UNH expands Granite Guarantee to transfer students

DURHAM — The University of New Hampshire will expand its commitment to New Hampshire students by offering the Granite Guarantee to graduates from the Community College System of New Hampshire, as of December.

In its first two years, UNH’s Granite Guarantee helped 800 first-year students studying on the Durham and Manchester campuses. This expansion of the program, which guarantees New Hampshire students who receive federal Pell grants pay no tuition to attend the university, is for students who transfer to UNH directly from New Hampshire community colleges.

"The expansion of Granite Guarantee to new graduates of the community college system allows us to continue to work to remove financial barriers to higher education that many New Hampshire families face," said UNH President James W. Dean, Jr. "We value our partnership with the state’s community colleges and see this as an opportunity to encourage students to stay on track to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years."

The commitment remains in place during the two years a bachelor’s degree is earned, provided the student is enrolled full-time, remains Pell-eligible and makes satisfactory progress toward their degree.

"Our graduates are outstanding students who come from diverse backgrounds and all corners of New Hampshire," said Ross Gittell, Community College System of New Hampshire chancellor. "They are highly sought after thanks to the education they receive at the community colleges and the Granite Guarantee will be a valuable recruiting tool to retain these students in New Hampshire after they have completed their associate degrees. This is a way to encourage more of NH’s best and brightest students to stay in the state to earn bachelor’s degrees and help the state achieve its 65 by 25 goal to enhance the Granite State’s skilled workforce. We thank UNH for expanding the Granite Guarantee to New Hampshire community college graduates who transfer to UNH."

No separate application is needed for UNH’s Granite Guarantee. Students simply apply for admission to UNH, and apply for financial aid through existing procedures. The transfer application deadline for spring 2019 enrollment is extended to Nov 15. Students who apply for fall 2019 and later will also be eligible.