How To Use the 2018 Guide

The 2018 guide includes colleges and universities based in the six New England states that are authorized to grant undergraduate and/or graduate degrees.

Information was derived from a 2017 New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) online survey. Institutional participation was voluntary and responses varied. In some cases, data was obtained from the college’s Common Data Set and/or website.

Colleges are designated as either Public or Independent (including primarily nonprofits, but also for-profits).

Email and phone number(s) are for the admissions offices.

Deadlines for Fall Admission

Apply by: Application deadline for freshman admissions (unless a graduate level-only institution). Rolling indicates college considers applications year-round.

Priority Deadline: Date by which students should apply for priority consideration.

Early Action: Application deadline for early acceptance (not requiring an enrollment commitment).

Early Decision: Application deadline for early acceptance (requiring an enrollment commitment).

Acceptance Rates: Percentage of applicants who were accepted. Number of students who applied / number accepted by the college / number who enrolled.

Freshman Acceptance Rate: Percentage of freshman applicants who were accepted.

Transfer Acceptance Rate: Percentage of transfer applicants from other colleges who were accepted. Note: Most colleges consider transfer applications, but not all provided their transfer acceptance rates.

Student/Faculty Ratio, Fall 2016: Example: 20:1 means average of 20 students per faculty member.

Enrollment Data, Fall 2016: Total enrollment includes full- and part-time students in undergraduate and/or graduate programs (degree and non-degree students).

Following breakdowns are listed as a percentage of total number of enrolled students: (% of total, or % of undergraduate/ % of graduate).
Part-time • Female • Commuters (Living off campus).

Minority: Race reported as Hispanic, Black or African-American, American Indian or Alaska
Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or two or more races.

International: Permanent residents of other countries.

Cost of Attendance, Fall 2017: Annual costs for full-time undergraduate (unless graduate-only institution)

In/Out: Tuition and fees at public institutions for state residents / out-of-state students.

Fees: Mandatory fees charged to all students.(Fees may vary by program, insurance coverage
requirements, etc.)

Room and Board: Average annual charge for double occupancy, on-campus housing with a meal plan. (Charges may vary by housing options and meal plan.)

Comprehensive Fee: Tuition, fees and room & board charged as one fee (at certain colleges.)

Degrees Offered: Associate, Bachelor’s, M (Master’s), D (Doctorate).

Online: Entire degree programs offered online.

Accel: Accelerated program to complete study in fewer than the usual number of years.

Coop: Cooperative education program with alternate class attendance and employment.

DL: Courses or instruction available via distance learning.

Dual: Dual enrollment, whereby high school students may enroll in college courses while still enrolled in high school, but are not required to apply for admission to the college.

ESL: English-as-a-Second-Language for nonnative English speakers.

ExtDeg: External degree program comprising independent study with minimal or no classroom attendance.

Intern: Internships to earn academic credit for short-term, supervised experience.

Wknd: Weekend college (classes on weekends only).

PLA: Credit for prior learning through assessments such as CLEP (College Level Exam Program), DSST (Dantes test), ACE (American Council on Education) and AP (Advanced Placement).

Childcare: On-campus day care for students’ children.

Tuition Break: Out-of-state tuition discounts for eligible New England residents enrolled in approved programs. Visit nebhe.org/programs-overview/rsp-tuition-break/overview.

Some Additional Information

Academic Calendar: Typical academic year has two semesters (two equal units). Other calendar types include: trimester (3 units); quarter (4 units); and 4-1-4 or 4-4-1 or 4-1-4-1 (two terms of four months and one or more month-long session).

Accreditation: The majority of colleges are “regionally accredited” by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Visit cihe.neasc.org.

Admissions Tests: Contact institutions regarding required admissions tests. Students applying as freshmen typically take the SAT and/or the ACT during their junior and/or senior year of high school. Community colleges do not require the SAT or ACT.

ACT: American College Testing Program. Visit act.org

SAT, SAT II: College Board. Visit sat.collegeboard.org

FairTest: Colleges that do not require admissions tests in all cases: fairtest.org/university/optional.

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language: Usually required for students whose native