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2026 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Rhode Island

[Liberal Arts](/majors/liberal-arts-sciences-humanities/liberal-arts-and-general-studies/liberal-arts/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

College Factual analyzed 5 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value liberal arts schools.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Rhode Island

2026 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Rhode Island

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in liberal arts, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools

1

Community College Of Rhode Island
Warwick, RI

$5,550 In-State Tuition & Fees

$8,997 Avg Student Debt

$42,659 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in liberal arts, no school beat Community College Of Rhode Island this year. Community College Of Rhode Island is a large public school located in the city of Warwick. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $5,550, with out-of-state students paying around $14,834. Liberal Arts graduates carry a median of $8,997 in student loans. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients from Community College Of Rhode Island generally make around $27,952. Set against $8,997 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.

2

Salve Regina University
Newport, RI

$50,100 In-State Tuition & Fees

$27,000 Avg Student Debt

$72,975 Median Earnings (10yr)

Students looking for strong value in liberal arts will find it at Salve Regina University, which ranked #2. Set in the suburb of Newport, Salve Regina University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $50,100. Typical student debt for liberal arts graduates is $27,000. Early-career liberal arts graduates make about $56,636. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 68%.

View All Liberal Arts Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.