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Providence College

#1 Highest-Paying Colleges for Education
Private nonprofit Providence, RI · Urban · New England · 100% data
A+ Earnings A Graduation B+ Selectivity
Graduation Rate
87% A
Most students who enroll finish their degree here
Earnings (10yr)
$87,054 A+
Top 3% nationally — exceptional earning power
Net Price
$48,523 F
183% more than the typical college
Acceptance Rate
51% B+
Selective, but achievable with strong credentials
Earnings +113% vs avg
Graduation +52% vs avg
Net Price 183% vs avg
Mobility Top 81%

Bottom line: A C overall grade — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges. 12.0× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $12.0 over 20 years. Ranked #1 in Highest-Paying Colleges for Education.

12.0× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $12.0 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $2,139,276.

What The Data Says

  1. A C overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.

  2. Graduates earn 113% more than the national college median.

  3. A 87% graduation rate — 52% above the national average.

  4. A top feeder school for 5 major employers.

  5. Every $1 invested returns $12.0 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Economic Footprint

Inventor Rate
0.3%
Top 69%
Patents
19
Linked to graduates
Employer Pipelines
5
Top feeder programs
Patent Citations
135
Downstream influence

Why Providence College Matters

Providence College is a private university in Providence, RI and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 3% of all U.S. colleges.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Private University
Carnegie Class
Master's University
Enrollment
4,229
Setting
Urban
Designations
30
Primary Strengths
Business & Marketing, Social Sciences, Biology & Biomedical, Psychology

Why students choose Providence College

Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Exceptional earning outcomes
Graduate earnings in the top 3% of colleges
Strength in Business & Marketing
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C
Top 51% overall
A+
Earnings
$87,054 median
D+
Value
1.8× net price
F
Affordability
$48,523/yr net
A
Graduation
87% graduate
D
Social Mobility
0.9% climb Q1→Q5
B+
Selectivity
51% admit rate
D
Diversity
0.36 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →
1
Can I Get In?

Admissions

Competitive
51% admit rate

Competitive — admits about 51% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1250–1390. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.

Check your odds →
2
Can I Afford It?

Net price + aid

F
$48,523/yr net

Students pay about $48,523 a year after grants and scholarships — 183% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.

See cost & aid →
3
What Happens After?

Earnings + debt

A+
$87,054 median

Graduates earn a median of $87,054 ten years after enrolling — 113% above the typical college, against $27,000 in median debt.

See outcomes →
4
Does It Change Lives?

Mobility + social capital

D
0.9% climb

Moves 0.9% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 81% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.82 economic connectedness).

See mobility →

Overview

With an enrollment of about 4,200 students, Providence College is a great fit for those looking for a close-knit community while still enjoying the resources of a larger institution. The college’s emphasis on programs like Business & Marketing, Social Sciences, and Biology & Biomedical sets a clear academic direction for students. The 51% acceptance rate indicates that while it's selective, there are plenty of opportunities for students who are passionate about their fields.

Looking ahead, the average earnings for graduates after ten years is around $87,054. That’s a solid number that reflects the value of a degree from this institution. Graduates are likely to see upward mobility in their careers, which is a significant consideration when choosing a school. The fact that 87% of students graduate suggests a supportive environment that helps students stay on track and achieve their goals.

Financially, the net price after aid stands at $48,523, and the median debt for graduates is $27,000. This debt load is manageable compared to the earning potential, making it a reasonable investment in education. Students who thrive here tend to be those who are engaged in their studies and take advantage of the community support available. Overall, Providence College presents a compelling option for students focused on both academic and career success.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Providence College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Providence College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Providence College, located in Providence, Rhode Island, offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 51% of applicants receiving an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,346. The graduation rate is roughly 87%.

Acceptance Rate
51%
Retention Rate
94%
SAT Average
1346
ACT Midpoint
29
SAT Range
1250–1390
ACT Range
29–32
Full-Time Faculty
72%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$12,190
Student–Faculty Ratio
11:1
Diversity Index
0.36
First-Gen Students
15%
Applicants
11,129
Admitted
5,874

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Providence College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 19% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate
19%
of admits enroll
Submitted SAT
49%
of enrolled freshmen
Submitted ACT
8%
of enrolled freshmen
Early Decision Admit Rate
85.5%
vs 50.9% overall

Applying early pays off here. Of 538 Early Decision applicants, 460 were admitted — a 85.5% admit rate, roughly 1.7× the 50.9% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 38% of the entering class (460 of 1,223 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.

Test-optional, in practice. Only about 58% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.

Source: Providence College's Common Data Set, 2024-25 View the source document on collegedata.fyi →

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Providence College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Providence College is $63,550, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $48,523. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $28,152 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $27,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$63,550
Out-of-State
$63,550
Avg Net Price
$48,523
Median Debt
$27,000
Pell Grant Rate
13%
Federal Loan Rate
57%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$28,152
Family Income $30K–$48K
$21,835
Family Income $48K–$75K
$25,296
Family Income $110K+
$56,699

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Providence College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Providence College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Providence College earn a median of $87,054, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

6 Years After Entry
$69,326
8 Years
$73,021
10 Years
$87,054
Debt-to-Earnings
0.31x
Earning > $25K
84%

Earnings Trajectory

$69,326 6yr $73,021 8yr $87,054 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (839)
82%
100% (839)
82%
100% (839)
82%
100% (839)
82%

Where Grads Go

Providence College is a top feeder for:

Rank among programs feeding each employer.

Top employers of Providence College’s MBA graduates, by hires reported in the school’s employment report.

Explore the Career Destination Guide → Source: Providence College — Full-Time MBA Employment Report (Class of 2024)

How Providence Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation87%Earnings 10yr$87KNet Price$49KRetention94%Median Debt$27KPell Grant Rate13%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$28K$0-30K$22K$30-48K$25K$48-75K$57K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%2.0%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%45.6%MOBILITY0.93%

College ROI Calculator

Is Providence College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Providence College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $48,523/year ($194,092 total). Graduates earn $87,054 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $2,333,368 in total earnings — a net gain of $2,139,276 (12.0× your investment). The median debt is $27,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 87% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$194,092
Projected 20yr Earnings
$2,333,368
Net Return
$2,139,276
ROI Multiple
12.0×
Cost Per Year
$48,523
Median Debt
$27,000
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
87%
Explore all Providence College ROI scenarios

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Providence College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Providence College is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 0.93%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 2% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 45.6% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $139,300, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
0.93%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
45.6%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
2.0%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$189,260
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Providence College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Providence College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.82, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.82
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.02
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
4.8%
Support Ratio
1.00
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Providence College produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 19 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate
0.26%
Top 69% nationally
Patents Produced
19
Linked to graduates
Patent Citations
135
Downstream influence

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income
$-30,279,897

Top Programs

The fields Providence College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Top Careers

Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Providence College's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Providence College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Providence College, located in Providence, Rhode Island, offers a realistic path to admission, with roughly 51% of applicants receiving an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,346. The graduation rate is roughly 87%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Providence College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Providence College is $63,550, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $48,523. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $28,152 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $27,000 in federal student loans.

Is Providence College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Providence College earn a median of $87,054, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

Does Providence College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Providence College is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 0.93%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 2% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 45.6% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $139,300, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Providence College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Providence College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.82, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.02), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 5% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Does Providence College offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?

Yes. Providence College offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 86%, about 1.7 times the overall 51% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 38% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Providence College is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2024-25 Common Data Set).

Is Providence College really test-optional?

In practice, yes. Only about 58% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Providence College (2024-25 Common Data Set).

What percentage of admitted students enroll at Providence College?

About 19% of admitted students choose to enroll at Providence College — its yield rate (2024-25 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.

Compare Providence College

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

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