FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
Washington Monthly’s “The Other College Guide” has ranked Rhode Island College sixth in the Northeast for “Best Bang for the Buck” among more than 400 four-year degree-granting institutions. It was the only Rhode Island-based college or university to rank among the top 100 schools in the region.
Among the criteria Washington Monthly used were the student loan default rate, tuition costs, percentage of Pell Grant recipients, percentage of applicants admitted and ACT/SAT performance.
In a separate ranking, RIC placed in the top quartile of colleges nationally in the “Social Mobility Index” released late last year by CollegeNET and Payscale, Inc. More than 500 colleges were ranked using criteria such as net price, percentage of low-income students, graduation rate and median early career salary.
In a cost comparison, Rhode Island College has one of the lowest in-state tuition and fees among public four-year colleges and universities in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The latest data from the Institute for College Access & Success reveals that Rhode Island College graduates have the lowest average debt among all Rhode Island public and private four-year colleges and universities that reported debt amounts.
“We have always known that Rhode Island College education has a high value, not only in its affordable tuition but also in the excellence of its academic programming,” said RIC President Nancy Carriuolo. “It is gratifying to see that value reflected in the latest rankings.”
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
