Colleges and International Students in Rhode Island
Colleges
21
2 in the 2027 U.S. News rankings
Students
77,488
2025 school year
International
5,745
7.4% of students
Students in SEVIS
5,058
10/2026 · 30.5% from China
Where international students come from
In 10/2026, Rhode Island had 5,058 active F and M students. The table lists the 15 largest countries and places of origin. STEM counts come from a separate SEVIS STEM table with a different basis, so for a few countries they exceed the total.
| Country or place | Students | Share | STEM students |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,541 | 30.5% | 867 |
| India | 533 | 10.5% | 526 |
| Canada | 426 | 8.4% | 154 |
| South Korea | 367 | 7.3% | 159 |
| United Kingdom | 131 | 2.6% | 36 |
| Spain | 78 | 1.5% | 28 |
| Taiwan | 73 | 1.4% | 44 |
| Hong Kong | 68 | 1.3% | 18 |
| Turkey | 64 | 1.3% | 36 |
| Brazil | 63 | 1.2% | 30 |
| Germany | 60 | 1.2% | 15 |
| Pakistan | 59 | 1.2% | 30 |
| Vietnam | 57 | 1.1% | 27 |
| Mexico | 55 | 1.1% | 19 |
| Italy | 53 | 1.0% | 26 |
ChinaOther countries
International students by year
UndergraduateGraduate
From 2013 to 2025, international students grew 24% and their share of students went from 5.4% to 7.4%.
Where first-year students come from and go
In fall 2024, colleges in Rhode Island enrolled 6,259 first-year students from the state and 8,157 from other states; 2,956 first-year students from the state went to college elsewhere.
Colleges in Rhode Island
All 21 colleges recognized by the US Department of Education; counts are fall enrollment for the 2025 school year.
| Rank | School | City | Type | Students | International | International share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 | Brown University | Providence | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 11,956 | 2,470 | 20.7% |
| — | Community College of Rhode Island | Warwick | Public, 2-year | 12,275 | 1,188 | 9.7% |
| — | Rhode Island School of Design | Providence | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 2,520 | 924 | 36.7% |
| #148 | University of Rhode Island | Kingston | Public, 4-year | 17,210 | 493 | 2.9% |
| — | Bryant University | Smithfield | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 3,636 | 232 | 6.4% |
| — | Johnson & Wales University-Providence | Providence | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 4,303 | 172 | 4.0% |
| — | Providence College | Providence | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 4,666 | 89 | 1.9% |
| — | Salve Regina University | Newport | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 2,791 | 80 | 2.9% |
| — | Roger Williams University | Bristol | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 4,350 | 63 | 1.4% |
| — | Johnson & Wales University-Online | Providence | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 2,839 | 20 | 0.7% |
| — | Rhode Island College | Providence | Public, 4-year | 6,155 | 7 | 0.1% |
| — | Roger Williams University School of Law | Bristol | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 484 | 4 | 0.8% |
| — | New England Institute of Technology | East Greenwich | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 1,922 | 1 | 0.1% |
| — | COLLECTIV Academy-Cranston | Cranston | — | 102 | 1 | 1.0% |
| — | IYRS School of Technology & Trades | Newport | Private nonprofit, 2-year | 68 | 1 | 1.5% |
| — | Lincoln Technical Institute-Lincoln | Lincoln | Private for-profit, 2-year | 659 | 0 | 0.0% |
| — | New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode Island | Pawtucket | — | 646 | 0 | 0.0% |
| — | College Unbound | Providence | Private nonprofit, 4-year | 494 | 0 | 0.0% |
| — | Paul Mitchell the School-Rhode Island | Cranston | — | 181 | 0 | 0.0% |
| — | MotoRing Technical Training Institute | East Providence | — | 124 | 0 | 0.0% |
| — | Empire Beauty School-Warwick | Providence | — | 107 | 0 | 0.0% |
Cities in Rhode Island
| City | Colleges | Students | International |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | 8 | 33,040 | 3,682 |
| Warwick | 1 | 12,275 | 1,188 |
| Kingston | 1 | 17,210 | 493 |
| Smithfield | 1 | 3,636 | 232 |
| Newport | 2 | 2,859 | 81 |
| Bristol | 2 | 4,834 | 67 |
| East Greenwich | 1 | 1,922 | 1 |
| Cranston | 2 | 283 | 1 |
| Lincoln | 1 | 659 | 0 |
| Pawtucket | 1 | 646 | 0 |
| East Providence | 1 | 124 | 0 |
Students and first-year residence: IPEDS Fall Enrollment, US Department of Education (latest 2025 school year). Countries of origin: SEVIS by the Numbers, US Department of Homeland Security. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges.