FAFSA Progress Update
URI has started to receive FAFSA data from the U.S. Department of Education and we are working hard to prepare financial aid awards. To assist first-year admitted students (Fall 2024 entry) in their decision process, URI will be extending its deposit deadline to May 15, 2024.
Policy Announcement
URI will remain test-optional for the 2024-2025 admission cycle. More information below.
You are considered a first-year student applicant if you are:
- a first-time college student who has graduated from high school and never enrolled in college
- a first-time college student who has been home-schooled
- a first-time college student who has attended high school and college during the same time period (dual enrollment) or has taken some college courses during high school
Scholarships
Merit-based scholarships are available to qualifying students. Learn more:
First-year Scholarships
Transfer Scholarships
Read more about financial aid information.
First-Year Student Application Deadlines
| Early Action | Regular Decision | Enrollment & Housing Deposit | Spring Admission (Jan.) | FAFSA Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | February 1 | May 1 (May 15, 2024 for first-year students entering in 2024) | December 15 | ASAP* |
*Please note that although the 2024-25 Federal Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) became available on 12/31/2023, there are lengthy federal system outages and delays. The Financial Aid Office will not receive any student FAFSA data until the mid-March. We encourage students to file the FAFSA as soon as they are able, but we understand that some students are unable to do so because of a variety of factors.
Reminder: New students and parents will need to create an FSA ID before they can access the FAFSA. The site to create the FSA ID is also experiencing outages and lengthy delays. After the FSA ID is created, it may take up to three days before it can be used. For more information, visit studentaid.gov.
- International students and transfer students: Please refer to our International Admission page or Transfer Admission page for your specific application deadlines.
2023 Admitted First-Year Student Profile
1 We recalculate all grade point averages on a 4.0 scale using only core academic courses for grades 9-11, giving additional weight to honors and AP courses.
* Please note that URI will remain test-optional for the 2024-2025 admission cycle.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the University of Rhode Island is competitive, and each candidate for admission receives individual consideration. All applicants must complete a minimum of 18 units of college preparatory work:
- 4 in English
- 3 in mathematics including Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and geometry*
- 2 in a physical or natural science (including at least one laboratory science)
- 2 in history or social science
- 2 in the same foreign language**+
- 5 additional college preparatory units to total 18
All students are encouraged to select their additional units from the areas of English, foreign language, mathematics, social science, or laboratory science. The strongest candidates for admission and scholarships are those students who have completed the most rigorous courses available to them.
*Please note that we require standard, college preparatory Algebra 1 and 2, which cover the full content of this subject matter; courses such as “Algebra 2 with Financial Applications,” or “Algebra 2 with Personal Finance” do not satisfy our minimum math requirement.
**We will accept two years of American Sign Language coursework (documented on the high school transcript) as satisfaction of our foreign language requirement. Also, first-year foreign language courses completed in the eighth grade will be counted toward the minimum two year requirement.
+Students who have 18 units of college preparatory course work who attend high schools that do not offer foreign language may still be considered for admission. The admission committee will consider all aspects of the student’s application, with special emphasis on the rigor of the courses selected and academic performance in those courses. Students admitted under these circumstances will be required to take foreign language coursework in their first year at URI.
How to Apply
The University of Rhode Island will remain test-optional for the 2024-2025 admission cycle.
Students will not be required to submit standardized test scores as part of the admission process. We will review all applications in a holistic manner, considering grades earned during high school, level of challenge of courses completed (including senior year courses), letters of recommendation, essays, special talents, and involvement and leadership in schools and/or communities.
We recommend that students pursue a rigorous course of study, including in the senior year of high school, which may include honors, IB, dual enrollment, and/or AP courses, and advanced coursework in college preparatory subjects such as math, science, foreign language, social sciences, and the humanities.
NOTE: When you complete the Common Application for URI, you will be asked to answer the following: “I would like my test scores (SAT or ACT) to be considered as part of my application to URI.” If you answer yes, we will wait to receive your test scores before reviewing your application for admission.*
*URI will remain test-optional for the 2024-2025 admission cycle. If you choose to submit your test scores, we must receive them directly from the College Board or ACT. The URI code for the College Board is 3919, and the URI code for ACT is 3818.
Your application will be reviewed when the Office of Admission has received all of these materials:
-
A completed Common Application.
-
Application fee of $65.*+
-
Submitting an official high school transcript (preferably through the Common Application) is recommended at this time, but not required.
- Completed “Self-Reported Academic Record” (SRAR) in the student applicant portal. If you attend a school with proficiency-based grading or narrative transcripts, then please list your course titles and use pass or fail to indicate the grade you received.
-
List of senior courses (admission is contingent upon successful completion of all your current coursework and graduation from high school).
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Essay (nursing, pharmacy, and talent development applicants must include an additional paragraph explaining their choice of major).
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At least one letter of recommendation (please limit to two). If your school counselor writes your letter of recommendation (which is our preference), there is no need to submit a teacher evaluation/recommendation. Pharmacy applicants are required to provide two letters of recommendation.
-
Admitted students are required to submit a final high school transcript showing proof of graduation by July 1.
*We recognize that paying the application fee may present a financial challenge for some of our applicants. The Common Application includes a question about the application fee, along with a list of ways you may qualify for a fee waiver. If one of these options pertains to you, please select that option and a fee waiver will automatically be applied. If you are unable to pay the application fee and none of the options listed describe your situation, please 1.) select the option for “other fee waiver” in the URI questions section of the Common Application; 2.) complete and submit your application for admission; and, 3.) send an email to us at admission@uri.edu with the subject line “Fee waiver.” In the email, please state that paying the application fee will be a financial hardship for you. We will then apply a fee waiver to your application. We also accept emails from school counselors letting us know that paying the application fee will be financially challenging for the student(s) they are working with.
+ Please note that we do not have a fee waiver specifically for military-affiliated dependents.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Will I need to send my scores to URI if I’m admitted?
We will not require students to submit standardized test scores after acceptance. - Will I need to submit my test scores for merit scholarships or Honors consideration?
All applicants will be considered for merit scholarships and our Honors program regardless of whether they have submitted test scores. There is no separate application required for scholarship or Honors consideration. - What other factors will weigh into my admission/scholarship decision?
We encourage all applicants to take the most challenging courses they can comfortably handle. Many successful applicants have taken some honors and/or AP/IB/dual enrollment courses, which can increase the likelihood of admission and/or scholarship and honors awarding. We also consider your involvement and leadership in school and community, your special talents and contributions, your essay, and your letters of recommendation. Your senior year course selection will also be a factor, so we advise you to continue to take challenging courses, including additional years of college-preparatory math, science, social science, foreign language, and humanities courses. -
My school doesn’t provide class rank. Will that hurt my chances of being admitted or receiving a scholarship?No, it won’t. Most of our applicants come from schools that don’t provide rank, so this won’t be a problem for you.
Additional Testing Information
For the 2024-2025 admission cycle, URI will be test optional. However, if you choose to submit your test scores, please note the following:
- Official SAT or ACT scores MUST be sent electronically by the testing service: the URI ID code is 3919 for SAT and 3818 for ACT. We do not require the writing section of the ACT or the optional SAT essay.
- We “superscore” your SAT and ACT results. This means that if you send us all your test results, we will take the highest combination of scores from each section of the SAT across all test dates. This eliminates the need to use the College Board’s option for “Score Choice.” Likewise, we also superscore your ACT results using the English, math, reading and science sections.
- Students whose first language is not English are encouraged to submit official TOEFL examination results to supplement the SAT verbal score. A TOEFL score of iBT 79, Computer 213, Paper 550 or higher is required for all international applicants (please refer to International Requirements for further details.
Application Review
The primary emphasis in our first-year student application review process is on your high school record, the rigor of the courses, your grades, and your unique talents and experiences.
As part of our holistic review, we seek to enroll students who will treat all other members of our community with respect. We are unable to offer individual interviews, but we do offer admission information sessions. We encourage you to use your application essay to share with us information about yourself that is not reflected elsewhere in your application.
A message about high school grading changes due to COVID-19:
We will be very flexible with our admission requirements relative to P/F grades earned during this time. If students earn grades of P in core academic college preparatory courses, we will count these courses toward our minimum requirement of 18 college prep units. We will not penalize students for grades of P in these courses when we recalculate grade point averages.
Talent Development
The University of Rhode Island offers a special program for eligible Rhode Island residents from underrepresented and underserved populations.
- Read our Talent Development Fact Sheet.
- Versión en español.
- Visit our Talent Development website.
Early Enrollment/Early Admission
Early Admission is a program for students who wish to begin their URI education a year early (before they have graduated from high school). These applicants must have very strong academic credentials. We encourage you to read more about this program.
Checking the status of your application
After you apply, you will first receive an email confirmation from the Common Application. In September, we will send all applicants an email which includes information about our application review process and instructions on how to check the status of your application online. We ask that you read this email carefully and save it.
Due to our high mail volume, it may take up to three weeks for paper and electronic documents to be attached to your application. When the documents are attached, they will reflect the date they were received.
We appreciate your patience, and encourage you to check your status regularly.