Getting To Know: University of Rhode Island-Again
It’s been over a decade since I visited the University of Rhode Island (URI), one of the more popular out-of-state public options for New Jersey residents. It’s easy to see why the school is appealing. Depending on their major, URI students can literally use the state as their campus. The University of Rhode Island also operates satellite campuses in downtown Providence, on Narragansett Bay, the university’s oceanic research center and in West Greenwich, its environmental education center. I updated my Pinterest page and will drop some photos from my last visit into this post. Readers should also check out the URI story on The College Tour.
The University of Rhode Island has not updated its list of peer schools in some time.
However, the university considers the flagships in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to be peers. URI aspires to be more like UConn, UDel and UVa. This is a sensible place to be, given the size of the undergraduate student body. The University of Rhode Island can house nearly 40 percent of the student body, high for a state university, and its location offers upper class students the opportunity to live on the beach along Narraganset Bay. The main campus is smaller and less intimidating than the University of Delaware, Penn State-University Park and the University of Maryland-College Park. You can walk across campus in about 40 minutes, and never set foot on a bus. It’s also very easy to get to Newport or Providence, though it really helps to have access to a car.
The University of Rhode Island’s enrollment has shifted since I last visited.
When I came to campus in 2012, URI had approximately 13,500 undergrads. That number has grown by 400 since then. However, while 40 percent of the undergrads were from other states in 2012, by 2023 54 percent were from out of state. There have also been shifts in student academic interests. Majors that have more than doubled in popularity since 2012 include:
- Computer Science (BA and BS)
- Public Relations
- Finance
- Marketing
Retention and graduation rates have improved as well.
From 2012 to 2023. freshman retention improved from 81 to 85 percent. The four-year graduation rate rose from 44 percent for the Class of 2013 to 57 percent for the Class of 2023. This excludes students who were pursuing the PharmD in the College of Pharmacy, which takes six years to complete.
The University of Rhode Island is not overly selective.
Seventy-seven percent of the students who applied to be in the Class of 2027 were accepted. However, the Nursing and Pharmacy programs are far more competitive. Admissions are test optional; only 22 percent of the entering Class of 2027 submitted SAT scores. The middle 50 percent scored between 1180 and 1300. With the exception of the Nursing and Pharmacy students as well as those in the Honors Program, a student in the middle of the admit pool at Rutgers-New Brunswick is likely to be in the upper quarter of the pool at URI.
Merit scholarships are quite achievable for residents and non-residents.
There are more awards at the University of Rhode Island than I have seen at most flagship state universities. A New Jersey resident who would be mid-pack at Rutgers-New Brunswick could qualify for one of the larger awards; a few cover as much as a full ride. The scholarships can really help, because the estimated cost of attendance without them is fairly high. Debt might be as well, especially for those who study pharmacy, which is a six-year program where students pay graduate tuition and fees near the end.. Merit awards go down into the upper fifth of a freshman class. The average award for the Class of 2027 was just under $6,500. That’s not enough for many out-of-state students to pass on Home State U., though the largest awards certainly are, especially for those who want one of the signature programs.
Admission to the Honors Program is also achievable for a very good student.
A high school GPA of 3.6 to 3.79 for student who aspires to be a change maker or a 3.8 GPA or higher by itself will make an applicant competitive for the Honors Program. The Honors Program not only includes honors-level coursework, but also a year-long colloquium. It will also create a very personal educational experience within a fairly large school. Test scores are not important for admission to the Honors Program as they are at other schools, including Rutgers.
Those who pass on the Honors program still have the opportunity to take Grand Challenges courses.
These are small seminars taught by faculty members and offered exclusively to first-year students. These courses are focused around current events and global issues across four areas: Fine Art and Literature, Letters, Natural Science and Social Science. Each course also has a companion course in the instructor’s academic department that can be taken as a follow-up to help fulfill personal interest as well as General Education requirements.
There are more academic reasons to like the University of Rhode Island.
- Studies of the sea, including marine biology, oceanography and ocean engineering, textile design & marketing, nursing and pharmacy are signature programs along with joint degrees in foreign language (French, German, Spanish or Chinese) with either business or engineering. Each student in these programs does a semester aboard using their chosen language as well as a six-month paid assignment with an employer overseas. Students have worked for companies such as Bayer AG, Hasbro, Motorola and Volkswagen, among other employers.
- This is one of the best places to learn Chinese, a critical global language. URI is one of only 12 universities in the nation that is a Chinese Language Flagship partner school. Flagship Scholars go through an intensive Mandarin Chinese language immersion program that may be combined with any academic major. They spend one or multiple summers in China, enrolling at Nanjing University for a full semester of study. They also complete a six-month professional internship with a company or Non-Governmental Organization.
- You can learn about the pharmaceutical industry, but you don’t need to become a pharmacist. URI’s Bachelor’s in Pharmaceutical Science is designed for students who want to work in research, sales or marketing positions in the pharmaceutical or health and beauty industries.
- There are large alumni bases in Boston and New York. Nearly 52,000 URI alumni” live and work in the Boston area and over 12,000 are based in and around The Big Apple.
But no college is perfect, including the University of Rhode Island
There are pitfalls to the costs.
The university on average, could meet only 61 percent of need for the incoming Class of 2027. Thirty percent of the Class of 2023 had to take out private loans.
I have seen fancier student centers than URI’s Memorial Student Union at the other state schools that prospective students were most likely to consider.
The URI student center (exterior photo below) appears to be a less important hub of activity at the University of Rhode Island than it is at a school like Penn State or the University of Delaware. However, I would imagine that there have been interior updates since I was on campus. There are fewer than 150 clubs and organizations at the University of Rhode Island, a small number for a school this size. On the flip side, the campus center has a very nice nautical theme across the older academic buildings. The science, engineering and pharmacy buildings are as modern as you will find at any flagship state school.
The University of Rhode Island has had success in basketball,, But it is not noted as a “sports school,”
Danny Hurley (photo below), now a two-time national champion at UConn, was the head men’s basketball coach when I visited. The Ryan Center is a nice venue for the sport and the university recently dedicated a new practice facility. However, I saw news stories about other athletic facilities, including the football stadium, that were in a state of disrepair.
Greek life is important at the University of Rhode Island.
It engages over a fifth of the men and nearly a quarter of the women. I can understand its importance for housing as well as building up a campus-based social life. much like UConn and Storrs, Kingston does not have a “college town” look to it as you are more likely to find in Amherst (UMass), Burlington (UVM) or even Durham (UNH).
Conclusions
Rhode Island has a much smaller economy than its neighbors, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and fewer financial resources to dedicate towards higher education. But the University of Rhode Island has several interesting and successful academic programs . This is a state school that can truly change lives for the better for those who take advantage of these programs. The bonus is that you might be able to live by the beach.
Report Card: University of Rhode Island
- Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: B/B
- Freshman Retention: B+
- Costs: B–but generous awards!
- Curriculum: A
- Community: B+
- Comforts: B+
- Connections: A (Boston & NYC)/B (California, Florida,Hartford CT)/C (elsewhere)
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