College Funding in New Hampshire
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The New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission administers the state scholarships and grant programs. The New Hampshire public colleges and university systems are comprised of 12 institutions, among them the University of New Hampshire campuses, Keene State, Plymouth College, the campuses of Granite State College, and the seven locations that make up the community college system.
General Scholarships and Grants
The New Hampshire Incentive Program is a need-based fund designed to make it more affordable for New Hampshire students to attend a college or university within the state or in a participating school in one of the other New England states (Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), otherwise known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The grant offers students up to $1000 per academic year. Apply by filling out the FAFSA.
Leveraged Incentive Grants are provided for New Hampshire students who wish to attend only state colleges or universities. Eligibility is based on financial need and academic merit. Awards may be up to $7500 per academic year. Apply directly through the college.
Academically talented students may qualify for the state's specially designed Granite State Scholars. This merit-based program offers features designed to keep top students studying at one of the participating state colleges (Keene State, University of New Hampshire and Plymouth State University). Interested students must apply directly through the school.
Federally funded Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship is also designed for the academic upper crust in New Hampshire schools, but the program allows recipients to attend colleges or universities anywhere in the United States. Dozens of graduating high school honors-level seniors are nominated every year in every state to be recognized as Byrd Honors Scholars. Eligible students must be nominated on the basis of GPA, class rank, ACT/SAT scores as well as scholastic activities. Byrd Scholars must already have been accepted into a four-year college program. Award amounts are $1500 and renewable for up to an additional 3 years as long as academic standards continue to be met.
The Scholarships for Orphans of Veterans program is exactly what it sounds like. New Hampshire students who have lost a parent in armed conflict may qualify for up to $2500 for tuition at in-state public colleges and universities.
Specialized Studies Programs
New Hampshire's Workforce Incentive Program provides additional grants to students who choose to study in shortage areas such as nursing, teaching, math, and foreign languages. The program offers loan forgiveness or loan repayment and much of the award criteria are based on the college or university the student attends. Eligible candidates must be enrolled in a participating New Hampshire institution and may apply for consideration directly through the financial aid office.
As we've discovered in other states the shortage of teachers has inspired many state governments to proactively address the problem and some have come up with creative concepts. New Hampshire high school juniors and seniors have the option to participate in a career prep program called Exploring the Art of Teaching. Students who participate are being offered incentives to pursue teaching as a career, particularly within the state. Students who participate qualify for consideration in the Future Educators Academy Scholarship. Students enrolling in a state teaching program, either two-year or four-year, may earn between $5000 and $10,000 towards tuition under the condition that they teach in the New Hampshire public school system. Go here for other national teaching scholarships.
Students pursuing allopathic medicine or veterinary medicine may qualify for the Medical Education Program or the Veterinary Education Program. These tuition "capitation" programs provide a more affordable way for New Hampshire students to study at the finest Massachusetts institutions including Dartmouth, Cornell and Tufts University.
All of the scholarships listed above can be viewed in more detail at the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission website.