Rhode Island
Student Access & Success
Rhode Island’s four-year institutions receive an average grade in this area, ranking above average with completion and retention rates and below average with credentials per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates and the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants. The state’s lone two-year institution receives a very poor grade, ranking in the bottom 10 states for credentials per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates, completion rate, and the percentage of Pell recipients.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
Rhode Island receives a good grade in this area for four- year institutions, with a cost per completion ($60,961) and state and local funding per completion ($27,786) both below the national medians of $68,140 and $41,198, respectively. Rhode Island’s two-year institution, however, receives a low grade, in particular with a cost per completion ($68,264) falling in the bottom 10 states.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a Rhode Island bachelor’s degree holder is $21,000 (or 60%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is about 5 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is approximately $7,700 (or 22%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 4 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Rhode Island receives an average score for its consumer information and public accountability resources but overall, Rhode Island has very low performance in this area. The state does not measure student learning outcomes or track graduate performance in the labor market.
Policy Environment
Rhode Island receives a low grade for its policy environment. The state plan for higher education includes goals for graduation rates, but there are no other goals for student outcomes or efficiency. Rhode Island’s transfer guide allows potential transfer students to search by academic area to see which courses transfer between Rhode Island public institutions. The state does not have outcomes-based funding.
Innovation
The Community College of Rhode Island has a clearinghouse that profiles its online course offerings, and the University of Rhode Island provides information on a number of courses that are available online. However, the portal does not have information on full online degree programs and lacks clarity about the transferability of online credits. Regarding new providers, Rhode Island has a restrictive regulatory environment with low licensure fees and an extensive program approval process, resulting in a low grade.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
RI Nat'l| Student Access & Success | C |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 25.9 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 78.7 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 56.0 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 19.0 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
| Complete College America | * |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | B |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $60,961 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $27,786 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $73,450 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 4 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $21,000 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 160.0 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $15,642 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 155.2 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 5.2 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 7.7 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | D |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
Two-Year Institutions
RI Nat'l| Student Access & Success | F |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 35.5 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 61.2 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 9.4 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 12.9 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 1 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | D |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $68,264 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $35,810 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $59,516 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 2 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $7,689 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 122.0 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $7,090 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 125.0 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 4.1 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 5.0 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 1.76 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | F |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | false | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
State
RI Nat'l| Policy Environment | D |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | true | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 3 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | D |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 64% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 50% | |
| Financial Burden | 93% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 50% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | D |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 28.6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 2 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 2
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 1
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 19819
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 10725