Plymouth State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Plymouth, New Hampshire. It enrolls 3,153 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorNew England Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
60/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes32
Value61
Affordability46
Selectivity27
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 87.5%, Plymouth State University is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
87.5%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Plymouth State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
6.2 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Plymouth State University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $19,216 per year. That's below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$19,216
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
28%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
69%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$14,626
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$25,566
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,158
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,158
Books & Supplies
$1,400
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,886
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,886
Total Cost of Attendance
$29,644
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$14,676
$30,001 – $48,000
$14,714
$48,001 – $75,000
$17,030
$75,001 – $110,000
$21,157
Over $110,000
$23,020
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,50010%percentile
$5,62425%percentile
$26,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$31,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $19,500
↓ $6,500
No Pell $15,000
↓ $11,000
Dependent students $17,125
↓ $8,875
Independent students $14,750
↓ $11,250
Female students $19,000
↓ $7,000
Male students $15,000
↓ $11,000
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,250, less than completers ($26,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
50% of full-time students who enrolled at Plymouth State University graduate within six years, and 70% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
50%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
70%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Plymouth State University earn a median of $57,304 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$57,304
Earning > $25K
83%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$39,300
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$51,700
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$41,300
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$43,900
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$47,600
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $12,400, about 24% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
14.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 90% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Plymouth State University is home to 3,153 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
3,153
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
27%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 80.5%2,539
Other 6.1%191
Hispanic 5.8%182
Black 2.0%63
International 1.6%51
Asian 1.4%44
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Plymouth State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Town: RemotePlymouth, New Hampshire
Housing
Strongly residential2,364 beds for 3,153 students
Adult Learners
2%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Plymouth State University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
68 distinct programs across
21 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Plymouth State University is 15:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
15:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$10,986
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$38M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$82,046
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
166 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
56
34%
$99,597
Associate Professors
45
27%
$82,530
Assistant Professors
30
18%
$68,844
Lecturers
35
21%
$64,659
Pros & Cons of Plymouth State University
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Plymouth State University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Reasonable class sizes
Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
Below-average completion rate
First-year retention is below typical
Most students take on federal loans
Best for:
Based on the data, Plymouth State University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Plymouth State University
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Plymouth State University.
Is Plymouth State University hard to get into?
Plymouth State University has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 87.5%.
What is the acceptance rate at Plymouth State University?
Plymouth State University has an acceptance rate of 87.5%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Plymouth State University cost?
The average net price after aid at Plymouth State University is $19,216 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Plymouth State University worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $57,304 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $19,216 per year. That's roughly 3.0x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Plymouth State University known for?
Plymouth State University is best known for its programs in Business, Teacher Education (K-12), Criminal Justice. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Plymouth State University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Plymouth State University are $57,304, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Plymouth State University accredited?
Yes. Plymouth State University is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Plymouth State University?
Plymouth State University enrolls 3,153 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Plymouth State University?
Plymouth State University graduates 50% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Plymouth State University a public or private college?
Plymouth State University is a Public institution.
Where is Plymouth State University located?
Plymouth State University is located in Plymouth, New Hampshire.
What programs does Plymouth State University offer?
Plymouth State University offers 68 distinct programs. The most popular include Business, Teacher Education (K-12), Criminal Justice.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Plymouth State University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Plymouth State University is 15:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in New Hampshire
Other colleges in New Hampshire share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
