Rhode Island College is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Providence, Rhode Island. It enrolls 5,049 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorNew England Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Strong
71/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes34
Value94
Affordability83
Selectivity12
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 91.8%, Rhode Island College is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
91.8%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
870 – 1120
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Rhode Island College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stable ↑
2.7 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Rhode Island College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $9,478 per year. That's well below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$9,478
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
42%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
47%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$11,300
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$27,299
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,414
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,688
Books & Supplies
$1,200
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,440
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,200
Total Cost of Attendance
$17,454
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $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
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,75010%percentile
$5,50025%percentile
$20,500Medianpercentile
$25,00075%percentile
$34,50090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $13,760
↓ $6,740
No Pell $14,000
↓ $6,500
Dependent students $13,000
↓ $7,500
Independent students $17,833
↓ $2,667
Female students $14,750
↓ $5,750
Male students $12,000
↓ $8,500
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,879, less than completers ($20,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
56% of full-time students who enrolled at Rhode Island College graduate within six years, and 73% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
56%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
73%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Rhode Island College earn a median of $56,318 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$56,318
Earning > $25K
80%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$41,600
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$48,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$41,900
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$43,100
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$46,400
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,200, about 15% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
12.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 84% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Rhode Island College is home to 5,049 students, a large student community. Some distinctive traits: 45% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
5,049
Part-Time
14%
First-Generation
45%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 47.9%2,420
Hispanic 28.4%1,433
Black 11.7%591
Other 3.6%181
Asian 3.4%172
International 0.1%5
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Rhode Island College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Large SuburbProvidence, Rhode Island
Housing
Partly residential840 beds available
Adult Learners
22%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
What You Can Study
Rhode Island College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
79 distinct programs across
23 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Rhode Island College is 14:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$14,457
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$42M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$103,747
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
277 instructional faculty across 3 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
109
39%
$123,194
Associate Professors
100
36%
$99,532
Assistant Professors
68
25%
$78,771
Pros & Cons of Rhode Island College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Rhode Island College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Very affordable net price after aid
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Reasonable class sizes
Solid post-graduation earnings
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
Modest first-year retention
Best for:
Based on the data, Rhode Island College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rhode Island College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Rhode Island College.
Is Rhode Island College hard to get into?
Rhode Island College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 91.8%.
What is the acceptance rate at Rhode Island College?
Rhode Island College has an acceptance rate of 91.8%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
What SAT score do you need for Rhode Island College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Rhode Island College scored between 870 and 1120 on the SAT (Reading + Math combined). Scores at the higher end of that range improve admissions odds materially. Per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
How much does Rhode Island College cost?
The average net price after aid at Rhode Island College is $9,478 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Rhode Island College worth it?
Strong return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $56,318 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $9,478 per year. That's roughly 5.9x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Rhode Island College known for?
Rhode Island College is best known for its programs in Nursing, Social Work, Psychology. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Rhode Island College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Rhode Island College are $56,318, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Rhode Island College accredited?
Yes. Rhode Island College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Rhode Island College?
Rhode Island College enrolls 5,049 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Rhode Island College?
Rhode Island College graduates 56% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Rhode Island College a public or private college?
Rhode Island College is a Public institution.
Where is Rhode Island College located?
Rhode Island College is located in Providence, Rhode Island.
What programs does Rhode Island College offer?
Rhode Island College offers 79 distinct programs. The most popular include Nursing, Social Work, Psychology.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Rhode Island College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Rhode Island College is 14:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Rhode Island
Other colleges in Rhode Island share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Fine Arts
Architectural Sciences and Technology
Systems Science and Theory
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
