Cost & financial aid brief
Rhode Island College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Rhode Island College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $7,976 from the sticker price. Average net prices are $6,378 in the lowest income band and $15,681 in the highest.
The pattern shows lower average costs at lower incomes, though the spread of $9,303 means the difference across bands remains material.
The published cost of attendance at Rhode Island College is $17,454 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #134 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $6,378, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $8,701, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $15,681. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,303.
Aid saves the average recipient $7,976 against the sticker price, bringing the overall to $9,478. That is $4,590 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
In-state tuition and fees are $11,300, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $27,299. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,500 in federal student loans, $729 below the $21,229 peer median.
85.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $14,512.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Rhode Island College, 85.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $20,500.
That median is $729 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $14,512.
Graduates of Rhode Island College earn about $7,454 more than expects for similar students. Azimuth places that outcome in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Four years after completion, federally aided graduates of Rhode Island College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,430. That is $2,129 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Azimuth places that median in the 49th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $49,413 on the downside to $79,950 on the upside.
The typical earnings scenario is $59,430. The median federal debt for borrowers who finish is $20,500, $729 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month. Earnings land above both the peer median and the model's expectation, while debt sits below the peer median.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $14,512. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $14,512
- Estimated parent payment
- $184/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $14,512
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $184/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $417/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $59,430, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.6% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.