The University of Rhode Island College Portrait
The University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI 02881
(401) 874-1000
The University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is truly a special place. We are a medium-sized university with approximately 13,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students. We are a Land, Sea, and Urban Grant public research university. What does that mean for you? Our status as a major research center provides you with opportunities to work closely with professors who are national experts. They offer you numerous hands-on learning experiences. We are pioneers in interdisciplinary studies and encourage you to enhance your education through internships, double majors, and study abroad. We also have a dedicated advising college to help you navigate your way and stay on track to meet your goals.
At URI, we've always had to think bigger than ourselves. Our world is in need of a constant flow of big ideas to solve the problems of the planet and its people, and URI is prepared to help. Beyond being an incredibly beautiful place, we do important research at URI. From textile design, to ocean science, to pharmacology, to sustainable fuels for the future. To inspire new ideas and spark innovation, we've even reinvented the very way we teach. We take learning beyond the traditional classroom and even create new majors in response to the world's evolving needs, mixing language, sciences, and other disciplines to develop international programs in business, engineering, pharmacy, and more. URI is perfectly positioned to be a creative problem solver and blessed with natural resources that inspire you and our faculty to innovate and discover daily. No matter what you study at URI, from performance arts to pharmacy, languages and engineering, nursing, textile design, psychology, or environmental science, you'll be prepared to make your mark on the world.
Living in the Community
The University of Rhode Island community contains a wide diversity of departments and offices that provide services and programs to assist students in and out of the classroom. From new student orientation to career services, programs are designed to assist you with making the most of your academic career. But Student Success extends beyond the classroom, and many of our offices focus on providing you with opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities and other aspects of campus life. Look at the links to our campus website for a taste of the URI experience.
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2011?
| Total Students | 16,317 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 13,219 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 7,280 | 55% |
| Men | 5,939 | 45% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 37 | <1% |
| Asian | 347 | 3% |
| African American / Black | 681 | 5% |
| Hispanic | 975 | 7% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 9 | <1% |
| White | 9,372 | 71% |
| Two or More Races | 146 | 1% |
| International | 50 | <1% |
| Race/Ethnicity Not Reported | 1,602 | 12% |
| Where do URI undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 62% |
| Other US States & Territories | 38% |
| Other Countries | <1% |
| How old are URI undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 0 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 9% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2011)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended
| Test Scores of Enrolled New Freshmen | ACT | SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 21 - 26 | |
| Math | 490 - 590 | |
| Critical Reading | 470 - 570 |
50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.
| High School Background of Enrolled New Freshmen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Percent in top 25% of High School Graduating Class | 44% | |
| Percent in top 50% of High School Graduating Class | 82% | |
| Percent of New Freshmen who submitted HS GPA | 62% | |
| Average High School GPA (4-point scale) | 3.25 | |
| Percent who submitted High School GPA | 96% | |
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2011-12 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $25,311.00
Estimated costs for the next academic year are available at the opening of the admissions calendar in November. The cost of attendance budget is finalized in the following July.
The cost to attend The University of Rhode Island varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 65% of 2011-12 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $9,120.00. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 62% of 2011-12 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $5,321.00. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2010 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
URI Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 16 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | 68% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | 91% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 684 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 42% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 18% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | 86% |
Campus-based Housing
90% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
43% of all undergraduates live on campus
Campus Safety
The URI Public Safety Department is a highly professional organization composed of four units: Police, Security, Parking, and Communications. Fully-empowered Police Officers, Communications personnel, un-sworn Security Officers, and civilian support staff on duty at all times respond to routine and emergency calls and take proactive steps to keep individuals and property safe. The Department provides the SAFE Ride/ SAFE Walk service at night and crime prevention workshops. There are 77 emergency phones installed on campus and closed circuit monitoring of most parking lots, intersections and roadways.
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Research Universities (high research activity)
- Size and Setting
- Large four-year, primarily residential
- Enrollment Profile
- High undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Full-time four-year, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Balanced arts & sciences/professions, some graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Comprehensive doctoral (no medical/veterinary)
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
Student Activities and Involvement at URI
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 94.0% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 55.0% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 32.0% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 85.0% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 22.0% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 66.0% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 61.0% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 17.0% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 95.0% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 95.0% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 62.0% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 60.0% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 94.0% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 48.0% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 75.0% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 95.0% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 75.0% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 54.0% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 82.0% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 46.0% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 80.0% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 85.0% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 80.0% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at The University of Rhode Island in 2010-11 | |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 2,670 |
| Master's | 549 |
| Doctoral | 196 |
| Total | 3,415 |
| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2010-11 | |
|---|---|
| BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES | 15% |
| HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS | 10% |
| COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS | 9% |
| ENGINEERING | 9% |
| FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES/HUMAN SCIENCES | 8% |
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 92% four-year success and progress rate means that 92% of students starting in Fall 2005 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
Counts for the Fall 2005 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 2,324 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 597 Full-Time Transfer Students
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2010 that returned for their second year: 82%
Student Learning at The University of Rhode Island
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
The University of Rhode Island is dedicated to ensuring that its students are experiencing high-quality learning and academic attainment through their participation in all facets of the University's culture -- from classroom exchanges, to research experiences, to the many other experiential learning opportunities that our academic programs provide. We strive to make our educational processes as transparent as possible for both students and their families. In this connection, the University has articulated what students should know, be capable of doing, and stand for by the completion of their degree programs. Our faculty continually tracks individual student learning for grading purposes. It also utilizes a variety of programmatic assessment tools to gauge the overall success of our educational methods in helping students to reach our expected learning outcomes. Aggregate student learning data are collected for individual academic programs, for student learning in our general education program, and for overall intellectual growth. The University monitors this data carefully to ensure that we are continually improving our curriculum for the benefit of our students and their learning.
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
The University began administering the College Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) instrument to freshmen in the fall of 2007. The same population returning as senior was reassessed and results are being analyzed.