Where to Start Looking to Find a College in Rhode Island
If you’re looking for Rhode Island colleges, start with the WaytoGoRI.org website which is sponsored by the Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority. This is a comprehensive college planning site with all the expected timelines, checklists, and financial aid information. The college matching assistant allows you to look for colleges outside of Rhode Island and provides a comparison of selected schools.
Registered users also have access to test prep programs, a financial aid wizard, and a more customized college search function. All information can be saved in the user’s portfolio where students can also keep track of their work and school experiences. Students can practice completing college applications and then submit the real thing along with requests transcripts.
Families in Rhode Island should also visit the College Planning Center of Rhode Island website. This also provides a comprehensive overview of the college search and application process. Under the Guidance Counselor’s section, users can download a college application tracker in Excel or PDF format. There is also free Financial Aid 101 tutorial video. Students can sign up for free in-person college counseling and receive help in conducting the college search and filling out financial aid applications.
Students planning to start at a community college and then transfer should visit the RI Transfers website. It has information on transferring specific coursework and an overview of the Joint Admissions Agreement. However, it only applies to public institutions. The Community College of Rhode Island website has information on specific transfer articulation agreements with private four-year institutions.
Some Numbers to Help You Find Rhode Island Colleges
There are ten four-year Rhode Island colleges with 500 or more full-time undergraduates according to the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System. Approximately 65 percent of students attend one of the eight private Rhode Island colleges while 35 percent of students attend one of the two state institutions.
The private Rhode Island colleges have an average four-year graduation rate of 67% and the public universities have an average five-year graduation rate of 45%. Five schools meet the DIY College Rankings 50-50 profile requirements.
The average SAT score for college-bound seniors in Rhode Island was 497 for Critical Reading and 496 for Math. The 75th percentile scores were 570 for Critical Reading and 570 for Math. Of the schools that reported SAT scores, six Rhode Island colleges had 75th percentile scores equal to or higher than the state in both categories.
The top 20 colleges SAT test takers in Rhode Island applied to:
- University of Rhode Island
- Rhode Island College
- Northeastern University
- University of Connecticut
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Boston University
- Quinnipiac University
- Roger Williams University
- University of New Hampshire
- Brown University
- Bryant University
- Providence College
- University of Vermont
- Salve Regina University
- Boston College
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- Emmanuel College
- Community College of Rhode Island
- Curry College
Rhode Island Colleges Conferences and Divisions
List of Colleges in Rhode Island
In the following table, the four-year graduation rate is used for private colleges and the five-year rate for public colleges. The data are based on the data available from IPEDS in December of 2014 which are available on the DIY College Search spreadsheet.
Rhode Island Colleges with Graduation Rates and Test Scores
(download PDF version for limited time)
| Name | Type | Full- time Under- grads | 4/5 Yr Grad Rate | % Admitted | SAT CR 75th% | SAT Math 75th% | ACT 75th% | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University | Private | 6168 | 84 | 9 | 760 | 780 | 34 | 22369 |
| Bryant University | Private | 3200 | 78 | 77 | 590 | 630 | 27 | 32486 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Providence | Private | 8754 | 43 | 76 | 26398 | |||
| New England Institute of Technology | Private | 2396 | 25707 | |||||
| Providence College | Private | 3798 | 83 | 60 | 620 | 640 | 28 | 34388 |
| Rhode Island College | Public | 5600 | 34 | 69 | 520 | 520 | 22 | 8693 |
| Rhode Island School of Design | Private | 2005 | 72 | 27 | 670 | 710 | 32 | 34259 |
| Roger Williams University | Private | 3875 | 50 | 81 | 34765 | |||
| Salve Regina University | Private | 1876 | 61 | 67 | 590 | 600 | 26 | 29404 |
| University of Rhode Island | Public | 11829 | 56 | 79 | 580 | 590 | 26 | 17090 |