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2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Rhode Island

[General Education](/majors/education/general-education/education-general/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong general education education at a price that pays off.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for general education students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value General Education Schools in Rhode Island

2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Rhode Island

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general education, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value General Education Schools

1

University Of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI

$16,942 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,432 Avg Student Debt

$69,743 Median Earnings (10yr)

University Of Rhode Island earned the #1 spot for value among general education schools in Rhode Island. University Of Rhode Island is a very large public school located in the suburb of Kingston. Students from in state pay about $16,942 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $37,146. Typical student debt for general education graduates is $23,432. Early-career general education graduates make about $52,214. That is a strong return on a $23,432 median debt. University Of Rhode Island admits about 72% of applicants.

2

Brown University
Providence, RI

$71,312 In-State Tuition & Fees

$13,025 Avg Student Debt

$93,487 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Brown University earned it the #2 place for general education. Brown University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $71,312. Students borrow a median of $13,025 to complete the general education program here. Soon after graduation, general education degree recipients from Brown University generally make around $33,866. That is a strong return on a $13,025 median debt. Roughly 5% of applicants are accepted.

View All General Education Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.