Verified Federal Data · No Paid Rankings
Best Colleges in Rhode Island
Top Rhode Island colleges ranked by what actually matters after graduation: earnings, completion rates, and what you actually pay. Federal data. No surveys, no sponsorships.
How We Rank Rhode Island Colleges
Rankings use a composite score from verified federal data: graduate earnings (28%), graduation rate (25%), social mobility via Pell Grant share (20%), debt burden (15%), and net cost for low-income students (12%). Only 4-year non-profit schools with sufficient data qualify.
- →Earnings: Median annual earnings 10 years after enrollment. Source: College Scorecard.
- →Graduation rate: Full-time first-time students completing within 150% of normal time. Source: IPEDS.
- →Net price: Average annual cost after all grants and scholarships. Source: IPEDS.
- →Social mobility: Share of students receiving Pell Grants — a direct measure of access for low-income students. Source: IPEDS.
- →Debt burden: Median federal loan debt at graduation. Source: College Scorecard.
Top 10 Colleges in Rhode Island (2026)
Ranked by composite: earnings, graduation rate, social mobility, debt, affordability.
| # | School | Earnings (10yr) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brown University Providence, RI | $93,487 |
| 2 |  Rhode Island College Providence, RI | $56,318 |
| 3 | New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI | $48,684 |
| 4 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI | $69,743 |
| 5 |  Bryant University Smithfield, RI | $90,008 |
| 6 |  Providence College Providence, RI | $87,054 |
| 7 |  Salve Regina University Newport, RI | $72,975 |
| 8 | Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI | $68,140 |
| 9 |  Roger Williams University Bristol, RI | $70,266 |
| 10 |  Johnson & Wales University-Providence Providence, RI | $43,418 |
11 Rhode Island schools in dataset. Top 10 shown. Data: IPEDS + College Scorecard. Updated annually.
All 11 Colleges in the Dataset
The ranking above shows the top 10 by composite score. Every school in the full dataset is listed here so you can explore beyond the top results.
Comparing across states?
We rank top colleges in all 50 states using the same federal data.
Browse All States →Find Your Perfect Fit in Rhode Island
These 10 schools are a start. Search all Rhode Island colleges with filters for major, cost, size, distance, and more.
Search Rhode Island Colleges →