amount of subsidy it receives from the state.
Money magazine ranked the University of New Hampshire 117th out of 744 in its "Best Colleges For Your Money 2019" report.
Research The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". According to the National Science Foundation, UNH spent $146 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 137th in the nation.
University library The University Library consists of the main Dimond Library and three science libraries specializing in chemistry, physics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering. One enters The Dimond Library on the third floor. It has three quiet study reading rooms, seating for 1,200, Zeke's Café, and the Dimond Academic Commons (DAC), which offers computer workstations, IT help, the Connors Writing Center, Geospatial Information Services Center, and research help. Other areas of the library provide access to media equipment, collaborative work spaces, and laptop ports.
The Parker Media Lab (PML) is an interdisciplinary audio and visual self-service recording space located in the Dimond Library. The PML was designed to support the creation of professional, academically focused content and is available for use by any University of New Hampshire (UNH) student, staff, or faculty member. The space includes: A One Button Studio for video recording, complete with a camera, audio equipment, and lights; A Lightboard (transparent whiteboard), to support presentations and content delivery; A Mac computer with advanced editing capabilities; A Whisper Room (sound isolation studio) with two professional-quality microphones and headsets. The Parker Media Lab (PML) is located on the second floor of the Dimond Library, room 237. It is available for self-service use during all Dimond Library operating hours.University of New Hampshire (October 5, 2022). Parker Media Lab (PML). Enterprise Technology & Services. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.usnh.edu/it/it/pml
University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL)