Rhode Island: school, college and career rules
Rhode Island requires 20 credits (4 math including Algebra II, 2 world language) plus at least one performance-based diploma assessment, tests with RICAS, the PSAT 10 and the SAT for every junior, gives in-state tuition after one year's residence, and makes CCRI tuition-free for recent high school graduates through Rhode Island Promise.
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
200-RICR-20-10-2 (Council on Elementary and Secondary Education), § 2.3: diploma eligibility needs at least 20 credits, each awarded for demonstrated proficiency rather than seat time, and at least one performance-based diploma assessment. Required content-area credits: Final regulation PDF REG_12863 (filed 2023-03-08), linked from the page as Download Regulation.RICR
| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| English language arts | 4 credits |
| Mathematics | 4 credits, including Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry |
| Science | 3 credits, including 2 lab sciences |
| History and social studies | 3 credits |
| World language | 2 credits in the same language |
| College preparatory coursework | 1 additional credit |
| Arts, computer science, physical education and health | 3 credits, under district policy and state law |
20 credits.
State tests for the diploma
No statewide exit exam, but every student must complete at least one performance-based diploma assessment (scored on district criteria aligned with state standards) and show proficiency in financial literacy (from the Class of 2024) and in civics and computer science (from the Class of 2028). Final regulation PDF REG_12863 (filed 2023-03-08), linked from the page as Download Regulation.RICR
Also good to know
- From the Class of 2028 the credit sequence above is the default for every student; with a parent's informed consent a student may take a RIDE-approved readiness pathway instead, and students in high-skill CTE programs or full-time dual enrollment get flexibility (for example 3 math credits and 2 more college preparatory credits).
RICR
200-RICR-20-10-2, Secondary Design: Middle and High School Learning Environments and the Rhode Island Diploma SystemRhode Island Department of State, Rhode Island Code of Regulations (Council on Elementary and Secondary Education)- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Final regulation PDF REG_12863 (filed 2023-03-08), linked from the page as Download Regulation.
View source - Every graduating senior must complete a resume, and high schools must explain how to file the FAFSA and the state's free application for student aid.
RICR
200-RICR-20-10-2, Secondary Design: Middle and High School Learning Environments and the Rhode Island Diploma SystemRhode Island Department of State, Rhode Island Code of Regulations (Council on Elementary and Secondary Education)- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Final regulation PDF REG_12863 (filed 2023-03-08), linked from the page as Download Regulation.
View source
State test: RICAS, PSAT 10 and SAT
Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS), Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA), PSAT 10 and SAT School Day. RICAS tests English language arts and math in grades 3 to 8 (since 2018), the Rhode Island NGSA tests science in grades 5, 8 and 11, and since 2017-18 the PSAT 10 and the SAT are the state tests for every grade 10 and grade 11 public school student. ride.ri.gov shows a bot check to automated requests; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-05-21 (20260521111928). The NGSA page (capture 20260614125946) gives grades 5, 8 and 11 for science.RIDE
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| RICAS | English language arts and mathematics | Grades 3–8 |
| RI NGSA | Science | Grades 5, 8 and 11 |
| PSAT 10 | Reading and writing, and math | Grade 10 |
| SAT School Day | Reading and writing, and math | Grade 11 |
Source: Read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-05-21 (20260521113348).RIDE
What the scores are used for
- Students who qualify for alternate assessments take the Dynamic Learning Maps tests in English language arts, math and science in grade 11 instead of the SAT; there is no alternate test in grade 10.
RIDE
PSAT 10 and SAT School DayRhode Island Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
Read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-05-21 (20260521113348).
View source
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- University of Rhode Island (URI)University system · Rhode Island's land-grant public research university, with its main campus in Kingston and a Narragansett Bay campus; with Rhode Island College and CCRI it is one of three public institutions supported by the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner.
- Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI)Community colleges · The state's only public comprehensive associate degree-granting institution and the largest community college in New England, with campuses across the state and 70+ transfer agreements, including Joint Admissions Agreements with URI and RIC.
Sources: RI OPC
View sourceRI OPC
View source
Every school in Rhode Island, public and private, with cost and completion: 23 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 2 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- Council on Postsecondary Education Policy S-5: residency means domicile, a person's legal, documented, true and permanent home. An unemancipated student is a resident when the parents or guardians have lived in Rhode Island for one year immediately before the first class day of the first semester.
RI CPE
Council on Postsecondary Education Policy S-5, Residency Policy (2025)Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- An emancipated student qualifies if the parents were residents for that year at the time of emancipation, or if the student has established and kept a Rhode Island residence for one year before the first day of the first semester.
RI CPE
Council on Postsecondary Education Policy S-5, Residency Policy (2025)Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- Under R.I.G.L. § 16-59-9.3 a student who attended an approved Rhode Island high school for three or more consecutive years, graduated (or earned a Rhode Island equivalency diploma) and still lives in the state is exempt from non-resident tuition, after filing an affidavit with the college.
RI CPE
Council on Postsecondary Education Policy S-5, Residency Policy (2025)Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner. Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
Rhode Island Promise
Tuition-free associate degree at CCRI for Rhode Island residents who finish high school (public, private or homeschool) or a GED, are 18 or younger (19 to 21 by appeal) and enrol in the term right after graduation; to keep it for two years students earn at least 24 credits in the first year and enrol every semester. CCRI
View source
Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Rhode Island license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | Rhode Island board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | Rhode Island Supreme Court Clerk's Office | Uniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE and MPT). MPRE required (passing score 80). NextGen UBE from July 2028. NCBERhode Island: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.) FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | Rhode Island Board of Accountancy | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education | NCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since Jan. 8, 2024 NCSBNContact Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing EducationNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
APPLY.RI.gov
Rhode Island Department of Administration, Division of Human Resources
- The Division of Human Resources recruits for positions in most state agencies; view current openings and apply at APPLY.RI.gov (the state's Workday job site).
Source: admin.ri.gov shows a bot check to automated requests; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-16 (20261016060627). APPLY.RI.gov opens ri.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/RI.RI DOA
Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
Rhode Island has a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. California is listed under both OA and SAA.Apprenticeship.gov
- Office of Apprenticeship, Rhode Island Department of Labor and TrainingRhode Island is a State Apprenticeship Agency state: the Department of Labor and Training's Office of Apprenticeship registers programs that meet federal and state requirements (trade programs need at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning), issues portable credentials and builds new programs with Apprenticeship RI.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: dlt.ri.gov shows a bot check to automated requests; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-04-15 (20260415035238).RI DLT
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- Rhode Island: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- 200-RICR-20-10-2, Secondary Design: Middle and High School Learning Environments and the Rhode Island Diploma System · Rhode Island Department of State, Rhode Island Code of Regulations (Council on Elementary and Secondary Education) checked 2026-10-22
- RICAS Assessments · Rhode Island Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- PSAT 10 and SAT School Day · Rhode Island Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner (home page: public institutions) · Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner checked 2026-10-22
- About CCRI · Community College of Rhode Island checked 2026-10-22
- Council on Postsecondary Education Policy S-5, Residency Policy (2025) · Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education checked 2026-10-22
- Rhode Island Promise · Community College of Rhode Island checked 2026-10-22
- Rhode Island Department of Administration (Division of Human Resources recruiting notice) · Rhode Island Department of Administration checked 2026-10-22
- Apprenticeship (Office of Apprenticeship) · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training checked 2026-10-22
- The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) states · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21