Start at CCRI.
The Rhode Island transfer math.
Rhode Island students weighing CC-first vs. direct-to-4-year have one community college, two major public universities, and a small cluster of privates to work with. The numbers show a compact but navigable pipeline.
Rhode Island has 11 public and private 4-years and 1 community college. The University of Rhode Island admitted 622 transfers — the largest pipeline in the state — while Brown admits only 154 at a 5% acceptance rate but delivers $93,487 in median 10-year earnings.
One CC, one flagship, and a handful of privates define Rhode Island's compact transfer market
Rhode Island runs a single community college — the Community College of Rhode Island — feeding into 11 four-year institutions, with 2,734 transfers admitted across the state's top destinations. The pipeline is small by national standards but more complete than it looks at first glance. The University of Rhode Island dominates volume at 622 admits, followed closely by Rhode Island College at 577. Both are public and moderately selective, with acceptance rates above 70%. The private sector adds real range: Brown University admits only 154 transfers at a 5% acceptance rate but posts $93,487 in median 10-year earnings — by far the strongest outcome in the dataset. Salve Regina and Roger Williams sit in the $70,000–$73,000 earnings range with grad rates of 69–77%, making them credible middle targets. The state's median four-year grad rate is 72.4% and median 10-year earnings is $69,743, figures anchored by URI. The one honest concern: Johnson & Wales University–Online reports a 0% six-year graduation rate in IPEDS, which is a real data point worth flagging before committing.
Rhode Island's transfer landscape is small, concentrated, and honest about its constraints. The state has 11 four-year institutions and exactly one public community college — the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick — funneling students into a network that absorbed 2,734 transfers at its top destinations. That's a modest pipeline by national standards, but the destinations span a wider quality and outcome range than the geography suggests.
The University of Rhode Island is the anchor, admitting 622 transfers at a 72% acceptance rate and posting $69,743 in median 10-year earnings. Rhode Island College and Johnson & Wales University–Online together add more than 1,100 additional admits, though their outcomes differ sharply — Johnson & Wales Online's 0% six-year graduation rate in IPEDS is not a rounding error. At the selective end, Brown University admitted 154 transfers at a 5% acceptance rate and delivers the state's strongest earnings figure at $93,487. Rhode Island is not a state where the transfer decision writes itself, but the data is clear enough to make an informed call.
Rhode Island's transfer landscape by the numbers
With 2,734 aggregate transfer admits and a median 10-year earnings figure of $69,743 across its four-year institutions, Rhode Island's pipeline is modest in scale but competitive in outcomes.
- ✓ University of Rhode Island admitted 622 transfers at a 72% acceptance rate — the largest accessible pipeline in the state.
- ✓ Brown University posts $93,487 median 10-year earnings, the strongest outcome in the dataset, for the 154 transfers it admits annually.
- ✓ Salve Regina ($72,975 earnings, 77% grad rate) and Roger Williams ($70,266 earnings, 69% grad rate) offer strong private-sector outcomes at 68–88% acceptance rates.
- ✓ Community College of Rhode Island enrolls 12,275 undergraduates — a large enough base to sustain meaningful transfer pipelines to multiple destinations.
- ✓ University of Rhode Island graduates carry $22,250 median debt — the lowest among the higher-volume destinations and below the state median of $26,000.
- ! Johnson & Wales University–Online reports a 0% six-year graduation rate in IPEDS despite admitting 534 transfers — a significant data red flag.
- ! Rhode Island College has a 48% six-year graduation rate and $56,318 median 10-year earnings despite being the second-largest transfer destination.
- ! Rhode Island has only one community college, meaning all CC-to-4-year transfer volume flows through a single institution with 26% internal graduation rate.
- ! Total aggregate transfer intake of 2,734 is small for a state with 11 four-year institutions — transfer is not a mass-market pathway here.
Top transfer destinations
The University of Rhode Island leads transfer intake with 622 admits, followed by Rhode Island College at 577 and Johnson & Wales University–Online at 534. The spread in outcomes across these destinations is significant.
| University | Transfers admitted | Accept rate | 6-yr grad rate | 10-yr earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Rhode Island Kingston | 622 | 72% | 72% | $69,743 | $22,250 |
| Rhode Island College Providence | 577 | 92% | 48% | $56,318 | $20,500 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Online Providence | 534 | 91% | 0% | $43,418 | $26,000 |
| New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich | 188 | 67% | 60% | $48,684 | $16,668 |
| Roger Williams University Bristol | 168 | 88% | 69% | $70,266 | $26,940 |
| Brown University Providence | 154 | 5% | 96% | $93,487 | $11,428 |
| Salve Regina University Newport | 152 | 68% | 77% | $72,975 | $27,000 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Providence Providence | 136 | 88% | 56% | $43,418 | $26,000 |
The University of Rhode Island is the undisputed volume leader, admitting 622 transfers — nearly twice as many as the next-closest destination, Rhode Island College at 577. URI's 72% acceptance rate puts it firmly in the accessible range for strong CCRI students, and its outcomes hold up: 72% six-year graduation rate and $69,743 median 10-year earnings with a relatively modest $22,250 median debt. For most Rhode Island CC students, URI is the primary target.
The selectivity picture splits the remaining destinations into two tiers. Johnson & Wales University–Online and Rhode Island College both sit above 90% acceptance rates — effectively open-enrollment at the transfer level — but their outcomes reflect that openness. Rhode Island College posts $56,318 in median earnings and a 48% graduation rate. Johnson & Wales Online's 0% graduation rate in IPEDS is a real data point, not a data anomaly, and it carries $26,000 in median debt. Brown University is the outlier in the opposite direction: 5% acceptance rate, 96% graduation rate, and $93,487 median earnings — the strongest outcome profile by a wide margin, at the sharpest selectivity wall.
In the middle tier, Salve Regina University in Newport offers a competitive private-sector option at 68% acceptance with $72,975 earnings and a 77% grad rate at $27,000 median debt. Roger Williams University in Bristol is similar — 88% acceptance, $70,266 earnings, 69% grad rate — with slightly more debt at $26,940. New England Institute of Technology rounds out the field at 67% acceptance, a 60% grad rate, and $48,684 in earnings. Worth noting: the acceptance rates in this dataset are overall institutional rates, not transfer-specific figures. The actual transfer acceptance rate at each school may differ.
Rhode Island community colleges at a glance
The Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick is the state's sole two-year public institution, enrolling 12,275 undergraduates and sending 660 students to four-year institutions. It is a large urban-suburban campus serving much of the state.
Community College of Rhode Island
- Undergrad12,275
- Transfers-in660
- 10-yr earnings$42,659
- Grad rate26%
6-year completion rates at top destinations
The six-year graduation rates below reflect overall cohort completion — not transfer-student-specific rates, which are not included in this dataset. They are the best available proxy for institutional finish capacity.
The six-year graduation rate spread across Rhode Island's top destinations is wide — 96% at Brown to 0% at Johnson & Wales University–Online — which makes it more useful as a screening tool than a ranking. Brown's 96% rate is an outlier, but Salve Regina at 77%, URI at 72%, and Roger Williams at 69% form a credible cluster of schools where students who enroll typically finish. All three also post earnings above $69,000, which suggests the completion and outcome signals are moving in the same direction.
These figures are overall six-year graduation rates for the full entering cohort — not transfer-student-specific completion rates, which are not included in this dataset. That distinction matters because transfer students sometimes face different finish-line challenges than direct-admit students: credit loss at entry, interrupted timelines, and working-while-enrolled are all more common. The best available proxy is that institutions with strong overall completion rates tend to finish transfer students at higher rates as well. By that logic, Brown, Salve Regina, and URI are the safest bets for a CC transfer looking to cross the finish line.
What a bachelor's degree is worth here
The fastest-growing occupations in the state where a bachelor's degree is the typical entry credential — the jobs waiting on the other side of a completed transfer.
| Occupation | Projected growth | Avg openings / yr |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers | +26.9% | 180 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | +16.0% | 420 |
| Financial Managers | +12.7% | 170 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | +11.8% | 150 |
| Management Analysts | +10.4% | 460 |
| Coaches and Scouts | +8.8% | 110 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | +8.7% | 150 |
| General and Operations Managers | +8.2% | 620 |
For a typical Rhode Island student weighing CC-first vs. direct-to-4-year, the data supports starting at the Community College of Rhode Island and targeting the University of Rhode Island. The logic is straightforward: CCRI enrolls 12,275 students and sends 660 annually to four-year institutions, URI admits transfers at a 72% acceptance rate, and URI graduates post $69,743 in median 10-year earnings at $22,250 median debt — the lowest debt load among the state's higher-volume destinations. Two years of community college tuition followed by two years at URI is a concrete cost reduction with a documented earnings endpoint. The CC-first path in Rhode Island is not a fallback; it's a financial argument with data behind it.
The recommendation flips under two conditions. First, if your target is Brown University: Brown's 5% acceptance rate and 154 annual transfer admits make the CC-to-Brown pipeline high-risk regardless of how strong your CCRI record is. If Brown is the goal, the direct-to-4-year path — with Brown, another research university, or a comparable private — is the more credible route. Second, if you are considering Johnson & Wales University–Online as a transfer destination: a 0% six-year graduation rate and $26,000 median debt is a combination that warrants serious scrutiny before committing. Rhode Island College's 48% graduation rate at the second-largest transfer destination is also a real concern — transfer volume alone does not mean an institution is built to see transfer students through to completion.
How we built Rhode Island's transfer picture
Destination universities are Rhode Island's 4-year institutions ranked by IPEDS transfer-in volume; we filter out community colleges that IPEDS files under the 4-year sector because they run bachelor's-pilot programs but remain open-admission. Community college spotlights are ranked by IPEDS undergraduate enrollment. 10-year median earnings and median debt at graduation come from College Scorecard; graduation rates come from IPEDS 6-year overall cohorts. Phase 1 deliberately leaves out transfer-specific completion rates (NSC), structured articulation-agreement data (ASSIST, ADT, TAG, FLVC, etc.), and state-funding context — all Phase 2.
Common questions
Can I realistically transfer from the Community College of Rhode Island to the University of Rhode Island?
Yes, and it's the most-traveled path in this dataset. URI admitted 622 transfers at a 72% overall acceptance rate, making it the highest-volume destination in the state. URI's six-year graduation rate is 72% and median 10-year earnings sit at $69,743 — strong public-flagship outcomes. CCRI's own transfer-out rate shows 660 students moved on to four-year schools, and URI is the logical primary destination given geography and institutional relationship. The acceptance rate in the dataset is URI's overall rate, not a transfer-specific figure, but the volume of admits signals that transfer is a well-worn path there.
Is Brown University a realistic transfer target from a Rhode Island community college?
Realistic in the sense that Brown admitted 154 transfers in the IPEDS dataset — more than Roger Williams or Salve Regina. But the 5% overall acceptance rate signals this is one of the most selective transfer targets in New England. Brown's outcomes justify the effort: $93,487 in median 10-year earnings is by far the highest in this dataset, and the 96% six-year graduation rate means nearly every student who enrolls finishes. Median debt is also the lowest of any destination at $11,428. The math is compelling if you can get in — but at a 5% acceptance rate, a CC-first strategy targeting Brown requires exceptional academic preparation.
Which Rhode Island community college has the best transfer outcomes?
The Community College of Rhode Island is the only public community college in the state, so there is no comparison to make within Rhode Island. CCRI in Warwick enrolls 12,275 students and sends 660 annually to four-year institutions. Its own reported median 10-year earnings of $42,659 and 26% graduation rate reflect its broad open-access mission — many students transfer before completing an associate degree, which depresses both figures. The more relevant number is what CCRI transfers earn after completing a bachelor's at their destination school, which depends heavily on which four-year institution they land at.
Is it worth starting at CCRI instead of going directly to URI?
For most Rhode Island residents, yes — and the data supports it. URI's 72% acceptance rate for transfers means the door is open. The financial logic of two years at CCRI's community college tuition followed by two years at URI is straightforward to calculate against four years of direct URI costs. URI graduates post $69,743 in median 10-year earnings with $22,250 median debt at graduation. The catch: a 72% overall graduation rate means roughly 1 in 4 URI students doesn't finish in six years, so completing your associate degree before transferring — rather than stopping partway — reduces dropout risk considerably.
What four-year universities take the most transfers in Rhode Island?
University of Rhode Island leads with 622 admits, followed by Rhode Island College at 577 and Johnson & Wales University–Online at 534. After those three, volumes drop: New England Institute of Technology (188), Roger Williams University (168), Brown University (154), Salve Regina University (152), and Johnson & Wales University–Providence (136). The top three destinations account for roughly 63% of all transfer volume in the dataset. One important note: Johnson & Wales University–Online's 0% six-year graduation rate in IPEDS is an anomaly worth investigating before enrolling, even though its transfer acceptance volume is high.
Browse every Rhode Island college.
Filter Rhode Island colleges by debt, earnings, and transfer outcomes across all accredited institutions.