New England College
Henniker, New Hampshire · Private Nonprofit · 92.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 16/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
New England College scores 16/100, a Below Benchmark rating that reflects a private-nonprofit sticker price disconnected from graduate outcomes. Tuition runs $41,938 with a four-year total cost of $107,888, and net price after aid is $26,972, producing a 35-year payback period against modest 10-year median earnings of $42,092. The 34.5% completion rate is the single worst structural drag: only one in three enrolling students graduates, meaning the cost-to-degree picture is far worse than the published net-price figures suggest. Median debt of $26,000 against $42,092 earnings produces a 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio. The earnings premium of 0.066 (13/100) shows graduates barely out-earn high-school baselines. The single brighter spot is repayment, where 68.4% of borrowers reduce principal within three years, suggesting those who do find work stay current. Located in rural Henniker NH with 1,022 students and a 36% Pell rate, NEC leaves families paying $26,972 a year in net price after its tuition discount, and in our view the outcomes do not justify it.
How New England College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score16/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate34.5% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period35 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
New England College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $41,938/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $41,938/yr |
| Average net price | $26,972/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $107,888 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $42,092 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 35 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 34.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,022 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $41,938/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $26,972/year, or roughly $107,888 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $25,598/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $28,249/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,700) and comes to 0.82, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $25,598 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $24,340 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $26,238 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $28,741 |
| $110,001+ | $28,249 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $25,598 net, a substantial cash outlay for the bracket. Inverted pricing appears here: the $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays less ($24,340), meaning the lowest-income tier is somewhat penalized in aid stacking. Four-year low-income cost is $102,392, against $42,092 earnings; program figures differ by major. Federal aid covers most of it but produces the schoolwide 0.82 debt-to-earnings strain.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households earning $48,001-$75,000 pay $26,238 and those at $75,001-$110,000 pay $28,741 net. Middle-income families face the highest aid-to-income squeeze: enough income to lose Pell and SEOG, not enough to absorb $115,000 in cash outlay. The math only works in business and accounting.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $28,249 net, slightly less than the $75,001-$110,000 bracket (another mild inversion). High-income families paying full freight should treat the school as a fit decision, not an ROI decision.
Earnings by Major
Top 9 most popular majors at New England College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $59,998 | C |
| Design and Applied Arts | $42,056 | - |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $63,909 | C |
| Psychology | $48,488 | D |
| Biology | $55,222 | C+ |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $45,694 | - |
| Clinical Psychology | $46,270 | D |
| Accounting | $62,412 | - |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $56,864 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice is NEC's largest program with 37 graduates, $45,575 first-year earnings rising to $59,998 by year four. The 0.592 debt-to-earnings ratio and C grade make it the school's most defensible economic choice for students set on attending. New England state and municipal hiring pipelines absorb graduates well. The catch: state university CJ programs cost roughly half and produce nearly identical earnings outcomes.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business produces 27 graduates with $45,086 first-year and $63,909 four-year earnings against $27,791 in debt for a 0.616 debt-to-earnings ratio and C grade. Solid earnings trajectory and the highest four-year wage outcome among large NEC programs. Combined with the school's small-class environment, this is the most defensible NEC major for traditional students.
Design and Applied Arts
Design and Applied Arts has 33 graduates but no reported debt or ROI grade because too few borrowers meet reporting thresholds. Four-year earnings of $42,056 are below the schoolwide median, and design is a notoriously variable wage market. The size of the program (third-largest) combined with weak earnings is concerning; students should look hard at portfolio outcomes before enrolling.
Psychology
Psychology has 23 graduates with $42,656 first-year earnings, $48,488 four-year earnings, and $38,285 in median debt for a 0.898 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade. The major requires graduate study to unlock career-track wages, and undergrad debt is nearly $40,000. State-school psychology programs deliver the same career outcomes for half the debt.
Biology
Biology has 18 graduates with $55,222 four-year earnings and $27,000 debt for a 0.489 debt-to-earnings ratio and C+ grade, NEC's strongest reported program. Biology typically requires graduate work for higher earnings, but the undergrad financial picture here is workable.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 64.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 68.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 64.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 66.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How New England College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 92.1% |
| Enrollment | 1,022 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 36.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,656 |
New England College admits 92.1% of applicants, making it effectively open-enrollment despite the private-college label. No SAT or ACT mid-ranges are reported in current Scorecard data. The combination of near-universal admission and a 34.5% completion rate tells a coherent story: NEC accepts students across a wide preparation band, and the bottom two-thirds struggle to finish. Prepared students likely graduate, but the institutional academic floor is low.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England College (this school) | 16 | $26,972 | $42,092 |
| Dartmouth College | 95 | $29,519 | $97,434 |
| Colby-Sawyer College | 32 | $27,431 | $46,474 |
| Wilson College | 21 | $21,741 | $43,326 |
| Herzing University-Minneapolis | 16 | $16,670 | $36,909 |
| Columbia College | 15 | $18,408 | $41,338 |
Who Thrives Here
New England College fits students drawn to small-college rural New England culture, willing to absorb $26,972 net annually, and committed to a higher-earning major like business or accounting. With 1,022 students and a 36% Pell rate, the campus is intimate but not heavily need-served. Students considering Criminal Justice (the largest single major at 37 graduates with $45,575 first-year earnings) get a defensible value path; students drawn to Design or Fine Arts face debt risk on uncertain wage outcomes. The 34.5% completion rate is the dominant risk factor at any income level.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, New England College scores 16/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $26,972 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $42,092 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 35 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 34.5% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 68.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
New England College: Common Questions
Is New England College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. New England College scores 16/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $26,972 a year after aid against $42,092 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 35 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does New England College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $26,972 a year, or roughly $107,888 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do New England College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $42,092 ten years after enrolling, roughly $292 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off New England College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 35 years for New England College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do New England College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $31,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at New England College?
The six-year graduation rate is 34.5%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.