SW New Hampshire News

Cheshire County's four universities admitted an estimated 91.2% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 15.1% enrolled.

Of the four institutions in the county, two provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Keene State College and Franklin Pierce University.

At least 7,632 people applied to Cheshire County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 4,599 students enrolled in the universities, including 3,919 in undergraduate and 680 in graduate programs. Only 3% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (79.7%) and Hispanic (6.1%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Keene State College stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 2,872 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for Antioch University-New England in Cheshire County.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Keene State College	4,487	4,038	2,872
Franklin Pierce University	3,145	2,925	1,663
Antioch University-New England	--	--	--
Keene Beauty Academy	--	--	64