Individual Institutional Profile:

Southern New Hampshire University

BY CAROL MCFARLAND MCKEE

Stand Up: Set Your Own Course
SNHU in the News
History of SNHU
• Founded in1932 as New Hampshire Accounting and
Secretarial School in Manchester, NH to teach bookkeepers
underlying theory
• Major Shifts:
• 1941 shifted to meet needs of active-duty military.
• 1960s began offering courses on military bases in New
England & Puerto Rico. Approved to grant associate
and bachelor’s degrees in business science. Became
nonprofit & shortened name to New Hampshire
College.
• 1980s, 1990s added more bachelor’s degrees plus
master’s degrees.
History of SNHU
• Shifts & Milestones
• 1995 launched internet-based distance learning program
now SNHU Online
• 1997 unveiled 3-year bachelor’s degree in business
administration
• 1998 launched first doctoral program
• 2001 online enrollments of 8,000 in 23 time zones
• 2002, 40% of online enrollees were U.S. Armed Forces
members
• 2003, Paul LeBlanc becomes SNHU President
Rise of the Mega University
• Necessity is the Mother of Innovation
• Campus enrollment at 2,000 in 2009 and declining
• Financial difficulties
• Rising tuition
• Poor name recognition
• LeBlanc makes Harvard Business School professor Clay
Christensen an SNHU trustee; consults with him about
embracing online education as solution to decline and way to
save main campus
• Christensen: “… business models implicit in higher-ed are
broken. Public institutions will not see increasing state
funding and private colleges will not see ever-rising tuition.”
Rise of the Mega University
• Necessity is the Mother of Innovation
• Named 2020 Most Innovative University in the North and one
of the nation's "Best Regional Universities" by U.S. News &
World Report.
• Awarded the 21st Century Distance Learning Award for
Excellence in Online Technology by The United States
Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
• Named "Great College to Work For" by the Chronicle of
Higher Education every year since its inception
• One of Fast Company's 50 Most Innovative Companies
(2012)
SNHU Mission
Southern New Hampshire University transforms the lives of
learners. Our success is defined by our learners' success. By
relentlessly challenging the status quo and providing the best
support in higher education, Southern New Hampshire
University expands access to education by creating high
quality, affordable and innovative pathways to meet the
unique needs of each and every learner.
SNHU Progress with Purpose
Our mission has always driven us to focus on the future. So
we've committed to pioneering pathways to education that
don’t yet exist—so we can help solve problems that do. From
reinventing college for working adults in 1932, to putting
learning online in 1995, to creating groundbreaking
competency-based education programs in 2013, our history
is a story of innovation.
SNHU Progress with Purpose
Today, we continue to be recognized as an agent of change in
higher education—developing custom workforce learning
solutions, community-based learning for the next generation of
learners, and exploring radical new ways to make high-quality
education more affordable, accessible and achievable. For all
learners, at home and across the globe.
It's all done in with the goal of serving and supporting learners.
So we can help prepare them to create lasting, positive impacts
on an ever-changing world.
SNHU Social Impact

As a university built for people, not for profit, we invest in

our learners and their communities. You’ll find us on soccer
fields, military bases and in underserved neighborhoods in
NH and across the globe, because we believe in using the
power of education as a force for social good. And all of us –
alumni, students, faculty and staff – play a part in making it
happen.

Source: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us
SNHU Today
• Level:
• 4 year or above
• Control:
• Private not-for-profit
• Student Population (Undergraduate & Graduate):
• 104,068 (2018-2019) includes online enrollments
• 3,020 undergraduate, 1,072 graduate campus students
• Carnegie Classification:
• Master’s Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs

Sources: https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/
https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/
https://www.collegedata.com/college/Southern-New-Hampshire-
University
Student Population at SNHU
Student Enrollment by Gender & Level

Source: https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/
Student Population at SNHU
Student Age Distribution
Student Population at SNHU
Online (Distance Learning) Enrollment
Student Population at SNHU
Location of Students Enrolled Exclusively in Online Courses
Learning Outcomes at SNHU

Source: https://www.snhu.edu/about-
us/newsroom/2016/03/general-education-
for-the-adult-learner
Student Services at SNHU
We believe that there are no limits to what you can achieve.
Thanks to courses that stress real world experience, we’ve seen students who
may have struggled with staying focused on academics become engaged
learners in and out of the classroom. First year students at SNHU take First-
Year Seminar (FYS 101) - a course designed to challenge and support
students as they explore positions and values relevant not only to college, but
also to informed citizenship. In FYS 101, students explore concepts, histories,
and experiences that have formed the democratic experience, encouraging
open-minded engagement with and empathy for the values and experiences of
a diverse population.
And when you can’t figure something out on your own, we’ll be there to help
you out.

Source: https://www.snhu.edu/student-
experience/campus-experience/student-
services
Student Services at SNHU
Academic Advising (includes mentoring, tutoring, online
tutoring)
Campus Ministry
Campus Accessibility Center
International Student Services
The Wolak Learning Center (Academic Support)
Office of Diversity Programs (Events & Student
Organizations)
Wellness Center

Source: https://www.snhu.edu/student-
experience/campus-experience/student-
services
Student Involvement

70+ Student Run Clubs & Organizations including Greek

life, student government, performing arts
20 NCAA Division II Athletic Teams - 8 men’s, 4 women’s,
1 coed (esports) Penmen teams. Do not have football
Dozens of Clubs & Intramural Sports
4 Varsity Esports Teams Compete Internationally

Source: https://www.snhu.edu/student-
experience/campus-experience/student-
services
Cost of Attending
On Campus Costs
 Undergraduate tuition,
housing, dining, fees &
insurance $44,689-$51,102
annually
 Graduate evening
degrees/certificates $627 per
credit hour
 Graduate day
degrees/certificates $700 per
credit hour
 Active duty military $470 per
credit hour
 Doctoral program $16,000 per
year (3 years)
Online Costs
 Undergraduate $960 per
course; $320 per credit hour
 US Service Members &
Spouses of Active Duty $675
per course; $225 per credit
hour
 Graduate $1,881 per course;
$627 per credit hour
 US Service Members &
Spouse of Active Duty
$1,410 per course; $470 per
credit hour
Source: https://www.snhu.edu/tuition-and-
financial-aid/campus
Overall Impressions
Focused – From the beginning on career preparation with
emphasis on career counseling, webinars, fairs, exploration;
mock interviewing and resume review
Innovative – 93% of 100K+ enrolled students in 2018-19
were exclusively online
Targeted – Over half of student population is over 30, and
65% are women
Creative – Reduced tuition for US military and spouses;
media ads encourage adult learners who stopped out to
return and finish their degree
Overall Impressions
Difficult to Contact – Phone numbers and emails are
difficult to locate on website. Patience and persistence
necessary to finally speak with a human.
Unresponsive to Inquiries – Emails and phone calls
seeking additional information (about student affairs,
organizational chart, strategic planning, goals and objectives,
assessments) were not returned.
You Can Do It: Finish Your Degree