There are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Top Rhode Island Colleges for a Bachelor's ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Rhode Island to determine which ones have the best bachelor's degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
Early-Career Salaries Are Higher
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. A bachelor's degree holder from a school in Rhode Island makes an average starting salary of $41,833, but the students who attended schools in the top 8 of our list make an average of $43,584.
Starting Salary ( 36218 to 48472 )
Average Student Debt
In addition to average starting salaries, we also consider the average amount of student loans that students take on while pursuing their bachelor's degree.
Upon graduation, bachelor's degree recipients from schools in Rhode Island have accumulated an average of $24,930 in student debt.
The average debt load at a particular school may not be bad, but it's an important thing to consider in conjunction with post-graduation earnings.
Other Ranking Factors in Our Methodology
In addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt loads, we also look at a host of other factors to determining our Best Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking.
Several other factors - such as how much the school spends on educational resources, the demand of the school, the availability of online learning options, and the student body caliber - go into our rankings.
If you'd rather work on your bachelor's degree in a specific area of the country, you might be interested in our rankings by place. In addition, we've put together a number of other college rankings that may help you in your search.
Our 2024 rankings named Brown University the best school in Rhode Island in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,987 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Brown make an average of $49,153 per year during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $15,013. If the student is repaying the loan over 10 years, the average monthly payment is $507.
A rank of #2 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree in Rhode Island list means Bryant University is a great place for students working on their degree. Bryant University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Smithfield, Rhode Island that handed out 884 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $55,318 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students carry an average student debt load of about $26,466 after getting their degree. Average monthly loan payments are around $757 for a 10-year repayment plan.
Out of the 8 bachelor’s degree schools in Rhode Island that were part of this year’s ranking, Providence College landed the #3 spot on the list. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,173 students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $43,995 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students carry an average student debt load of about $26,896 after getting their degree. This translates to an average monthly payment of $680 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
A rank of #4 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree in Rhode Island list means University of Rhode Island is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Kingston, Rhode Island, the fairly large public school handed out 3,855 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from URI is $40,697 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $24,258 in student loans. This translates to an average monthly payment of $338 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johnson & Wales University - Providence. The school came in at #5 in Rhode Island on this year’s best bachelor’s degree schools ranking. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 1,075 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from JWU Providence go into careers with an average salary of $37,965 during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $26,792. This translates to an average monthly payment of $381 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
Roger Williams University did quite well in the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Rhode Island ranking, coming in at #6. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bristol, Rhode Island, and it awarded 956 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, bachelor’s degree graduates from RWU make an average of $44,215 a year. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $25,978. If the student is repaying the loan over 10 years, the average monthly payment is $571.
Salve Regina University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Rhode Island ranking. Newport, Rhode Island is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 556 students in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $40,280 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $27,000 in student loans. This translates to an average monthly payment of $465 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
Rhode Island College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Rhode Island ranking. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,463 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from RIC is $37,051 during the early years of their career. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $24,572 in student loans.
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%.
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