State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in Rhode Island
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 19 Rhode Island colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $6,513
- Cheapest net price
- $25,666
- Rhode Island median
- 19
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
Community College of Rhode Island has the lowest average net price in Rhode Island at $6,513/year, and the state's median net price is 50% above the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $6,513
- cheapest ranked net price
- $25,666
- Rhode Island median net price
- 3 public / 16 private
- schools in this ranking
- $21,537
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Brown University, where in-state published tuition of $71,412 falls to an average net price of $25,184 after aid, a $46,228 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Rhode Island schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 19 ranked Rhode Island schools, 3 are public institutions and 16 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
Rhode Island's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Community College of Rhode Island Warwick, RI · Public | $6,513 87% of the leader · rank #1 | $6,213 | $10,920 | $33,476 | 12,518 |
| 2 | Rhode Island College Providence, RI · Public | $9,478 81% of the leader · rank #2 | $6,378 | $20,500 | $46,882 | 5,767 |
| 3 | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode Island Pawtucket, RI · Private for-profit | $15,866 69% of the leader · rank #3 | $15,495 | $6,333 | $51,037 | 487 |
| 4 | Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Cranston Cranston, RI · Private for-profit | $20,151 60% of the leader · rank #4 | $19,918 | $11,000 | - | 113 |
| 5 | IYRS School of Technology & Trades Newport, RI · Private nonprofit | $20,525 59% of the leader · rank #5 | $20,525 | $9,500 | $47,009 | 76 |
| 6 | College Unbound Providence, RI · Private nonprofit | $21,108 58% of the leader · rank #6 | $20,682 | $12,500 | - | 401 |
| 7 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI · Public | $21,440 58% of the leader · rank #7 | $14,368 | $22,250 | $57,446 | 17,351 |
| 8 | Empire Beauty School-Warwick Providence, RI · Private for-profit | $22,794 55% of the leader · rank #8 | $21,673 | $10,231 | $21,743 | 132 |
| 9 | Brown University Providence, RI · Private nonprofit | $25,184 50% of the leader · rank #9 | Aid covers full cost | $11,428 | $79,131 | 11,516 |
| 10 | Paul Mitchell the School-Rhode Island Cranston, RI · Private for-profit | $25,666 49% of the leader · rank #10 | $25,799 | $13,000 | $23,724 | 170 |
| 11 | Lincoln Technical Institute-Lincoln Lincoln, RI · Private for-profit | $27,578 45% of the leader · rank #11 | $26,742 | $10,521 | $32,694 | 703 |
| 12 | MotoRing Technical Training Institute East Providence, RI · Private for-profit | $30,141 40% of the leader · rank #12 | $27,392 | $9,500 | $42,100 | 143 |
| 13 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence Providence, RI · Private nonprofit | $31,027 39% of the leader · rank #13 | $25,530 | $26,000 | $35,802 | 4,372 |
| 14 | New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI · Private nonprofit | $36,483 28% of the leader · rank #14 | $32,208 | $16,668 | $44,363 | 1,850 |
| 15 | Salve Regina University Newport, RI · Private nonprofit | $36,967 27% of the leader · rank #15 | $26,939 | $27,000 | $55,027 | 2,836 |
| 16 | Roger Williams University Bristol, RI · Private nonprofit | $37,999 25% of the leader · rank #16 | $29,778 | $26,940 | $53,845 | 4,344 |
| 17 | Bryant University Smithfield, RI · Private nonprofit | $41,219 18% of the leader · rank #17 | $32,698 | $26,849 | $66,488 | 3,592 |
| 18 | Providence College Providence, RI · Private nonprofit | $48,523 4% of the leader · rank #18 | $28,152 | $27,000 | $69,326 | 4,635 |
| 19 | Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI · Private nonprofit | $50,507 4% of the leader · rank #19 | $29,135 | $27,000 | $45,932 | 2,540 |
What this means for you
Use Rhode Island's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- Community College of Rhode Island reports the lowest average net price in Rhode Island, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Community College of
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Rhode Island safety
Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.