Best Small Colleges in Rhode Island 2025

Badge for BEST IN RHODE ISLAND SMALL COLLEGES
By Dr. James Barham
Published:
Updated:

Small colleges in Rhode Island are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

Key Takeaways

  • Many small colleges in Rhode Island have a long-standing commitment to civic engagement and social justice, offering programs that encourage community service, nonprofit internships, and policy work, helping students directly impact the local community.
  • Come of the colleges in Rhode Island foster an intense focus on the arts, offering small class sizes, close mentorship from faculty, and access to top-tier art studios and galleries, creating a strong, collaborative community for students passionate about visual and applied arts.
  • With Rhode Island’s coastal location, many colleges offer specialized marine biology and environmental science programs that provide students with hands-on fieldwork opportunities, research access to coastal ecosystems, and partnerships with local marine research institutions.

Best Small Colleges in Rhode Island in 2025

  1. Providence College
  2. Bryant University
  3. Roger Williams University
  4. Salve Regina University
  5. New England Institute of Technology

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best small colleges in Rhode Island saw no change in ranking positions. This was a result of all the schools in the ranking making similar improvements to their curriculum, internship opportunities, and other program features.

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Rhode Island is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 5 small colleges in Rhode Island. The list below of the best small colleges in Rhode Island. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

Best Small Colleges in Rhode Island

  1. #1

    Providence College

    Providence , RI
    #7 The Best Catholic Colleges and Universities Ranked for 2024 #12 50 Best Christian Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities 2025 #1 Best Christian Colleges in Rhode Island 2024 #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Rhode Island 2025
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $58K

    Acceptance

    53%

    Graduation

    86%

    Student body

    5K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1340/30

    Career Outlook for degree at Providence College

    Cost of Degree: $60,848
    Expenses: $19,792
    Starting Salary: $73,400
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Providence College known for?

    Providence College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Providence College’s Online Degrees

    BS in Fire Administration
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in History
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Leadership Development
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Liberal Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Professional Studies
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Social Science
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Theology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  2. #2

    Bryant University

    Smithfield , RI
    #3 Best Private Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #5 Best Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #5 The Most Influential Universities and Colleges Ranked by State 2024

    Tuition + fees

    $49K

    Acceptance

    69%

    Graduation

    83%

    Student body

    4K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1241/29

    Career Outlook for degree at Bryant University

    Cost of Degree: $51,169
    Expenses: $19,888
    Starting Salary: $77,600
    Cost Recoup Time: 15 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Bryant University known for?

    Bryant University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
  3. #3

    Roger Williams University

    Bristol , RI
    #4 Best Private Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #6 Best Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #18 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Criminal Justice Degrees
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $41K

    Acceptance

    91%

    Graduation

    66%

    Student body

    5K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1195/28

    Career Outlook for degree at Roger Williams University

    Cost of Degree: $42,666
    Expenses: $20,940
    Starting Salary: $56,000
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Roger Williams University known for?

    Roger Williams University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Roger Williams University’s Online Degrees

    BS in Criminal Justice
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Cybersecurity And Networking
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Applied Psychology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  4. #4

    Salve Regina University

    Newport , RI
    #2 Best Christian Colleges in Rhode Island 2024 #4 Best Grad Schools in Rhode Island 2024 #5 Best Private Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Rhode Island 2025
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $46K

    Acceptance

    70%

    Graduation

    76%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1205/27

    Career Outlook for degree at Salve Regina University

    Cost of Degree: $47,930
    Expenses: $22,986
    Starting Salary: $57,700
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Salve Regina University known for?

    Salve Regina University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Salve Regina University’s Online Degrees

    BSN in Nursing: RN To BSN
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    Compare school
  6. #5

    New England Institute of Technology

    East Greenwich , RI
    #6 Best Private Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #8 Best Colleges in Rhode Island 2025 #4 Most Affordable Online Occupational Therapy Masters Programs 2025

    Tuition + fees

    $34K

    Acceptance

    74%

    Graduation

    50%

    Student body

    3K

    Career Outlook for degree at New England Institute of Technology

    Cost of Degree: $35,625
    Expenses: $21,306
    Starting Salary: $45,800
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is New England Institute of Technology known for?

    New England Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Compare school
Back to Top

Rhode Island’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

Anthropology Biology Business Chemistry Commun­ications Computer Science Criminal Justice Earth Sciences Economics Education Engineering History Law Literature Mathematics Medical Nursing Philosophy Physics Political Science Psychology Religious Studies Social Work Sociology
2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

  1. Rhode Island School of Design
  2. Providence College
  3. Roger Williams University
  4. Bryant University
  5. Salve Regina University

Many states have great small colleges. If you’re interested in looking into what other states have to offer, check out the best small colleges in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here