New Hampshire Financial Aid: State Grants, Scholarships and Free College Programs
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Jun 16, 2025 • US States & Cities, US Financial Aid & Scholarships
New Hampshire's state aid is smaller and more targeted than most states, so your biggest wins usually come from institutional programs like UNH's Granite Guarantee, plus a handful of state scholarships you apply for after filing the FAFSA. File the FAFSA every year first, since most NH programs use it to decide who qualifies.
🎓 Granite Guarantee: full in-state tuition at UNH Durham or Manchester for Pell-eligible NH residents, no separate application
💵 NH State Treasury scholarships: up to $2,000 a year for Pell-eligible NH Scholar designees, $1,000 for other eligible residents
📩 Scholarships for Orphans of Veterans: a $2,500-a-year grant for room, board, books and supplies, plus free tuition at USNH and CCSNH public schools
🏠 NH Tuition Waiver Program: covers tuition for current and former foster youth at NH state schools
⏱️ File the FAFSA as early as possible each year, most programs need it
Start with the FAFSA
Almost every dollar of need-based aid in New Hampshire, state or institutional, starts with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). File it as soon as it opens each cycle and list every New Hampshire school you are considering, because campus and state offices pull your Pell Grant eligibility and financial need directly from that application to decide who qualifies for their own programs.
Granite Guarantee: free tuition at UNH
The Granite Guarantee is UNH's flagship affordability program. If you are a first-year, first-time New Hampshire resident who qualifies for a federal Pell Grant, or a Pell-eligible transfer student coming from a Community College System of New Hampshire school, UNH covers your full in-state tuition at the Durham or Manchester campus. There is no separate application and no minimum GPA requirement: you apply to UNH, file the FAFSA, and stay a full-time NH resident in good academic standing. The award renews for four years but does not cover fees, housing, food, books or January Term and summer courses, so budget separately for those. It also does not transfer to Plymouth State, Keene State or other USNH campuses, only between UNH Durham and Manchester.
State-administered scholarships
New Hampshire's State Treasury runs a small set of scholarship programs on top of federal aid.
NH Scholars awards: $2,000 a year for first-year, full-time students who are Pell Grant eligible and have earned the New Hampshire Scholar designation in high school, and $1,000 a year for other eligible students who meet the program's residency and academic requirements.
Scholarships for Orphans of Veterans: a $2,500-a-year grant for room, board, books and supplies, plus free tuition at USNH and CCSNH public schools, for New Hampshire students whose parent died on active duty or of a service-connected disability.
Tuition Waiver Program for Foster Children: waives tuition at New Hampshire state schools for current and former foster youth pursuing a degree.
Apply for these through your college's financial aid office rather than a separate state portal. Contact the office early in your senior year or first term to confirm you are flagged for the programs you qualify for.
Community-funded and nonprofit scholarships
Outside of government programs, New Hampshire nonprofits fund real money toward college. New Hampshire Charitable Foundation manages dozens of privately endowed scholarship funds through a single application. Granite Edvance, a New Hampshire nonprofit, awarded roughly $750,000 in scholarships in 2025 to residents pursuing a certificate, associate or bachelor's degree, and separately offers free advising on FAFSA filing and financial aid. Neither of these is a government program, but both are NH-based and worth applying to alongside state and federal aid.
Community college tuition assistance
CCSNH campuses run their own tuition assistance and waiver programs for Pell-eligible and low-income students, in addition to federal aid. Check the CCSNH tuition assistance page or your target campus's financial aid office for the current list, since eligibility and award amounts are set at the campus level.
Do not skip regional discounts
If you are open to studying at a public college in another New England state, or you live in New England and want to study in New Hampshire, the NEBHE Tuition Break can cut your non-resident tuition significantly for approved majors, without requiring you to move or establish residency.
Order of operations
File the FAFSA as early as possible.
Apply to UNH if you want a shot at the Granite Guarantee, and confirm your Pell eligibility once your FAFSA processes.
Ask your campus financial aid office which state scholarships (NH Scholars, Orphans of Veterans, foster tuition waiver) you are eligible for.
Apply to NH Charitable Foundation and Granite Edvance separately, since these run on their own timelines.
Check NEBHE Tuition Break if you are considering an out-of-state New England public college, or you are from New England and applying to a NH campus.