
Investing in the Future
With nearly 18,000 students representing 48 states and 76 countries, URI continues to grow.
In the last 12 years, $902M has been invested in capital projects and improvements across all four campuses, with new facilities for chemistry and forensic science, pharmacy, and communications. The 182,000 square-foot, $150M College of Engineering complex, which opened in September 2019, rivals any in the world.
Students
Students represent 48 U.S. states, districts, and territories and 76 nations; 23% of first-year students identify as students of color.
- Last year, 23,856 applications were considered for 3,313 spots.
- More than 5,600 undergraduate students live in 26 residence halls.
- We have 18 Learning and Living Communities.
Faculty and Staff
URI is one of Rhode Island’s largest employers.
Alumni
Total Alumni: 133,347
Research
Researchers awarded $100.9M in competitive grants
- Federal funding: $77.7M (approximately 85%)
- 34 patents issued in 2019
Leading the way
- URI to lead $94 million NOAA-funded Ocean Exploration Institute, under the direction of Professor Robert Ballard, Titanic discoverer.
- URI awarded $20 million from National Institute of Health to further expand Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program over the next five years.
- The College of Pharmacy is ranked 10th in the nation for total research funding. URI is the top ranked pharmacy college in the Northeast, and the only one in the top 20 that is not part of an academic medical center.
- The Artificial Intelligence Lab at the Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons is the first of its kind in a University library, where students from diverse disciplines can come together to address society’s challenges.
- URI’s Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Center is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and Research by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
Campus and Facilities
- $902M has been invested in capital projects and improvements across all four campuses in the past 12 years.
- The core of URI’s main campus in Kingston is on the National Register of Historic Places.
- For ten consecutive years, URI has been named to the Princeton Review’s Green Colleges.
Tuition and Fees
Academic Year 2020-2021
Undergraduate | Graduate | |
---|---|---|
In-state | $15,004 | $14,096 |
Out-of-state | $32,578 | $27,214 |
Regional | $24,696 | $21,144 |
Average Room and Board: $13,002
Financial Aid
- Over $105M awarded by URI
- $105.6M awarded by federal and other external sources
- Approximately 86% of students receive aid
Budget
- University Budget Total: $812.2M
- Excludes general obligation debt of $30.5M.
- URI’s endowment portfolio, managed by the URI Foundation is valued at $147.8M (as of 9/30/19)

Capital Improvement
URI’s investment in capital projects and improvements over the last 12 years have included the construction of these new facilities:
Points of Pride
Getting Jobs
90% of recent URI grads are employed or pursuing graduate studies. The College of Health Sciences boasts a 100% employment rate within six months of graduation from the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and the Speech-Language Pathology M.S. program.
Rhodes Scholarships
Two recent arts and humanities graduates were named finalists for the highly prestigious Rhodes Scholarship this year. Of the 14 regional finalists named this year, URI’s nominees were the only ones from a public institution.
Record Gifts
Tom Ryan ‘75 Hon.’99 and his wife Cathy made a record $35 million gift to the University of Rhode Island for neuroscience, scholars program, and athletics.
Rhody Pride
Legendary URI coach, Frank Keaney, revolutionized the game of basketball with the invention of the FAST BREAK in 1939.
Today that tradition continues with the men’s basketball team winning the Atlantic 10 twice in a row and making it into the NCAA championship.
In 2018, three Rhode Island athletic programs were recognized with NCAA Public Recognition Awards for outstanding academic achievement.
Men’s golf and women’s tennis earned the recognition for the second straight year and were joined by the women’s basketball team.
The URI Women’s rowing team won the Atlantic 10 title in 2018 and has competed in the NCAA Division I Championship three times since 2013.