Rhode Island College is located on a 180-acre campus in the Mount Pleasant section of Providence. This location combines easy access to the benefits and resources of the metropolitan area with a suburban atmosphere.
Rhode Island College has undergone expansion in recent decades at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The college now serves approximately 9,000 students in courses and programs on and off campus.
RIC, founded in 1854, is their state’s first public institution of higher education. The college operates under the aegis of the Council on Postsecondary Education, one of two councils that comprise the Rhode Island Board of Education. The Board of Education is an innovative integration of policymaking and planning for elementary, secondary and higher public education in their state.
Rhode Island College is built upon a legacy vital not only to the state of Rhode Island but also to the development of modern education in this country. RIC came from humble origins, as an untested idea that was championed by a few truly visionary leaders. But its founding also inaugurated an unmatched commitment to self-transformation in order to meet the changing needs of the people of Rhode Island – a commitment that continues to this day.
Rhode Island College will be recognized as an outstanding institution of higher education that is valued for high-impact programs and educational practices that prepare Rhode Island's diverse population; for meaningful learning experiences that foster student retention and completion and support professional development; and for its partnerships that strengthen undergraduate, graduate and co-curricular programs. The college will be known for the expertise and leadership of its faculty, students and alumni; for its adaptability to the changing social and economic environment; and for its collective impact on Rhode Island's economy and culture.
