Colleges and universities in New Hampshire had a collective economic impact of $6.4 billion during the 2016-17 fiscal year, according to the New Hampshire College and University Council.
The data was released Monday during a higher education summit hosted by NHCUC in Concord. The summit focused on the affordability of higher education as well as partnerships between communities, businesses and schools.
Institutions of higher education in the Granite State that year directly employed 29,600 people, spent $290 million on research and development, and awarded 30,000 degrees, according to NHCUC. The total economic impact of higher education in the state accounted for 8.3 percent of New Hampshire’s gross domestic product. A 2015 report by the organization put the economic impact of the sector at $5.8 billion.