草榴短视频

By Jeremy Margolis, Concord Monitor

Want to attend a private four-year college for $10,000 a year? If you graduate from any of 13 area high schools, now you can.

In an effort to attract more New Hampshire students, New England College in Henniker is expanding an unusual local partnership to include Concord and Bishop Brady High School graduates this fall.

The partnership, which started many years ago as a cross-town agreement between the college and John Stark, has steadily grown. Graduates of Hopkinton, Kearsarge Regional and Hillsboro-Deering, among several other high schools in the state, were already eligible.

At a time when small private colleges are increasingly struggling to maintain financial stability, NEC is hoping it can boost enrollment by doubling down on attracting local students. The strategy is a novel one, according to Brad Poznanski, the college鈥檚 vice president of enrollment management.

鈥淧artnerships are not unusual, but this one in offering this tuition rate is the only one that I know of, actually,鈥� he said in an interview.

Eligibility is simple: Any graduate of a participating high school with at least a 2.75 GPA accepted to NEC is locked into a $10,000 per year deal for four years. By comparison, full tuition in the coming year is $41,584. Students who choose to reside on campus must pay an additional fee for room and board. (The nursing program is the only area of study that does not offer the discount.)

Last year, 47 of the roughly 300 students in the incoming class participated in the program. This year, 42 students from eligible high schools had already enrolled as of late June, including four from Concord or Bishop Brady, according to Poznanski, but those numbers could increase as the fall approaches.

Members of the Concord Board of Education applauded the partnership.

鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of my alma mater; I鈥檓 an NEC graduate,鈥� board member Sarah Robinson said. 鈥淚 did not pay $10,000 a year to go there, so I鈥檓 very pleased that kids have access to this.鈥�

Poznanski said the partnership is mutually beneficial.

鈥淭he majority of students around the country attend college relatively close to home, so this is a strategy that we鈥檝e employed to work in tandem with students鈥� natural inclination to look for a college near home,鈥� he said.

After dipping during the pandemic, enrollment has grown 鈥渋ncrementally鈥� each year, he said. The school had 986 undergraduates in the fall of 2023, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

In addition to the tuition discount, the partnership comes with another perk for students at area high schools. While still in high school, they are eligible to enroll in any NEC college course that has open space.

鈥淭he idea is that the students will have a positive experience on campus, and they might consider enrolling or telling their friends about their experience,鈥� Poznanski said.

Concord High School principal Tim Herbert said he is still working on transportation to make that opportunity a reality for interested students.

鈥淎s a school principal, I have to be willing to take that barrier on to provide more equitable access,鈥� he said at a board meeting in June.

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Learn more about the New England College High School Partnership Program.

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