COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · KINGSTON, RI

Is University of Rhode Island worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A University of Rhode Island degree clears +$1.21M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Kingston, Rhode Island, priced as a Rhode Island resident — earnings rolled up from 56 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.

University of Rhode Island · Kingston, RI

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.21M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$550K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$58,799
Breaks even by age
50
Annual tuition · Rhode Island resident
$16,408
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$35,804
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$125,232
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$202,816
FREOPP program coverage
56 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

University of Rhode Island 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 56 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 University of Rhode Island worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: University of Rhode Island clears +$1.21M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $125,232 and median earnings of $58,799 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 University of Rhode Island?
University of Rhode Island's annual sticker tuition is $16,408 for Rhode Island residents and $35,804 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $125,232 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of University of Rhode Island?
Over 4 years, University of Rhode Island's sticker cost of attendance is $125,232 at resident pricing, or $202,816 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Rhode Island prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $58,799.
What is out-of-state tuition at University of Rhode Island?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at University of Rhode Island is $35,804, versus $16,408 for Rhode Island residents — a premium of $19,396 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, University of Rhode Island clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a University of Rhode Island degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 50 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.21M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for University of Rhode Island?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices University of Rhode Island as a Rhode Island resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$550K, 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 University of Rhode Island worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/university-of-rhode-island