(Corrected, Nov. 10)
PROVIDENCE – The number of students attending Rhode Island’s three public colleges this fall has set a new record, the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education said Monday.
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A total of 43,412 students enrolled this fall at the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island, up 2 percent from last year’s total enrollment of 42,601, the board said.
This year’s total topped the previous record set in 1992, when the three schools enrolled 43,275 students. Steven J. Maurano, the state’s acting commissioner of higher education, pointed out that 1992 was another year when Rhode Island was mired in a deep recession.
Rhode Island’s unemployment rate averaged 8.9 percent in 1992, fourth highest in the nation that year, according to the U.S. Labor Department. This year, the state unemployment rate averaged 10.7 percent in the 12 months ended Sept. 30 and stood at 13 percent in September.
Maurano said the cost of attending URI, RIC and CCRI made them “an attractive option” for families, particularly in a down economy, and said their prices are competitive with peer institutions in neighboring states.
URI said it enrolled 16,392 students, of which 39 percent are from out-of-state and thus pay more to attend the school. The university enrolled 488 more students this year compared with 2008.
RIC said it enrolled 9,260 students – 175 more than last year – with 13 percent from out of state.
CCRI said it enrolled 17,760 students, an increase of 148 from last year. Five percent of CCRI’s students are from out of state.
Judge Frank Caprio, the board of governors’ chairman, said the three schools “continue to do a remarkable job of increasing enrollment and providing greater access to Rhode Islanders for post-secondary education.”
Caprio also said the state has cut its spending on the schools by nearly $36 million since 2007 and that the institutions have left 330 positions vacant this fall to reduce costs. The board of governors has voted to raise in-state tuition and fees at the schools by 8 to 10 percent next September.
The public schools’ student population is 60 percent female this year, down from 61 percent in 2008, with 26,222 female students and 17,190 males enrolled. RIC’s student body has the largest share of women (68 percent), while URI’s has the largest share of men (44 percent).
Minority students make up nearly 18 percent of total enrollment at the three schools this year, with the largest share at CCRI (24 percent) and smaller shares at RIC (14 percent) and URI (13 percent).
An earlier version of this article incorrectly said General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio is the board of governors’ chairman, rather than his father, Judge Frank Caprio.
Additional information is available at ribghe.org.
