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Best Value Schools in Rhode Island

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2023 Best Value Schools in Rhode Island

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices

8 Schools Ranked
$37,115 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$21,750 Avg Student Debt*

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Schools in Rhode Island to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Rhode Island to see which programs offered the best value experiences for students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top Value Schools in Rhode Island

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Community College of Rhode Island

Warwick, Rhode Island
2,343 Total Awards
$13,260 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Community College of Rhode Island the best value school in Rhode Island for students working on their degree. Community College of Rhode Island is a fairly large public school located in Warwick, Rhode Island that handed out 2,343 degrees in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CCRI are $13,260 a year. On average, students take out $14,617 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from CCRI, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $38,557 during the early years of their career.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, CCRI is ranked #4 for overall quality in Rhode Island.

Read full report on Community College of Rhode Island

#2

Rhode Island College

Providence, Rhode Island
1,841 Total Awards
$25,900 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Rhode Island that were part of this year’s ranking, Rhode Island College landed the # 2 spot on the list. RIC is a medium-sized public school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 1,841 degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at RIC are $25,900 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $23,963 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, RIC graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $42,201 during the early year of their career.

Read full report on Rhode Island College

#3

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, Rhode Island
4,782 Total Awards
$33,354 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Rhode Island. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Schools in Rhode Island list. URI is a public institution located in Kingston, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,782 degrees in 2020-2021.

URI undergraduate students pay an average of $33,354 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,076 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $338, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from URI, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $44,926 during the early years of their career.

Full University of Rhode Island Report

#4

New England Institute of Technology

East Greenwich, Rhode Island
1,089 Total Awards
$32,807 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means New England Institute of Technology is a great place for students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. New England Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,089 degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at New England Tech are $32,807 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $23,471 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $274, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from New England Tech, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $46,207 during the early years of their career.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, New England Tech is ranked #3 for overall quality in Rhode Island.

Full New England Institute of Technology Report

#5

Providence College

Providence, Rhode Island
1,476 Total Awards
$55,988 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Providence College is a great place for students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,476 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Providence are $55,988 a year. On average, students take out $24,489 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $680, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Providence graduates make an average of $46,437 annually.

Providence also made our Best Schools in Rhode Island list, coming in at #2.

Full Providence College Report

#6

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
3,032 Total Awards
$62,304 Average Tuition & Fees

Brown University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value programs. Brown University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 3,032 degrees in 2020-2021.

Brown undergraduate students pay an average of $62,304 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,769 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $507, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Brown, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $50,925 during the early years of their career.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Brown is ranked #1 for overall quality in Rhode Island.

Read full report on Brown University

#7

Roger Williams University

Bristol, Rhode Island
1,180 Total Awards
$37,355 Average Tuition & Fees

Roger Williams University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students. It came in at #7 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bristol, Rhode Island, and it awarded 1,180 degrees in 2020-2021.

RWU undergraduate students pay an average of $37,355 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,485 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $571 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, RWU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $45,082 during the early year of their career.

RWU also made our Best Schools in Rhode Island list, coming in at #5.

Read full report on Roger Williams University

#8

Johnson & Wales University - Providence

Providence, Rhode Island
1,633 Total Awards
$35,950 Average Tuition & Fees

Johnson & Wales University - Providence did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students. It came in at #8 on the list. JWU Providence is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,633 degrees in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at JWU Providence are $35,950 a year. On average, students take out $26,657 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $376. Once they receive their degree, JWU Providence graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $43,037 during the early year of their career.

Read More…

Best Value Schools in the New England Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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