1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Rhode Island College](/school/rhode-island-college/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Rhode Island College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/rhode-island-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/rhode-island-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/rhode-island-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/rhode-island-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/rhode-island-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Rhode Island College cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Rhode Island College is $17,454 (an average across living arrangements). For Rhode Island residents, tuition and fees are $11,300, with room and board listed at $13,414.

Nonresidents face tuition and fees of $27,299. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $9,478.

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $7,976 on average. That price is $4,590 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #134 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 91st percentile.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) at Rhode Island College is $9,478, $4,590 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Completing borrowers hold a median of $20,500 in federal debt, $729 below the median at comparable institutions. Aid recipients in the lowest income band pay $6,378 on average, and those in the highest band pay $15,681. Both figures sit below their peer medians and point the same way.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $6,378 for families earning under $30,000; $6,989 for those earning $30,001–$48,000; $8,701 for $48,001–$75,000; $12,809 for $75,001–$110,000; and $15,681 for families earning over $110,000. 42.0% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,303.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$6,378

**$30–48K**
$6,989

**$48–75K**
$8,701

**$75–110K**
$12,809

**$110K+**
$15,681

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$9,478**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $7,976 from the sticker price. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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 average net price 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $14,512.

Graduates of Rhode Island College earn about $7,454 more than the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$14,512

**Estimated parent payment**
$184/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=rhode-island-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.