Net Price of Rhode Island Colleges by Income

Questions & Answers

• What do all these numbers mean?

  All costs shown here are the average net cost paid by families in each income bracket for one year at the college in question. Net cost is the total cost of attendance for one year, minus government grants and institutional scholarships. Figures are based on data from the 2022-23 school year, which is the latest available as of January 2025.

• What is the “Total Cost Per Year”?

  Total cost is the total cost of attendance for one year at that particular college. It includes:

  • Tuition and fees (in-state tuition for public schools)
  • Room and board (on campus)
  • Books and supplies
  • Other expenses (travel and personal)

  Click the View Details option under each school's total cost per year to see a detailed breakdown of its total cost of attendance.

• How can I use this information?

  This information is useful for building a realistic college budget. The numbers show you what the average family in your income bracket paid at specific schools, after federal grants and institutional scholarships were awarded. Student loans are not included in these numbers. These figures are a good place to start, so you can begin your college financial planning with historical data and estimate what your costs might be, until you learn more about your specific situation.

• Will my family pay the amount on this chart?

  Probably not. The numbers are averages. You may be below average or above average. However, there are two key points we can learn from this data:

  1. Families with higher incomes ($75,000-$110,000 and $110,000+) will pay closer to full price at public colleges.
  2. Private colleges have a higher list price, but they offer more financial aid, to help make their net price more affordable compared to public colleges.

• Where did this information come from?

  As part of federal financial aid, colleges are required to provide detailed cost information to the U.S. government. This data is made available to the public through the National Center for Education Statistics. For more details, click here.

• What about athletes, merit aid or minority students?

  Athletes, high achieving students, and those with minority status are averaged in with everyone else. Within each income bracket, there are families that pay more than average and families that pay less than average.

• The costs on this chart seem large. How can families afford to pay it?

  For many families, paying for college is not easy, but most families pay their net cost of college with some combination of:

  • College savings and investments
  • Payments from current income
  • Federal student Direct Loans
  • Federal parent PLUS Loans
  • Private loans
  • Scholarships
  • Tax planning
  • Student work

  The right options depend on your student and your family situation. If you plan ahead and choose the right strategies, you can potentially make college much more affordable, and you can potentially save thousands of dollars on college costs. To learn how, sign up for my free planning e-newsletter. It's loaded with tips, articles, and resources to help you plan and pay for college with proven financial strategies.