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University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI 13,822 Undergrads 71.8% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$32,584
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$19,899
After Aid
Median Earnings
$69,743
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$19,899
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$69,743
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate71.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients23.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time94.5%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS80.8%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
77.1%
SAT Avg
1,176
SAT Reading
25th: 52060075th: 650
SAT Math
25th: 51059075th: 620
ACT Composite
25th: 262875th: 31
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.
Lifetime Value Added (NPV)
Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$591k
+$195k
+$107k
Median Cost$20k/yr
+$519k
+$123k
+$35k
Full Cost$33k/yr
+$474k
+$77k
-$11k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
32
∞
Median Cost$20k/yr
46
49%
Full Cost$33k/yr
Never
-9%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
- Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
- Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
- NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.
Social Impact ROINew
Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.
Donor Return78%
Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.
Taxpayer Return-34%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Bachelor's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
BachCIP: 5203
Median Debt
$22,458
Earnings (5yr)
$80,974
Lifetime Value Added
+$130k
Animal Sciences
BachCIP: 0109
Median Debt
$19,613
Earnings (5yr)
$46,797
Lifetime Value Added
-$137k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$40,426
Lifetime Value Added
-$191k
Apparel and Textiles
BachCIP: 1909
Median Debt
$23,594
Earnings (5yr)
$59,388
Lifetime Value Added
-$35k
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services
BachCIP: 0106
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$48,601
Lifetime Value Added
-$122k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (5yr)
$74,984
Lifetime Value Added
+$85k
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
BachCIP: 1405
Median Debt
$26,234
Earnings (5yr)
$93,508
Lifetime Value Added
+$223k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
BachCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$73,868
Lifetime Value Added
+$76k
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
BachCIP: 2604
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$80,730
Lifetime Value Added
+$128k
Chemical Engineering
BachCIP: 1407
Median Debt
$26,816
Earnings (5yr)
$89,578
Lifetime Value Added
+$194k
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$24,231
Earnings (5yr)
$81,840
Lifetime Value Added
+$136k
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
BachCIP: 5110
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$80,596
Lifetime Value Added
+$127k
Communication and Media Studies
BachCIP: 0901
Median Debt
$22,813
Earnings (5yr)
$63,795
Lifetime Value Added
+$0
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
BachCIP: 5102
Median Debt
$20,505
Earnings (5yr)
$60,535
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
BachCIP: 1101
Median Debt
$19,750
Earnings (5yr)
$111,170
Lifetime Value Added
+$355k
Computer Engineering
BachCIP: 1409
Median Debt
$26,101
Earnings (2yr)
$71,473
Lifetime Value Added
+$91k
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services
BachCIP: 5131
Median Debt
$19,402
Earnings (5yr)
$55,830
Lifetime Value Added
-$63k
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
BachCIP: 5005
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (2yr)
$24,201
Lifetime Value Added
-$317k
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
BachCIP: 2613
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$45,950
Lifetime Value Added
-$144k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$21,250
Earnings (5yr)
$63,644
Lifetime Value Added
-$1k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
BachCIP: 1410
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$96,673
Lifetime Value Added
+$247k
English Language and Literature, General
BachCIP: 2301
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$53,161
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies
BachCIP: 0502
Median Debt
$19,888
Earnings (2yr)
$36,668
Lifetime Value Added
-$203k
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
BachCIP: 5006
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$45,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$149k
Finance and Financial Management Services
BachCIP: 5208
Median Debt
$21,875
Earnings (5yr)
$88,632
Lifetime Value Added
+$187k
Fine and Studio Arts
BachCIP: 5007
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$42,027
Lifetime Value Added
-$177k
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
BachCIP: 4006
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$28,598
Lifetime Value Added
-$276k
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
BachCIP: 1605
Median Debt
$23,773
Earnings (5yr)
$93,550
Lifetime Value Added
+$224k
Health-Related Knowledge and Skills
BachCIP: 3401
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$51,729
Lifetime Value Added
-$96k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$49,879
Lifetime Value Added
-$112k
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
BachCIP: 1907
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$47,043
Lifetime Value Added
-$135k
Industrial Engineering
BachCIP: 1435
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$93,248
Lifetime Value Added
+$221k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$26,949
Earnings (5yr)
$49,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$113k
Landscape Architecture
BachCIP: 0406
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$64,541
Lifetime Value Added
+$6k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$20,987
Earnings (5yr)
$82,344
Lifetime Value Added
+$140k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$22,125
Earnings (5yr)
$70,156
Lifetime Value Added
+$48k
Mechanical Engineering
BachCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$24,458
Earnings (5yr)
$93,316
Lifetime Value Added
+$222k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (5yr)
$60,062
Lifetime Value Added
-$29k
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
BachCIP: 0301
Median Debt
$19,737
Earnings (5yr)
$58,743
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
Natural Resources Management and Policy
BachCIP: 0302
Median Debt
$21,750
Earnings (5yr)
$64,504
Lifetime Value Added
+$5k
Ocean Engineering
BachCIP: 1424
Median Debt
$26,294
Earnings (5yr)
$86,529
Lifetime Value Added
+$171k
Political Science and Government
BachCIP: 4510
Median Debt
$19,567
Earnings (5yr)
$65,055
Lifetime Value Added
+$10k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$52,822
Lifetime Value Added
-$87k
Public Policy Analysis
BachCIP: 4405
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (5yr)
$55,880
Lifetime Value Added
-$63k
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
BachCIP: 0909
Median Debt
$22,214
Earnings (5yr)
$74,225
Lifetime Value Added
+$79k
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
BachCIP: 5138
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$90,720
Lifetime Value Added
+$203k
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
BachCIP: 2313
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$51,925
Lifetime Value Added
-$95k
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
BachCIP: 1609
Median Debt
$23,830
Earnings (5yr)
$65,364
Lifetime Value Added
+$12k
Social Sciences, Other
BachCIP: 4599
Median Debt
$22,615
Earnings (5yr)
$60,260
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$62,936
Lifetime Value Added
-$7k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
BachCIP: 1312
Median Debt
$21,875
Earnings (5yr)
$55,463
Lifetime Value Added
-$66k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
BachCIP: 1313
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (5yr)
$63,203
Lifetime Value Added
-$5k
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
BachCIP: 0306
Median Debt
$23,817
Earnings (2yr)
$23,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$321k
Master's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
MastCIP: 5203
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$100,649
Lifetime Value Added
+$408k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
MastCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$22,793
Earnings (5yr)
$122,891
Lifetime Value Added
+$599k
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$63,997
Lifetime Value Added
+$127k
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
MastCIP: 5102
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (5yr)
$64,843
Lifetime Value Added
+$100k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (5yr)
$69,076
Lifetime Value Added
+$137k
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
MastCIP: 1907
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$64,976
Lifetime Value Added
+$101k
Library Science and Administration
MastCIP: 2501
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (5yr)
$63,530
Lifetime Value Added
+$88k
Public Administration
MastCIP: 4404
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$78,798
Lifetime Value Added
+$221k
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
MastCIP: 5138
Median Debt
$33,897
Earnings (5yr)
$131,179
Lifetime Value Added
+$669k
Graduate Certificates
Geography and Cartography
Gr-CertCIP: 4507
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$67,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$195k
Doctoral Degrees
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
DocCIP: 4228
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$102,139
Lifetime Value Added
+$240k
English Language and Literature, General
DocCIP: 2301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$58,673
Lifetime Value Added
-$52k
Professional Degrees
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
ProfCIP: 5120
Median Debt
$49,650
Earnings (5yr)
$138,318
Lifetime Value Added
+$502k
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
ProfCIP: 5123
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,156
Lifetime Value Added
+$131k
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.
For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.