Providence College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Charleston, Rhode Island · Public · Moderately selective · CDS 2024-2025
Providence College is a public university in Charleston, Rhode Island that admits about 72% of applicants, making it a moderately selective school. The average family pays about $19,518 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 66% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 3.0 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Providence College is a public institution located in Charleston, Rhode Island with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Providence College admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 72%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1238 and an ACT composite around 26. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,518 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Providence College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Providence College?
Providence College admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Providence College weight in admissions?
Providence College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Class rank
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Interview
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Providence College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 550–640, with an EBRW midpoint near 610. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 24–29. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 1150 |
| 50th percentile | 1220 |
| 75th percentile | 1300 |
| % submitting SAT | 18% |
| 25th percentile | 25 |
| 50th percentile | 27 |
| 75th percentile | 30 |
| % submitting ACT | 11% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 18% |
| Top 25% of class | 44% |
| Top 50% of class | 80% |
| % submitting class rank | 54.3% |
How much does Providence College actually cost?
Published tuition is $12,978 for in-state students and $36,858 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $14,032 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $19,518 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 19% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $19,518 |
| Application fee | $60 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Providence College
| Regular deadline | 1/15 |
| Notification date | mid-March |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 53% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 11/1 |
Will my child graduate from Providence College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Providence College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Providence College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General. Across all programs, Providence College confers roughly 1,072 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $62,689 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 177 | $62,689 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 171 | $56,868 |
| Psychology, General | 168 | $48,502 |
| Biology, General | 162 | $60,971 |
| Public Health | 120 | $54,405 |
| Political Science and Government | 107 | $55,509 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 88 | $44,809 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 79 | $54,011 |
Is Providence College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Providence College disclosed 32 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 3.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 2 violent offenses and 18 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Providence College?
About 32% of undergraduates at Providence College live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 22% of men join a fraternity and 30% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Rhode Island parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Providence College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Providence College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Providence College
What GPA do I need for Providence College?
Providence College admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum.
What SAT or ACT score does Providence College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 550–640, with an EBRW midpoint near 610. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 24–29.
How much does Providence College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Providence College after grants and scholarships is $19,518 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Providence College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Providence College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Providence College?
Providence College accepts about 72% of applicants out of roughly 31,680 who apply each year. That makes it a moderately selective school.
Is Providence College test-optional?
Yes. Providence College is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Providence College?
About 66% of students at Providence College graduate within six years, and 57% finish in four years. 82% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Providence College?
Providence College's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 53%, compared with its overall rate of 72%. The ED rate is not materially higher here, so weigh the binding commitment carefully.
What does Providence College look for in applicants?
Providence College rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Providence College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Providence College is a public institution located in Charleston, Rhode Island.
What are the most popular majors at Providence College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Providence College by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Communication and Media Studies and Psychology, General. The school awards about 1,072 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Providence College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Providence College reported 32 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 3.0 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Providence College?
At Providence College, 32% of undergraduates live on campus, 22% of men are in fraternities, 30% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Providence College, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.