Here Are The Best Colleges In New Hampshire, According To Niche

NEW HAMPSHIRE — Dartmouth College has been named the best college in the Granite State, according to rankings released Monday by Niche, a college ranking and review platform.

More than 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities were ranked in the 2026 Best Colleges in America. In all, three colleges in New Hampshire were ranked among the best.

The top three colleges in New Hampshire are:

1. Dartmouth College

Overall Niche grade: A+

Acceptance rate: 6 percent

Net price: $17,322

Dartmouth is also ranked 5th in the nation.

2. University of New Hampshire

Overall Niche grade: B+

Acceptance rate: 87 percent

Net price: $24,762

3. University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Overall Niche grade: B

Acceptance rate: 87 percent

Net price: $13,097

Other New Hampshire schools and their rankings are found on the Niche website. Twenty-five colleges were considered in the study.

Niche also ranked the best colleges for athletics, student life, dorm life, and other aspects of college life that are important to students.

2026 Best Colleges in America

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
3. Stanford University, Stanford, California
4. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
5. Dartmouth University, Hanover, New Hampshire

2026 Colleges with the Best Student Life in America

1. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
2. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
3. University of California, Los Angeles
4. 4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
5. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

2026 Best College Athletics in America

1. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
2. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
3. The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
4. University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
5. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

“We built Niche to help students and families cut through the noise and make informed choices,” Niche founder and CEO Luke Skurman said in a news release. “Our rankings are designed to reflect not just data, but the real voices and lived experiences of students across the country. That blend of insight is what makes Niche unique. We’re giving students the clarity to identify the colleges where they see themselves belonging and succeeding.”

Niche’s rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation; enrollment, graduation, and alumni earnings statistics; and more than 1 million college reviews from students and alumni. More about the methodology is found on the website.

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Editor's note: This post was scripted by another Patch staffer, not New Hampshire's editor, for publication on New Hampshire sites.