Academics
Majors and faculty
The most popular major is Psychology, General (8% of graduates). 17 students for every faculty member, more than at 78% of colleges. 69% of faculty are full-time. Spends $10,555 a year on instruction per student.
Most popular majors
3,625 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates
The top 5 programs account for 26% of graduates; 84 programs in 24 fields awarded at least one.
- Psychology, General 42.01017.5% 272Graduates in this field earn $56,571 4 years out
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.38015.8% 210Graduates in this field earn $96,020 4 years out
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric 09.01014.8% 173Graduates in this field earn $64,520 4 years out
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01013.9% 142Graduates in this field earn $80,379 4 years out
- Criminology 45.04013.9% 140
Fastest-growing field: Biology, 6.0% → 8.6% of graduates since 2014–15 (313 graduates in 2024–25).
Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)
Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.
Top-earning majors here
By earnings 4 years after completion
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$106,153 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $81,508
4 years after completion$106,153National median: $100,647Above typical4 years out, Pell: $93,417 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $21,500 · 59 graduates, two most recent years combined
Chemical Engineering$103,525 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $75,406
4 years after completion$103,525National median: $98,158Above typical4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $83,654(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $26,816 · 54 graduates, two most recent years combined
Computer Engineering$100,975 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $80,029
4 years after completion$100,975National median: $109,015Below typicalMedian federal debt: $26,101 · 45 graduates, two most recent years combined
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$96,532 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $68,410
4 years after completion$96,532National median: $93,451About typical4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $81,967(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $26,234 · 61 graduates, two most recent years combined
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$96,020 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $82,218
4 years after completion$96,020National median: $88,910Above typical4 years out, Pell: $78,611 · Non-Pell: $78,099(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $19,500 · 582 graduates, two most recent years combined
Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.
The college also reports 17 to 1 in its Common Data Set (15,349 students, 897 faculty).
Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.
Class sizes
38%
of classes have fewer than 20 students; 11% have 50 or more
| Students | sections | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2–9 | 336 | 15% |
| 10–19 | 539 | 24% |
| 20–29 | 650 | 28% |
| 30–39 | 314 | 14% |
| 40–49 | 198 | 9% |
| 50–99 | 168 | 7% |
| 100+ | 78 | 3% |
This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.
Programs & curriculum
- Accelerated program
- Distance learning
- Double major
- Dual enrollment
- English as a Second Language
- Domestic exchange program
- Honors program
- Independent study
- Internships
- Liberal arts/career combination
- Teacher certification
- Study abroad
- Undergraduate research
Requires coursework in arts, computer literacy, English composition, a foreign language, history, humanities, math, philosophy, a natural science, and social science.
$99,717
9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.
Spending and endowment
Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.
Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;University of Rhode Island Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Rhode Island Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)
