COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · PROVIDENCE, RI

Is Rhode Island College worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Rhode Island College degree clears +$1.01M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Providence, Rhode Island, priced as a Rhode Island resident — earnings rolled up from 36 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Rhode Island College · Providence, RI

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.01M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$479K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$54,275
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Rhode Island resident
$10,986
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$26,519
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$98,820
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$160,952
FREOPP program coverage
36 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Rhode Island College runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Rhode Island’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 36 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Rhode Island College worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Rhode Island College clears +$1.01M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $98,820 and median earnings of $54,275 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Rhode Island College?
Rhode Island College's annual sticker tuition is $10,986 for Rhode Island residents and $26,519 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $98,820 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Rhode Island College?
Over 4 years, Rhode Island College's sticker cost of attendance is $98,820 at resident pricing, or $160,952 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Rhode Island prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $54,275.
What is out-of-state tuition at Rhode Island College?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Rhode Island College is $26,519, versus $10,986 for Rhode Island residents — a premium of $15,533 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Rhode Island College clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Rhode Island College degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$1.01M ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for Rhode Island College?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Rhode Island College as a Rhode Island resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$479K, but the gap is real money. And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Rhode Island College worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/rhode-island-college