by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the graduate school options in Rhode Island, it can be hard to know where to start. We have ranked **2** graduate schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluated 2 graduate schools across over 20 objective factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
The top-ranked graduate schools span the following early-career salary range:
Learn more about these excellent graduate schools below:
Brown University earned the #1 spot in this year's Best Graduate Schools ranking in Rhode Island. This private not-for-profit school is set in Providence, RI. Brown University graduates 96% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $71,312. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $62,820. Students borrow a median of $13,025 to complete a degree here.
Salve Regina University came in at #2 on this year's Best Graduate Schools ranking in Rhode Island. Salve Regina University is a private not-for-profit school based in Newport, RI. Roughly 77% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $50,100. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $56,636. Salve Regina University students take on a median of $27,000 in debt.
You'll be in good company at University Of Rhode Island, which ranked #3 this year. Located in Kingston, RI, University Of Rhode Island is a public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 72%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,942, while out-of-state students pay about $37,146. Graduates go on to earn a median of $52,821 early in their careers. Typical student debt is $23,432.
A rank of #4 makes Johnson And Wales University Providence one of the top graduate schools in Rhode Island. Set in Providence, RI, Johnson And Wales University Providence is a private not-for-profit institution. Johnson And Wales University Providence graduates 50% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $41,982. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $45,920. Typical student debt is $26,350.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked graduate schools only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Graduate schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.