The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a large, public institution with around 15,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students. URI students have the option to pursue 92 bachelor's degree programs and 97 master's degree programs. The institution is considered a major research university, which ensures students are on the cutting edge of their field.


Overview of University of Rhode Island (URI)


Since nearly 50% of URI students come from out of state, it's clear that the school has much to offer in terms of academic excellence. However, students also have ample opportunities to broaden their horizons with campus activities. The Kingston campus offers an excellent recreation center for individual or team sports; the calendar is always full of culture and entertainment options, and there are even opportunities to have fun off-campus.

URI is an educational institution that makes all sorts of activities available to newcomers. Students often come to campus with a curiosity about a sport or activity and graduate with a new lifelong passion. Given URI's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, many students arrive from landlocked cities and towns but then leave with seasoned sea legs. Some even learn new club sports and graduate with a shelf full of trophies and countless fond memories.

General Information


School Type Public
Campus Setting Suburb: Large
Campus Housing Yes
Student Faculty Ratio 17:1
Graduation Rate 70%
Year Founded 1892

Student Enrollment


Total Students17,511

Undergraduate
14,744
Graduate
2,767

Undergraduate Student

Male 6,340
6,340
Female 8,404
8,404

Graduate Student

Male 1,190
1,190
Female 1,577
1,577

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URI Acceptance Rate and Admissions


APPLICATIONS25,105

Male 9,653
Female 15,452

ACCEPTANCE19,080

Male 6,950
Female 12,207

Acceptance Rate76%

Male 72%
Female 79%

Enrollment 3,244

Male 1,390
Female 1,953
Admissions
Application Fee $65
High School GPA Required
High School Rank Considered But Not Required
High School Transcripts Required
College Prep Courses Required
Recommendations Required
Formal demonstration of competencies Recommended
SAT/ACT Considered But Not Required
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc) Recommended
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Required
Application Deadline February 1
Common Application Accepted Yes

URI Tuition Cost & Financial Aid


University of Rhode Island is an institution that delivers academic excellence to its students at a terrific discount relative to the private colleges that surround it. Rhode Island residents, in particular, are able to take advantage of a tuition discount available only to them. Rhode Island residents' gross price tag for classes, books, and other academic costs is only around $17,000. Non-residents, who comprise 48% of the student body, see a gross price tag of around $36,000.

Since students cannot live on intellectual stimulus alone, researchers looked at their living costs. Once room, board, and the various costs of student life were tallied, in-state students' gross costs didn't exceed $34,000. Non-residents likewise contained costs and didn't pay over $52,000, which is very competitive with private schools in New England.

The gross price of a URI education is only part of the story, however. Researchers looked into how the financial aid office was able to bring the cost down. Indeed, the average net price tag for a year at URI, including living costs, was slightly more than $20,000. For low-income households, the average net cost was a mere $13,000, and households that earn in excess of $110,000 saw a net average of $28,000.

Average net price 2020-2021
Net Price $20,496
Average Total Aid $12,949
Students Receiving Financial Aid 97%
Room & Board $13,618

Sticker Price


  • Tuition In-State - $15,332
  • Tuition Out-of-State - $33,354
  • Books and Supplies - $1,250
  • Room & Board - $13,618
  • Other - $2,496

Academics


New England is famous for many things, and educational excellence is at the top of the list. The University of Rhode Island is no exception. Our researchers were able to verify URI's reputation with hard data. To start, they reviewed URI's retention rate. This is a figure that measures how many first-time, full-time students returned to the Kingston campus for a second year. While many publicly funded universities don't score well on this metric, URI posted a jaw-dropping 85% retention rate.

When it came to graduation rates, our researchers were pleased to find great data. URI's students graduate at an overall rate of 70%. It can be assumed that many capitalize on their URI transcript to transfer, and graduate from, other excellent New England schools, including ivy league institutions.

This terrific success can be attributed to a number of factors. However, our researchers saw that the average class size at URI is only 17 students. For a school with nearly 15,000 undergraduate students, this is quite an achievement. Even first-year students are able to take their introductory courses in classrooms that provide them with ample access to their instructors.

Student Population Total


Student Population 17,511

Undergraduate
14,744
Graduate
2,767
Evening Classes : No
Online Learning : Yes

Most Popular Programs & Majors

(# of Diplomas Awarded by Subject)


Health Professions and Related Programs 625 Total Graduates / 17%
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 349 Graduates
Health and Wellness, General 148 Graduates
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 65 Graduates
Dietetics/Dietitian 39 Graduates
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist 23 Graduates
All Business Majors 446 Total Graduates / 12%
Finance, General 100 Graduates
Accounting 90 Graduates
Marketing/Marketing Management, General 89 Graduates
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management 72 Graduates
Business Administration and Management, General 65 Graduates
All Engineering Majors 322 Total Graduates / 9%
Mechanical Engineering 93 Graduates
Civil Engineering, General 45 Graduates
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 43 Graduates
Chemical Engineering 41 Graduates
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 32 Graduates
All Biological & Biomedical Majors 283 Total Graduates / 8%
Biology/Biological Sciences, General 162 Graduates
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 49 Graduates
Biomedical Sciences, General 34 Graduates
Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography 26 Graduates
Biotechnology 12 Graduates
All Social Science Majors 266 Total Graduates / 7%
Criminology 115 Graduates
Political Science and Government, General 50 Graduates
Economics, General 40 Graduates
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 21 Graduates
Anthropology, General 14 Graduates
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs 259 Total Graduates / 7%
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 174 Graduates
Public Relations/Image Management 65 Graduates
Journalism 18 Graduates
Sports Communication 2 Graduates
All Other Diplomas 1,467 Total Graduates / 40%

Outcome & Salary


URI students are surely on the road to success, but researchers wanted to investigate how well alumni have fared with various degrees. Of the top five earning degrees, computer engineering led the pack with a median salary of $86,000. The fifth-highest degree was another engineering field, mechanical engineering, whose alumni reported a median salary of $72,000 in their first year. Another engineering degree program, electrical engineering, came in third with earnings exceeding $78,000. These figures were for base salary and were not able to capture additional compensation such as bonuses and benefits.

Graduates Salary
College Grads Early Career Salary $58,500
College Grads Average Salary $73,000
College Grads Mid Career Salary $106,600
Return on Investment (ROI)
10 Year Salary Earnings Potential $730,000
20 Year Salary Earnings Potential $1,796,000
Cost of Education (Net Price) 4 Year $81,984
10 Year Projected ROI $648,016
20 Year Projected ROI $1,714,016
No College Education Salary Comparison
National Average Salary $38,792
10 Year Projected Income $387,920
20 Year Projected Income $775,840

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