Nearby colleges
Colleges near Providence, RI
17 colleges and universities sit within 25 miles of Providence, Rhode Island — 7 in Providence itself and the rest across the surrounding area. The table below is ordered by measured distance and includes cost, admissions, and graduation data.
Colleges near Providence by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Community College of Rhode Island ($5,550)
- Median in-state tuition (17 reporting)
- $42,419
- Median net price after aid (16 reporting)
- $30,253
- Highest graduation rate
- Brown University (96%)
- Most selective
- Brown University (6% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- University of Rhode Island (16,503 students)
Colleges within 25 miles of Providence
Nearest first. Showing 17 of 17. Distance is straight-line from the centre of the Providence campus cluster, not driving time.
| College | Distance | Location | In-state tuition | Avg. net price | Acceptance rate | Graduation rate | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island School of Design | <1 mi | Providence, RI | $62,688 | $50,507 | 19% | 89% | University |
| Johnson & Wales University-Online | <1 mi | Providence, RI | $13,365 | $20,252 | 54% | Not reported | University |
| Johnson & Wales University-Providence | <1 mi | Providence, RI | $42,419 | $31,027 | 88% | 55% | University |
| Brown University | <1 mi | Providence, RI | $71,412 | $25,184 | 6% | 96% | University |
| Providence College | 1 mi | Providence, RI | $63,550 | $48,523 | 51% | 86% | University |
| College Unbound | 1 mi | Providence, RI | $11,016 | $21,108 | 100% | Not reported | University |
| Rhode Island College | 3 mi | Providence, RI | $11,300 | $9,478 | 92% | 48% | University |
| Community College of Rhode Island | 8 mi | Warwick, RI | $5,550 | $6,513 | 100% | 26% | Community college |
| Bryant University | 9 mi | Smithfield, RI | $52,677 | $41,219 | 65% | 80% | University |
| New England Institute of Technology | 12 mi | East Greenwich, RI | $37,275 | $36,483 | 67% | 60% | University |
| Roger Williams University School of Law | 15 mi | Bristol, RI | $35,869 | Not reported | 74% | Not reported | University |
| Roger Williams University | 15 mi | Bristol, RI | $44,418 | $37,999 | 88% | 69% | University |
| Wheaton College (Massachusetts) | 16 mi | Norton, MA | $63,960 | $29,822 | 68% | 73% | University |
| Bristol Community College | 17 mi | Fall River, MA | $5,832 | $5,547 | 100% | 22% | Community college |
| Dean College | 18 mi | Franklin, MA | $46,526 | $30,684 | 74% | 54% | University |
| Stonehill College | 24 mi | Easton, MA | $57,490 | $33,016 | 66% | 76% | University |
| University of Rhode Island | 24 mi | Kingston, RI | $16,942 | $21,440 | 72% | 73% | University |
What the Providence area looks like
- Within 25 miles of Providence CampusPin finds 17 colleges. 7 of them are in Providence itself; the rest are in surrounding communities. Distances are measured from the centre of the Providence campus cluster.
- Community College of Rhode Island has the lowest published in-state tuition among the 17 nearby colleges listed, at $5,550. Commuting from home is one of the largest levers on total cost, since housing is often the single biggest line after tuition.
- 2 of the 17 colleges shown are community colleges, which typically offer the lowest published tuition in a metro and transfer pathways into nearby four-year campuses.
How this list was built
This page runs a real geographic query: every college whose campus coordinates fall within 25 miles of Providence is included, ordered by distance. No college appears here unless it is genuinely that close.
The Providence anchor point is the average position of the campuses CampusPin holds for the city, so it reflects where colleges actually are rather than a civic centre-point. Distances are straight-line and are a guide to proximity, not a commute estimate.
Frequently asked questions
- How many colleges are near Providence, RI?
- CampusPin finds 17 colleges and universities within 25 miles of Providence, Rhode Island. That includes 7 located in Providence itself plus campuses in the surrounding area that are realistically commutable.
- What is the closest college to Providence?
- Of the colleges on this page, Rhode Island School of Design in Providence is the nearest to the Providence campus cluster at about under a mile. The table is ordered by distance, so the top rows are always the closest.
- Can I commute to college from Providence?
- Every college on this page is within 25 miles of Providence, which is a plausible commute for many students, though actual travel time depends on traffic and transit rather than straight-line distance. Check each college's profile for its exact location, and confirm commuter services and parking with the campus directly.
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Data sources & methodology
Locations, cost, and outcome figures for colleges near Providence come from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Colleges Near Providence, RI. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-near/providence-ri