Student Access

Student Access

SCHOLARSHIP STORY

“After I graduated from high school, my mom explained that we simply did not have the money for me to attend college. Then we received the news that I had received a scholarship to attend URI. I am now a global business major. There are so many opportunities in the business world and there is a job for everyone— you just have to go out and earn it.”

Anthony Sandoval ’21 Global Business Management

More than

86% of students receive some form of financial aid

$104M Awarded annually in undergraduate aid

$100M Needed for unmet student aid each year

T

he University of Rhode Island has been committed to outstanding public education since 1892. Big Ideas. Bold Plans. The Campaign for URI emphasizes student access as our first priority in ensuring that the tradition continues for future generations of students. Through the campaign, a URI education will become more accessible and the preferred destination for talented, hard-working students who have big dreams and ambitions, regardless of their financial circumstances.

URI is seeing record applications and enrollments and welcoming increasingly accomplished and diverse incoming classes. A strong set of financial aid options attracts the most accomplished and deserving students from Rhode Island, the nation, and the world.

Both endowed and current-use scholarships and fellowships expand access and retain students on their paths to graduation. This campaign will enable more students to fulfill their dreams of achieving a remarkable education.

A Competitive Advantage

1185 Average SAT score is the highest of any incoming class

Tuition and fees keep our campuses running, but scholarships provide a clear advantage as URI competes with other universities for a shrinking pool of prospective students.

Scholarships and aid are often the deciding factor when students choose URI, and they make the difference between dropping out and completing a degree. In addition to undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships attract the most promising emerging scholars to do foundational academic work at URI.

Attracting the Best

3.54 Highest average high school GPA of any incoming class

To achieve and maintain a leadership position in higher education, URI must have the resources to attract and retain the best and the brightest undergraduate and graduate students.

Enhancing Access

2,012 Scholarships awarded to undergraduates by URIFAE

Types of Scholarships Scholarships can improve the academic experience, free students from excessive debt, and attract promising young scholars.

•M erit-based scholarships attract top students considering multiple institutions.

These talented scholars can contribute to research and advance innovation.

•N eed-based scholarships make a URI education possible for students with limited

14,700 Undergraduates

financial resources.

•A cademic enhancement scholarships support experiential learning and other valuable opportunities to maximize the URI learning experience.

Graduate Aid and Fellowships Fellowships are competitive awards for graduate students in recognition of achievement and promise as scholars. They allow students to pursue advanced studies and contrib-

2,200 Graduate students

ute to the University’s research output, uncovering solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems. Each of the colleges has graduate opportunities that could benefit from additional resources to support research and teaching.

Our Vision URI’s mission as the state’s flagship university demands that we maintain our commitment to supporting deserving students from a variety of backgrounds. Scholarship funds and fellowships for graduate assistantships are essential to the success of undergraduates and the academic mission of URI.

SCHOLARSHIP STORY

“I love the ocean and always was interested in sharks.

I wanted to study marine biology.

Scholarships factored into my decision to choose URI. The Centennial Scholarship I received made it possible to come here. More recently I’ve received an additional engineering scholarship.”

Bailey Jenkins ’22 Double major: Ocean Engineering and Marine Biology

Endowed Scholarships

847 Number of endowed scholarships

Endowments provide a dependable, permanent source of funding and make the University more competitive among top students. Whether you choose to create an endowed scholarship or fellowship, or add to an established endowment, you can make a difference for generations to come.

Endowed gifts are invested, and a portion of the earned income is distributed annually while the principal grows over time. Endowed scholarships or fellowships can be named

86%

for yourself, a loved one, faculty member, mentor, or other individual.

First-to-second year retention rate

The URI endowment has consistently performed well in recent years.

More than half of URl’s endowment goes toward funding scholarships and awards.

The Gift That Keeps Giving Big Ideas. Bold Plans. The Campaign for URI seeks to double the funding for endowments that support scholarships and graduate fellowships. This money can benefit students in specific colleges or programs and/or encourage high achievement and need-based scholarships for the general URI population. The endowment is vital to our long-term success because the money invested today continues to grow over time.

Education Changes Lives

14.5% Increase in 4-year graduation rate over 10 years

For students like Peter Spinella, the Finish What You Started program is a vital resource that smooths the way to earning a college degree—and it even offers some financial support.

URl serves students at different life stages and from a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Services and scholarships must address the needs of this diverse population if the University is to broaden educational access and academic success.

8.4% Increase in 6-year graduation rate over 10 years

The University will focus on assisting the following populations: • Finish What You Started The innovative Finish What You Started program encourages adult students with accumulated credit to return to URI, and it supports them as they progress toward their degree. It provides a range of services from academic planning to financial assistance.

• Degree Completion Grants Completion grants are partial scholarships aimed at enrolled students with emergent

30% Of undergrads are first-generation students

financial need, designed to retain academically capable students through graduation.

Make Dreams a Reality There may be as many as 150,000 Rhode Islanders who have some college credits but have not completed their degree. The campaign seeks to expand the services and financial resources that make a URI education accessible to them. It also seeks to build a pool of funds that can encourage students who need immediate financial support to complete their degrees.

SUCCESS STORY

“The Finish What You Started program reached out and encouraged me to complete my degree.

They anticipated what I needed as an adult student and expedited every process. My degree has opened career opportunities that enable me to contribute more to my community.”

Peter Spinella ’20 Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Studies

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Invest in Student Success As URI embarks upon the most ambitious comprehensive campaign in its history, our

Please contact:

first priority is to assure student access and invest in student success. The University has

URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement

been recognized for increases in enrollment and student diversity by the New England

401.874.7900 or

Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in its glowing report granting the University

foundation@uri.edu

accreditation for another 10 years. By building our resources for scholarships, grants, and graduate assistantships, we can ensure the University’s long-term growth and viability as a global education leader.

This talented campus community, combined with relevant, high-quality academic programs and strong governance structure, provides a solid foundation from which the University can continue its mission as it transforms the University of Rhode Island from what it was to what it needs to be as a leader in the 21st century.

COMMISSION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

foundation & alumni engagement

79 Upper College Road | Kingston, RI 02881 | campaign.uri.edu