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Rhode Island College: Superintendent's home at the former State Home and School for Dependent and Neglected Children
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Rhode Island College

Providence, RI · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $9,478 a year

Median debt at graduation: $20,500 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.48%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.73%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 990
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.15 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$10,795

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$6,378
$30,001–$48,000$6,989
$48,001–$75,000$8,701
$75,001–$110,000$12,809
Over $110,000$15,681

Full cost of attendance before aid: $17,454 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
4,785
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 32% · Women 68%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
45%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
17%
Total students5,767
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$9,478
Cost of attendance (per year)$17,454
Median federal debt at graduation$20,500
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
48%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
55%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
54%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
60%
First-year retention73%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$56,318
Admission rate92%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$50
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $1,402 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants42%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 870–1120
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT990
SAT reading & writing450–580
SAT math420–540
ACT composite—
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Exceptional · Top 8% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Allied health$84,238
Computer science$83,259
Nursing$83,068
Management information systems$76,873
Mathematics$72,410
Finance$70,470
Accounting$68,616
Chemistry$66,959
Sociology$59,643
Biology$58,779
Business administration$58,221
Criminal justice$58,156
Health administration$57,195
Marketing$57,119
Special education$56,477
Political science$54,540
Natural resources and conservation$54,516
Social work$53,312
Secondary education$53,057
Psychology$52,758
Counseling and mental health$51,379
Communication studies$51,105
Music$51,090
Health sciences$50,854
Theatre$50,335
Teacher education$49,069
English$48,948
Neuroscience$48,514
History$46,105
Writing and rhetoric$45,378
Ethnic and gender studies$44,144
Fine arts$41,883

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Anthropology, Area studies, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Clinical laboratory science, Computing and information science, Dance, Data Science, Dental assisting, Design, Economics, Family and human development, Film and video, General studies, Geography, Gerontology, Global studies, Human resources, Journalism, Kinesiology and exercise science, Liberal arts, Linguistics, Management science, Medical assisting, Other education, Other psychology, Other public administration and social service professions, Philosophy, Physics, Public administration, Public relations, Romance languages, Security science, Social sciences, Speech-language pathology, Sustainability Studies, Visual and performing arts.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Health professions24%
Business17%
Public administration and social service11%
Education10%
Psychology9%

Campus life

School colors
SettingSuburb
Part-time undergraduates14%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older22%
On-campus room and board (per year)$13,414
SportsNCAA Division III · Little East Conference
ROTCArmy
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member15 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 9%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time100%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$8,620IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 18% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceRhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)About 8 miles away · about 25 minutes by car
Nearest major airportBoston Logan International Airport (BOS)About 43 miles away
Town population191,767Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreBostonAbout 41 miles away · about 1 hour 10 minutes by car
Typical weather30°F in January · 74°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Providence T F Green Airport, RI, about 8 miles away

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.490.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.160.08
Motor vehicle theft0.320.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Rhode Island College’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B-). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Rhode Island College cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $9,478 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Rhode Island College?
Rhode Island College admitted 92% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Rhode Island College’s graduates do?
48% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $56,318; the median federal debt at graduation is $20,500.

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