UNH moved from 137 to 115 in the new USNWR ranking. While the rankings themselves are flawed, they do offer comparative value. It’s also good to see UNH finally overtaking UVM. While both are solid flagships, I’ve always been annoyed at the myth that UVM is a “public ivy”. News flash: it is not.
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Well UVM is - because the guy who coined the term said so when he labeled it as such. There’s actually no such thing.
But I understand your sentiment.
True, it was named, but no one knows why.
Like US News, selling…
The Public Ivies offer an Ivy League education at a public university price, according to Richard Moll, who coined the term in his 1985 book “The Public Ivys.”
Silly, meaningless term.
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Anyway, congrats to New Hampshire! Would be interesting to know why it moved up (consistent with most flagship publics, I guess) and Vermont continued to track downwards. I’ve always thought of the two schools as mirror images, but where one is traditionally better at hockey and the other at basketball. 
They’re similarly sized, from obviously similar states, the campuses look pretty similar, etc.
For a curious Midwesterner, what are the nuanced differences, aside from athletic reputation, between the two that are worth knowing? Any particular programs/schools at one or the other that stand out?
They are both very similar with similar demographics. UNH is better at business, CS, and engineering, UVM is better at environmental/sustainability studies, and life sciences is strong by way of the medical school. UNH is very strong in nursing, and by way of its proximity to Boston serves as a feeder school for large employers. Unfortunately hockey has tanked at both, and UVM always seems to be able to field a basketball team that makes the tourney.
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UNH is a solid school in a beautiful location. A handful of kids from our high school have gone there and it was on my S23’s list for engineering. A hockey team to cheer for would have been a bonus. The terms “public ivy” and “lower ivy” are both anathema to me.
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UNH is well respected with their environmental and biological sciences as well.
The natural resource and environmental science majors are very hands on - Natural Resources and the Environment | College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
Sustainability ranking from Sierra club
UNH and UVM each have a different on campus feel.
UNH has the estuaries, the Great Bay, leading to the ocean with skiing within hour. The campus has a more rural feel with a small town. Portsmouth is 15 minutes away and Boston is an hour away providing plenty of opportunities off campus. The seacoast area has mild winters compared to Burlington.
UVM has Lake Champlain and is closer to skiing. The campus is in Burlington and feels more urban on campus…as urban as it gets in Vermont. Burlington is a hike to get to with less airport options. Canada is close by.
New Hampshire is a more conservative state than Vermont, but UNH is in a more liberal area of the state. Vermont has legalized some things that New Hampshire has not, etc…
UNH has been very competitive with securing partnerships and federal grants. Just this week: NOAA Administrator Announces New Ocean Mapping Center of Excellence at UNH | UNH Today
Academically, they both offer great opportunities. UVM for whatever reason became a safety for many applying to more elite colleges decades ago. UNH was never that school and I think has been ok with it as they took their own path. It is great to see them recognized even if we don’t like the ranking systems -lol.
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Interesting discussion…
It seems that UNH’s location is the biggest appeal. It’s picturesque, and it’s easily accessible from southern New England, NY, & Boston.
It’s also a very expensive choice for OOS candidates, even with the various merit offers. It has a relatively HIGH acceptance rate, with the exception of just a few programs, such as direct-admit Nursing.
UNH requires (or used to require?) applicants to choose a second choice major- and guess what- nearly everyone is accepted to the second major. That most certainly muddies the waters.
UNH also solicits applicants with TV ads in MA and CT- maybe other markets as well??, for whatever that’s worth. Not all colleges do that, and that implies something…
My D22 really liked UNH overall, visited a number of times, but didn’t get into Nursing even though she met/exceeded all of the published criteria. The whole second choice acceptance was somewhat infuriating. That was our experience!
UVM is in Burlington, is a city of 44K on Lake Champlain. It has a medical school and is next to the UVM Medical Center. Middlebury College, Champlain College, and St. Michael’s in the Metro Area.
UNH is in a small town of about 16K, 15 minutes from the coast, with an Amtrak Station on campus going to Boston/Portland. There is another campus in Manchester (115k), but it’s not really a campus - housing is available at nearby SNHU (a private university).
Agree that UNH is strong in Engineering and Business, no idea re: CS. UVM big on environmental sciences/policy. I think UNH is also strong in nursing and life science-we’ve toured some of the labs and were quite impressed. Both are strong in Animal Science/Pre-Vet, but UNH has marine/freshwater bio with a lab on an ocean island and the State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab just off campus.
UVM experiences a tougher winter, lots of skiers. UVM has cut back (consolidated?) liberal arts. UNH has established a Classics program and will be beefing up the Honors Program to a full Honors College.
My son chose UMASS-Amherst over both and is very happy.
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