More selective than 78% of Rhode Island colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $80,466. College Scorecard.
Higher than 78% of Rhode Island colleges we cover and 94% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 78% of Rhode Island colleges we cover and 96% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Providence College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 12,469 applicants, Providence College admitted 6,075 and 1,197 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1250–1390 on the SAT or 29–32 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Providence College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Providence College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Providence College took 4.0 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Rhode Island. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $28,152 | $113,171 | 2.4 years |
| $30–48k | $21,835 | $87,777 | 1.9 years |
| $48–75k | $25,296 | $101,690 | 2.2 years |
| $75–110k | $33,169 | $133,339 | 2.8 years |
| $110k+ | $56,699 | $227,930 | 4.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.0 years, the average time graduates took (86% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($87,054) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in RI (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $47,174 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Providence College majors, earnings & careers
Providence College offers 47 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 11
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Business & Finance · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Communications & Media · 3
- Engineering · 3
- Education · 2
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Providence College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $103,245 | $27,000 |
| Finance | $103,021 | $27,000 |
| Economics | $95,590 | $26,000 |
| Biology | $93,757 | $27,000 |
| Mathematics | $90,503 | $27,000 |
| Marketing | $89,629 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $85,119 | $27,000 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $76,956 | — |
Quick list of all 47 majors
- Accounting$103,245
- Area Studies—
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$93,757
- Business Administration$85,119
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications—
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer Science—
- Criminology—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$95,590
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Engineering—
- Engineering Physics—
- Engineering Science—
- English$63,736
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance$103,021
- Fire Protection—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Administration$73,165
- History—
- Human Resources—
- International / Global Studies$67,281
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$62,111
- Marketing$89,629
- Mathematics$90,503
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Political Science$75,637
- Psychology$63,746
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work$70,356
- Sociology$64,750
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$76,956
- Special Education$54,927
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Theology / Ministry—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Finance → Financial analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Marketing → Marketing specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.0% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Providence
Overall prices in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,879. Housing costs 4% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 52 inches of rain a year, 37 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Providence County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Providence County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Providence College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Rhode Island by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence College | 51% | $48,523 | 86% | $87,054 | This school |
| Bryant University | 65% | $41,219 | 80% | $90,008 | |
| Salve Regina University | 68% | $36,967 | 77% | $72,975 | |
| Rhode Island School of Design | 19% | $50,507 | 89% | $68,140 | |
| New England Institute of Technology | 67% | $36,483 | 60% | $48,684 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Providence College would cost you $7,304 more per year than Bryant University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Providence College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$10,873).
- Providence College gives aided families $3,198 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Rhode Island resident | Providence College | Bryant University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $63,550 | $52,677 | +$10,873 |
| Books & supplies | $1,150 | $1,400 | −$250 |
| Housing & meals | $17,150 | $16,938 | +$212 |
| Personal & travel | $1,492 | $1,550 | −$58 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,876 | −$2,601 | −$275 |
| Sticker price | $80,466 | $69,964 | +$10,502 |
| Average grants | −$31,943 | −$28,745 | −$3,198 |
| You pay | $48,523 | $41,219 | +$7,304 |
“+” means Providence College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Providence College
What is the Providence College acceptance rate?
Providence College accepts 51% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 6,075 of 12,469 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1250–1390 on the SAT or 29–32 on the ACT.
How much does Providence College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $80,466 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $48,523 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $28,152 and families earning $110k+ pay $56,699.
How much do Providence College graduates earn?
Former Providence College students earn a median $87,054 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Providence College graduation rate?
86% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 94% return for their second year.
How long does a Providence College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Providence College costs about $101,690 after grants ($25,296 a year for 4.0 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $87,054 ten years after starting, $47,174 more than high school graduates in Rhode Island ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in 2.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Providence College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/providence-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).