Public · Kingston, Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island is a public institution in Kingston, Rhode Island. Graduates earn a median of $69,743 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $21,440/yr.

$69,743
10-yr median earnings
$21,440
Avg net price / yr
72.2%
Acceptance rate
72.2%
4-yr completion

The verdict

University of Rhode Island pairs top-10% graduate earnings with a moderately open admit.

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

Top 10%
graduate earnings, US
72.2%
acceptance rate
72.2%
4-yr completion
+21%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large Carnegie: R2

University of Rhode Island is a public institution in Kingston, Rhode Island enrolling 13,381 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 72.2% with an average SAT of 1,160. Graduates earn a median of $69,743 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $21,440. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.

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Data updated July 2026

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for University of Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island operates as a public institution located in Kingston, Rhode Island (suburb: large), with a total reported enrollment of 13,381 students of which 17,345 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; University of Rhode Island is categorized as "Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.

The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.

College Value Score

C+
College Value Score
62/100
University of Rhode Island

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 A+
$69,743
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price F
$21,440
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$22,250
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
78.3%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B
83.6%
First-year students returning for year two
University of Rhode Island vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceGrad RateDebtRepaymentRetention

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

$69,743

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$21,440

After grants and scholarships

4-yr completion

72.2%

First-time, full-time bachelor's

4-year completion vs national average (40%) 72.2%

Higher is better

College ROI Quadrant - University of Rhode Island vs peers

University of Rhode Island 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 4-year graduation rate (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 = avoid (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 5 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. University of Rhode Island positioned by ear… Carnegie Classification: R2 R2 AVOID PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $36K $77K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $6K $39K Avg Net Price ($) University of Rhode Island (you are here): $70K earn · $21K net · 72% grad You are here - University of Rhod… Community College of Rhode Island: $43K earn · $7K net Community College … Rhode Island College: $56K earn · $9K net · 47% grad Rhode Island College New England Institute of Technology: $49K earn · $36K net · 59% grad New England Instit… Salve Regina University: $73K earn · $37K net · 76% grad Salve Regina Unive… 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 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.

How University of Rhode Island ranks nationally

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

University of Rhode Island: graduate earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$69,743 Top 10% higher than 90% 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%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). This entry sits in this band. $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 · 2024

Quick Facts

13,381
Total enrollment
72.2%
Acceptance rate
1,160
SAT average
72.2%
4-yr graduation rate
$69,743
10-yr median earnings
83.6%
First-year retention

Admissions

Admission Rate 72.2%
SAT Average 1,160
SAT Math (25th-75th) 500 – 630
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 520 – 650
ACT Average 28

Share of applicants admitted

0%100%72.2%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $16,942
Out-of-State Tuition $37,146
Average Net Price $21,440

Net Price by Family Income

$0 – $30,000 $14,368
$30,001 – $48,000 $12,923
$48,001 – $75,000 $17,803
Over $110,000 $28,460
21.8%
Pell Grant Rate
49.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$22,250
Median Debt
$236/mo
Monthly Payment

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

59.5%
Female
26.3%
First Generation

Outcomes

72.2%
4-Year Completion Rate
83.6%
Retention Rate
$57,446
Median Earnings (6yr)
$69,743
Median Earnings (10yr)
73.9%
Earning Over $25K
78.3%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Programs & Earnings

Top programs at University of Rhode Island by graduate 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 2024
Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration First Professional 110 $137,117 $49,650
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Master's 32 $129,967 $33,897
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management Master's 27 $128,646 -
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions Master's 0 $113,331 -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Master's 126 $108,248 $22,793
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering Bachelor's 27 $106,153 $21,500
Chemical Engineering Bachelor's 28 $103,525 $26,816
Computer Engineering Bachelor's 22 $100,975 $26,101
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology Doctoral 9 $98,161 -
Biomedical/Medical Engineering Bachelor's 30 $96,532 $26,234
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Bachelor's 290 $96,020 $19,500
Accounting and Related Services Master's 23 $93,081 $20,500
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Bachelor's 5 $90,953 $23,773
Ocean Engineering Bachelor's 26 $90,901 $26,294
Industrial Engineering Bachelor's 13 $90,399 -

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at University of Rhode Island?
University of Rhode Island is a public institution in Kingston, Rhode Island. The acceptance rate is 72.2%. The average SAT score is 1,160. Total enrollment is 13,381 students.
How much do University of Rhode Island graduates earn?
Graduates of University of Rhode Island earn a median of $69,743 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $57,446.
How much does University of Rhode Island cost?
The average net price at University of Rhode Island is $21,440. In-state tuition is $16,942 and out-of-state tuition is $37,146. Median student debt at graduation is $22,250.
What is the graduation rate at University of Rhode Island?
University of Rhode Island has a 4-year completion rate of 72.2%. The first-year retention rate is 83.6%.
Is University of Rhode Island worth the student debt?
The median student debt at University of Rhode Island is $22,250, while graduates earn a median of $69,743 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 32% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 78.3% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $236.

Sources & methodology

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.

Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What this means for University of Rhode Island

  • University of Rhode Island's graduates land in the 10th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
  • The average net price after aid is $21,440 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
  • See how this school compares to every other college in Rhode Island.Browse Rhode Island

This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.

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. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.