Public · Providence, Rhode Island

Rhode Island College

Rhode Island College is a public institution in Providence, Rhode Island. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.

$9,478
Avg net price / yr
$56,318
10-yr median earnings
47.0%
150%-time completion
91.8%
Acceptance rate

The verdict

Rhode Island College pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with open admission.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 20%
former-student earnings, US
91.8%
acceptance rate
47.0%
150%-time completion
+20%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large Carnegie: Master's (L)
View my saved schools

Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Rhode Island College profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

C
College Value Score
59/100
Rhode Island College

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings B+
$56,318
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B+
$9,478
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
47.0%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$20,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
76.3%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention D
73.3%
First-year students returning for year two
Rhode Island College vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$56,318

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$9,478

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

47.0%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 47.0%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Rhode Island College vs peers

Rhode Island College positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Rhode Island College positioned by earnings … Carnegie Classification: Master's (L) Master's (… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $20K $91K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $6K $53K Avg Net Price ($) Rhode Island College (you are here): $56K earn · $9K net · 47% grad You are here - Rhode Island College Community College of Rhode Island: $43K earn · $7K net · 26% grad Community College … University of Rhode Island: $70K earn · $21K net · 72% grad University of Rhod… Providence College: $87K earn · $49K net · 87% grad Providence College Empire Beauty School-Warwick: $24K earn · $23K net · 79% grad Empire Beauty Scho… Rhode Island School of Design: $68K earn · $51K net · 89% grad Rhode Island Schoo… Johnson & Wales University-Providence: $43K earn · $31K net · 55% grad Johnson & Wales University-Online: $43K earn · $20K net Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How Rhode Island College ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

Rhode Island College: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$56,318 Top 20% higher than 80% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric Rhode Island College National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $56,318 #1006 of 5103 80th
Average net price $9,478 #1052 of 5020 79th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 47.0% #3184 of 4858 34th
Undergraduate enrollment 5,049 #741 of 5462 86th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

5,049
Undergraduate enrollment
91.8%
Acceptance rate
990
SAT average
47.0%
150%-time completion
$56,318
10-yr median earnings
73.3%
First-year retention

How Rhode Island College ranks in Rhode Island

State rank among 19 reporting Rhode Island colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Rhode Island College State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $56,318 #9 of 19 53rd
Average net price $9,478 #2 of 20 90th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 47.0% #17 of 18 6th
Undergraduate enrollment 5,049 #4 of 20 80th

Highest former-student earnings in Rhode Island

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Brown University$93,487$25,184
2Bryant University$90,008$41,219
3Providence College$87,054$48,523
4Salve Regina University$72,975$36,967
5Roger Williams University$70,266$37,999
6Roger Williams University School of Law$70,266-
7University of Rhode Island$69,743$21,440
8Rhode Island School of Design$68,140$50,507
9Rhode Island CollegeThis school$56,318$9,478
10New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode Island$53,085$15,866
11New England Institute of Technology$48,684$36,483
12MotoRing Technical Training Institute$48,281$30,141

Admissions

Admission Rate 91.8%
SAT Average 990
SAT Math (25th-75th) 420 – 540
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 450 – 580
0%100%91.8%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Rhode Island College

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Rhode Island College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $11,300
Out-of-State Tuition $27,299
Average Net Price $9,478
42.0%
Pell Grant Rate
47.1%
Federal Loan Rate
$20,500
Median Debt
$217/mo
Monthly Payment

2013–2023: what Rhode Island College costs has stayed close to flat

Average net price moved +10.6% over 10 years, from $9,938 to $10,988 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.

Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $9,9382014: $9,5092015: $9,6132016: $10,4802017: $10,3662018: $10,5232019: $10,9222020: $12,1442021: $10,9862022: $12,5992023: $10,988
2013 · $9,9382023 · $10,988

Over the same years, enrollment went -36.2% (7,253 → 4,630 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

68.6%
Female
44.7%
First Generation

Outcomes

73.3%
Retention Rate
$46,882
Median Earnings (6yr)
64.9%
Earning Over $25K
76.3%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 47.0%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 73.3%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $46,882
Median earnings 10 years after entry $56,318
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 64.9%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 76.3%
Median federal student debt At completion $20,500
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $217/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Bachelor's 36 1,211 $58,077 $84,238 $20,932
Master's 11 221 $77,766 $138,536 $26,555
Graduate Certificate 2 15 $69,869 $69,995 -
Certificate 2 0 $41,384 $41,384 $19,500

Top programs at Rhode Island College by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Master's 21 $138,536 $41,000
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Bachelor's 37 $84,238 $25,152
Computer Science Bachelor's 44 $83,259 $22,801
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Bachelor's 151 $83,068 $24,750
Education, Other Master's 18 $78,105 $6,000
Management Information Systems and Services Bachelor's 15 $76,873 $18,060
Mathematics Bachelor's 8 $72,410 -
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology Master's 11 $71,898 -
Finance and Financial Management Services Bachelor's 20 $70,470 $19,041
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology Graduate Certificate 12 $69,995 -
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions Graduate Certificate 3 $69,742 -
Social Work Master's 86 $69,017 $32,666
Accounting and Related Services Bachelor's 50 $68,616 $15,783
Chemistry Bachelor's 5 $66,959 $14,250
Special Education and Teaching Master's 20 $66,310 -

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Rhode Island College?
Rhode Island College is a public institution in Providence, Rhode Island. The acceptance rate is 91.8%. The average SAT score is 990. Undergraduate enrollment is 5,049 students.
How much do Rhode Island College former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Rhode Island College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $56,318 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $46,882.
How much does Rhode Island College cost?
The average net price at Rhode Island College is $9,478. In-state tuition is $11,300 and out-of-state tuition is $27,299. Median student debt at graduation is $20,500.
What is the graduation rate at Rhode Island College?
Rhode Island College has a 47.0% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 73.3%.
Is Rhode Island College worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Rhode Island College is $20,500, while former students earn a median of $56,318 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 36% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 76.3% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $217.

Sources & methodology

Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.

Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from Rhode Island College

Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.