How Much Do Graduates from RI Colleges Make?

What is the true value of a college education? Does one school offer a greater income potential than another, similarly priced college or university?

While colleges on the bottom of the list are unlikely to answer such a question to a prospective student, the U.S. Department of Education has provided a guideline, comparing the average annual cost of a college education with the average salary a graduate makes 10 years out of each school. The department broke down the expense/earning potential of every college and university in the country, including in Rhode Island.

Here is a list of Rhode Island colleges and universities in order from the highest graduate earning potential. The first number in the list is the school’s average annual cost; the second is the average salary of a graduate 10 years out of school:

1. Bryant University, Smithfield — $32,984 — $61,900
2. Brown University, Providence — $25,005 — $59,700
3. Providence College — $34,841 — $48,300
4. Salve Regina University, Newport — $30,670 — $48,300
5. University of Rhode Island, Kingston — $18,179 — $48,200
6. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence — $40,306 — $47,300
7. Roger Williams University, Bristol — $33,838 — $47,200
8. Rhode Island College, Providence — $9,938 — $39,600
9. New England Institute of Technology, East Greenwich — $26,894 — $38,800
10. Johnson & Wales University, Providence — $25,802 — $35,100
11. Community College of Rhode Island, Warwick and Lincoln — $6,552 — $29,100