The previous six years have been steady in regard to tuition costs at the University of New Hampshire, according to Tania DeLuzuriaga, the executive director of public relations at UNH.
However, UNH increased its in-state tuition rates from $15,520 in 2020 to $19,682 for the 2025-2026 school year, according to an article from the US News.
An article from the Concord Monitor shares that in May of 2025, 35 employees were laid off. Along with this, Elizabeth Chilton, UNH’s 21st president, has implemented a 120-day minimum background review for all new hires.
This means “If a background check was completed within the past year or the break in service was less than 120 days, a new background review will not be required, unless there are areas of review required by the job that were not covered in the previous review,” according to the UNH Human Resources website. This has been put in place as an attempt to save $3.6 million.
The real question is, why, after all this time, is there now a sudden financial emergency at an otherwise stable local university?
According to Chilton, “the state budget that passed [in June 2025] reduces the university system budget by $8 million in FY2026, and another $10 million in FY2027, which is a total of 15% across the biennium.”
So, how have these budget cuts impacted current students, and how will they affect students in the future?
Maddie Vosgien, a senior at Portsmouth High School, stated that the in-state tuition cost is ridiculous.
“In state colleges are supposed to be for people who can’t afford an education to make it more accessible. I’m basically giving myself an education just to go into debt,” said Vosgien.
DeLuzuriaga noted that the New Hampshire state schools, such as Plymouth and Keene State, as well as UNH, receive the lowest state funding for public higher education in the U.S.
According to an article in The New Hampshire Bulletin from August 14, 2025, this happens because New Hampshire does not have a sales tax. The New Hampshire Bulletin shares that without that, more money is needed to fund state schools.
According to journalists Charlotte Matherly and Alexander Rapp from their article in the Concord Monitor, “Republicans in the House of Representatives initially slashed that funding by about a third, although [Governor] Ayotte and the state senate agreed on funding higher education $87 million this year and $77 million next year. It’s not yet clear how the cuts will be divided among the state’s three public universities.”
One major impact of the funding cuts was the loss of the health and wellness centers’ pharmacy on the UNH campus. The Rite Aid in Durham also shut down due to “Chapter 11 bankruptcy”, making it difficult for students to access necessary prescription medications.
Students have been left with the other pharmacies in the area, including Dover and Lee. This means that students without transportation have to rely on the UNH bus or personal transportation.
In an article from Concord Monitor, concerned student Emma Galbraith reports, “I don’t know what’s going to happen if I get sick and need antibiotics immediately, like the next day.” Her only other options are to have medications shipped or have her parents drive from Massachusetts to deliver her prescriptions.
DeLuzuriaga, when asked if she had noticed any changes in the number of students enrolling in certain courses, said that “students are actually taking more classes so that they can earn all their credits sooner.”
She then explained that if an amount of credits is taken in a span of time, students can graduate in three years instead of four.
According to the Concord Monitor, The University of New Hampshire is expecting a decline in applications come the fall semester of 2026, although changes have been made to make the application process easier.
Additionally, DeLuzuriaga shared about the 100 new pathways from Great Bay Community College created to help students earn their bachelor’s degrees for a lower price and then transfer to UNH.
DeLuzuriaga said she doesn’t face much backlash because the public understands that the decision was made by the federal government. The school is always doing its best to make the cost worth it, and students notice the effort.
However, Ben Doyle, a junior at UNH, voiced that he believes “it’s a fantastic education for the price.”
Aside from new reductions of federal funding, UNH has been notorious for having relatively high in-state tuition because of insufficient state funding, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin.
If you need financial help, go to your college counselor for help with the FAFSA process.
