Most of RI's colleges were ranked top in the country. Which ones made the cut?
A new analysis by the news website Money.com put seven of Rhode Island's 10 four-year colleges and universities in its "best college" designation.
It probably comes as no surprise that Ivy League Brown University took the top honors in the state with the highest rating, which was awarded to 53 other colleges and universities. The one- to five-star ratings put three other Rhode Island institutions right behind Brown, with 4.5 stars, and two received four-star ratings.
Only one of the institutions that ranked received three stars.
The best schools, ordered by ratings
Brown University topped the list in Rhode Island with a score of five stars, the maximum score. Only 54 schools received the highest rating.
Bryant University, Providence College and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) were all tied, with 4.5 stars.
Salve Regina University and the University of Rhode Island tied with four stars each.
Roger Williams University had the lowest score in the state of the schools that were ranked, with 3 stars.
To learn about acceptance rates at Rhode Island's colleges and university, read former report Amy Russo's deep dive.
How were the 'best' colleges picked?
The Money list isn't a "best of," but rather a ranking of 745 colleges that met some basic criteria (listed below). Colleges were then given a rating of two to five stars.
The report considered 2,400 four-year colleges and universities, public and private.
Three of Rhode Island's four-year colleges did not make the list.
Those 745 schools were picked after they met these criteria:
Having at least 500 undergraduate students or 150 freshmen
"Sufficient, reliable data to be analyzed"
Not being in financial distress
Having a graduation rate "at or above the median for its institutional category" or score in the top 25% of graduation rates
Some of the data points below conflict with each other. Two federal sources, the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and the National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator, offered some differing graduation rates and net costs of attending. In some instances, Money's report also provided a differing set of figures.
Brown University
Brown, the private Ivy League university in Providence, received a five-star rating, with high marks for its graduation rate and "an unusual amount of academic freedom."
Brown's graduation rate is 96% (U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard) or 97% (National Center for Education Statistics).
Median earnings were $93,000.
The average annual cost (after scholarships and financial aid are accounted for) was $27,000 (Scorecard) or $26,608 (National Center for Education Statistics).
Student population: 11,189
Bryant University
Bryant University in Smithfield got a special call-out in the Money report, with its 4.5-star rating. The report made an example of the private university partly because of the methodology's emphasis on outcomes.
Bryant got high marks for:
Requiring students to pair a business degree with arts or science minors, or vice versa
Recent Bryant graduates make more money than their peers from similar schools. Median earnings were $90,000 per the Scorecard.
Bryant was in the top 1% on a recent study on return on investment (over a career) conducted by Georgetown University.
The cost was about $40,000.
Student population: 3,536
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
The Rhode Island School of Design got dinged for its cost, "one of the highest estimated net prices of a degree of all the colleges Money rated," but also had better median earnings than other arts-focused schools, at $65,000. Money also mentioned the museum. It received a 4.5-star rating.
"Notable alumni include "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, filmmaker Gus Van Sant and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky," according to Money. "In addition to receiving an excellent art education on campus, RISD upperclassmen can enroll in classes at neighboring Brown University for free, as long as the courses are applicable toward their RISD graduation requirements."
RISD's graduation rate is 90% or 88%.
Median earnings were $68,000.
The average annual cost was $46,000 or $42,106.
Student population: 2,620
Providence College
Providence College in Providence and administered by the Roman Catholic Dominican Friars (lending their name to the sports teams) gets dinged because some students "express some mixed feelings about the college's Development of Western Civilization requirement" but gets lauded for small average class size (19 people). It received a 4.5-star rating.
Providence College's graduation rate is 84% or 88%.
Median earnings were $87,000.
The average annual cost was $42,000 or $46,645.
Student population: 4,473
Salve Regina University
With a four-star rating, Salve Regina University in Newport received no profile on Money's report.
The private Roman Catholic university, founded in 1934, boasts an 80-acre campus and more than 60 degree programs.
Salve Regina University's graduation rate is 75%.
Median earnings were $73,000.
The average annual cost was $36,000 or $37,794.
Student population: 2,800
University of Rhode Island
With a four-star rating, the state-run University of Rhode Island in Kingston did not receive a profile in the report.
University of Rhode Island's graduation rate is 71%.
Median earnings were $70,000.
The average annual cost was $20,000 or $20,964.
Student population: 17,473
Roger Williams University
With a three-star rating, the private Roger Williams University in Bristol did not receive a profile in Money. The school was founded in 1956 and is on a 140-acre campus.
Roger Williams University's graduation rate is 63% or 67%.
Median earnings were $70,000.
The average annual cost was $40,000 or $37,936.
Student population: 4,397
Which schools didn't make the list
Johnson & Wales University, Providence: Neither of the two Johnson & Wales campuses (Providence and Charlotte, North Carolina) made the list.
The National Center for Education Statistics puts the graduation rate at 58% within eight years of matriculation, while the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard puts it at 65% over the same period.
The average annual cost is either $32,000 (after accounting for scholarships), per the Scorecard or $33,480 per the National Center for Education Statistics.
The median earnings were $43,000 a year per the Scorecard..
Student population: 4,566
Rhode Island College, Providence: The four-year state school did not make the list. Why it did not make the list is not clear, it is likely partially because of its graduation rate, 56% or 46%. Graduation rates were one of the explicit factors that separated the 745 schools from an initial list of 2,400.
Graduation rate: 56% or 46%
Median earnings: $56,000
Average annual cost: $13,000 or $11,549
Student population: 5,787
New England Institute of Technology, East Greenwich: The private nonprofit technical university was founded in 1940 by Ernest G. Earle as a trade school. It has been awarding bachelor's degrees since 1995.
The graduation rate was 65% (Scorecard) or 57% (National Center for Education Statistics).
The average annual cost is either $35,000 or $36,714.
The median earnings were $49,000.
Student population: 1,895
Naval War College, Newport: Other prestigious military schools, including West Point, do not appear on the list. Its 2023 enrollment was 525. It does not appear on either the Scorecard or the National Center for Education Statistics.
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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Money.com names 7 of RI's colleges as the best in the country
