This is a list of colleges and universities in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. There are currently 13 accredited, degree-granting institutions operating in the state, including two research universities, a community college, and a school of art.
Two of the state's public institutions are administered by the Rhode Island Board of Education. The other, the University of Rhode Island, is overseen by its own board of trustees. The state operates two public universities, the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College, as well as the Community College of Rhode Island, which offers degrees at six locations. The Naval War College, operated by the federal United States Navy, is located in Newport. The oldest school in the state is Brown University, a member of the Ivy League and the only Rhode Island institution founded before the American Revolution. The newest college is College Unbound, a degree completion school in Providence. Enrollment sizes range from College Unbound at 494 students to the University of Rhode Island, the state's flagship public university, with 17,210 students.
The institutions included on this list are all regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Institutions School Location(s) Control Type Enrollment(Fall 2024) FoundedBrown University Providence Private Doctoral university 11,956 1764Bryant University Smithfield Private Master's university 3,636 1863College Unbound Providence Private Special-focus institution 494 2009Community College of Rhode Island 6 locations Public Associate's college 12,275 1964Johnson & Wales University Providence Private Master's university 7,152 1914Naval War College Newport Public(Federal) Master's university 2,259 1884New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich Private Doctoral university 1,922 1940Providence College Providence Private(Catholic) Master's university 4,666 1917Rhode Island College Providence Public Master's university 6,155 1854Rhode Island School of Design Providence Private School of art 2,520 1877Roger Williams University Bristol Private Master's university 4,834 1956Salve Regina University Newport Private(Catholic) Master's university 2,791 1934University of Rhode Island Kingston Public Doctoral university 17,210 1892
Defunct institutions School Location(s) Founded Closed Barrington College Barrington 1900 1985Gibbs CollegeCranston 1911 2009 Mount Saint Joseph College Wakefield 1975Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and Allied SciencesProvidence 1902Page 123, Rhode Island: A Guide to the Smallest State (Federal Writers' Program, 1937) 1957Page 244, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636-1950 (John Hutchins Cady, 1957)Scholfield's Commercial CollegeProvidence 1846 ? Seminary of Our Lady of Providence Warwick 1939 1975
See also
Higher education in the United States List of college athletic programs in Rhode Island List of American institutions of higher education
Notes
References
External links Department of Education listing of accredited institutions in Rhode Island Rhode Island Office of Postsecondary Commissioner New England Commission of Higher Education