Which University of Rhode Island major has the lowest debt?

Fine and Studio Arts graduates leave with a median of $16,625 in federal loans, the lowest among 48 University of Rhode Island bachelor's programs that report debt.

How much does University of Rhode Island cost?

In-state tuition and fees are $16,942 a year, and $37,146 for out-of-state students. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $21,440 a year.

How many University of Rhode Island programs report graduate pay?

49 bachelor's programs at University of Rhode Island report first-year pay, and 48 of them also report federal debt.

University of Rhode Island Programs, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

Public university
Kingston, RI
13,381 undergraduates

College Scorecard June 2026 release

The short answer

49 University of Rhode Island bachelor's programs report what graduates earn. Nursing pays the most in the first year ($82,218), and Theatre the least ($19,551). The median program pays $42,554.

In-state tuition and fees$16,942Per year. Out-of-state $37,146

Average net price after aid$21,440Per year

Graduation rate73%Within 6 years

Admission rate72%Of applicants

All 49 bachelor's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in Rhode Island" compares first-year pay with the same field's bachelor's programs across Rhode Island. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in Rhode Island
1	NursingAbout 292 graduates a year	$82,218	$90,720	$26,390	2nd of 4
2	Electrical EngineeringAbout 32 graduates a year	$81,508	$96,673	$25,000	1st of 1
3	Computer EngineeringAbout 23 graduates a year	$80,029	Not reported	$26,613	1st of 2
4	Chemical EngineeringAbout 26 graduates a year	$75,406	$89,578	$27,000	1st of 1
5	Ocean EngineeringAbout 31 graduates a year	$70,939	$86,529	$25,147	1st of 1
6	Mechanical EngineeringAbout 99 graduates a year	$70,724	$93,316	$25,500	1st of 2
7	Civil EngineeringAbout 46 graduates a year	$68,728	$81,840	$24,708	1st of 1
8	Biomedical EngineeringAbout 31 graduates a year	$68,410	$93,508	$26,367	2nd of 2
9	Computer and Information ScienceAbout 90 graduates a year	$67,736	$111,170	$21,750	1st of 1
10	Medical Laboratory ScienceAbout 14 graduates a year	$66,445	$80,596	$26,045	1st of 1
11	Germanic LanguagesAbout 18 graduates a year	$65,249	$93,550	$23,773	1st of 1
12	Romance LanguagesAbout 62 graduates a year	$59,220	$65,364	$23,975	1st of 1
13	Landscape ArchitectureAbout 13 graduates a year	$57,920	$64,541	Not reported	1st of 1
14	AccountingAbout 65 graduates a year	$57,529	$80,974	$23,801	4th of 6
15	MathematicsAbout 24 graduates a year	$55,330	$70,156	$23,610	1st of 2
16	Business AdministrationAbout 164 graduates a year	$55,160	$73,868	$20,500	2nd of 8
17	FinanceAbout 105 graduates a year	$50,529	$88,632	$23,620	6th of 7
18	Cell Biology and AnatomyAbout 42 graduates a year	$46,814	$80,730	$25,000	1st of 1
19	MarketingAbout 90 graduates a year	$46,394	$82,344	$22,089	3rd of 7
20	BiologyAbout 173 graduates a year	$45,846	$74,984	$24,215	2nd of 7
21	Environmental Management and PolicyAbout 34 graduates a year	$44,445	$64,504	$25,000	1st of 1
22	Teacher EducationAbout 122 graduates a year	$44,363	$55,463	$24,026	1st of 3
23	EconomicsAbout 48 graduates a year	$43,444	$63,644	$23,375	4th of 4
24	Writing and RhetoricAbout 16 graduates a year	$43,267	$51,925	$22,195	1st of 2
25	SociologyAbout 9 graduates a year	$42,554	$62,936	$23,250	1st of 3
26	Public Relations and AdvertisingAbout 144 graduates a year	$42,181	$74,225	$23,000	3rd of 3
27	Environmental Science and ConservationAbout 40 graduates a year	$40,067	$58,743	$19,500	2nd of 3
28	JournalismAbout 27 graduates a year	$37,875	$49,716	$26,899	1st of 1
29	PsychologyAbout 241 graduates a year	$37,414	$52,822	$23,880	2nd of 5
30	CommunicationsAbout 200 graduates a year	$36,785	$63,795	$24,887	2nd of 7
31	Other Social SciencesGraduates a year not reported	$36,548	$60,260	$23,732	1st of 1
32	Health-Related SkillsGraduates a year not reported	$35,907	$51,729	$24,771	1st of 1
33	Animal ScienceAbout 62 graduates a year	$35,520	$46,797	$21,750	1st of 1
34	Communication Sciences and DisordersAbout 64 graduates a year	$34,633	$60,535	$23,250	1st of 1
35	HistoryAbout 36 graduates a year	$34,319	$49,879	$21,469	3rd of 4
36	Human Development and Family StudiesAbout 88 graduates a year	$34,205	$47,043	$25,000	1st of 1
37	DieteticsAbout 22 graduates a year	$33,319	$55,830	$22,875	1st of 1
38	Apparel and TextilesAbout 44 graduates a year	$33,161	$59,388	$24,125	1st of 2
39	Public PolicyAbout 28 graduates a year	$32,536	$55,880	$23,500	2nd of 2
40	Subject-Area Teacher EducationGraduates a year not reported	$32,184	$63,203	$23,250	2nd of 2
41	CriminologyAbout 104 graduates a year	$31,729	Not reported	$19,600	1st of 1
42	Political ScienceAbout 86 graduates a year	$31,649	$65,055	$20,500	5th of 6
43	EnglishAbout 45 graduates a year	$30,137	$53,161	$25,000	3rd of 4
44	Film and PhotographyAbout 63 graduates a year	$29,634	$45,389	$22,500	1st of 3
45	Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender StudiesAbout 15 graduates a year	$28,181	Not reported	$21,875	1st of 2
46	Ecology and EvolutionAbout 45 graduates a year	$26,176	$45,950	$20,635	2nd of 2
47	Wildlife ScienceAbout 55 graduates a year	$25,523	Not reported	$25,000	1st of 1
48	Fine and Studio ArtsAbout 19 graduates a year	$21,167	$42,027	$16,625	3rd of 4
49	TheatreAbout 24 graduates a year	$19,551	Not reported	$21,500	2nd of 2

Program names link to the program's own page, and Rhode Island ranks link to the full ranking for the field. A program gets its own page when it reports both pay and debt and at least five Rhode Island programs in the field do too.

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

2 more bachelor's programs report debt but not pay, so they aren't listed.

Quick picks

Highest first-year pay

Nursing$82,218
Electrical Engineering$81,508
Computer Engineering$80,029
Chemical Engineering$75,406
Ocean Engineering$70,939

Lowest median debt

Fine and Studio Arts$16,625
Environmental Science and Conservation$19,500
Criminology$19,600
Business Administration$20,500
Political Science$20,500

Largest programs

NursingAbout 292 graduates a year
PsychologyAbout 241 graduates a year
CommunicationsAbout 200 graduates a year
BiologyAbout 173 graduates a year
Business AdministrationAbout 164 graduates a year

Common questions

Nursing graduates earn a median of $82,218 in their first year, the most of 49 University of Rhode Island bachelor's programs that report pay.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Tuition, net price, graduation rate, and admission rate are for the whole school, not one program.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Rhode Island rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
NCES, IPEDS tuition and fees, 2023-24, for in-district tuition labels