Providence College

Private · Moderately Selective · RI

Photo: John Phelan (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationRI · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads4,229

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate83.3%

6-yr grad rate85.8%

Drop-out rate6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$64k

Out-of-state tuition$64k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity20.8%

Gender diversity54.1%

International1.7%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Providence College is a private Catholic college in Providence, Rhode Island, and the only college in the United States run by the Dominican Friars. Its identity centers on a demanding core curriculum in Western civilization that every student completes regardless of major, giving the college a more traditional, text-based liberal-arts character than many peer Catholic schools.

Academics

The Development of Western Civilization program is the academic centerpiece, a multi-semester sequence combining history, literature, philosophy, and theology that all students take together. Business and education programs are also well regarded, and the Dominican intellectual tradition, with its emphasis on inquiry, debate, and rigorous reasoning, shapes teaching style across departments, not just theology.

Campus & student life

The campus occupies a residential neighborhood a short ride from downtown Providence, giving students a self-contained campus feel with real access to a small city. Big East basketball is the emotional center of campus life, drawing strong student turnout for a team that competes at a high level relative to the college's size, and Dominican friars are a visible daily presence in dorms and classrooms rather than a distant administrative layer.

Getting in

Providence evaluates applicants holistically, and essays often ask students to engage with ideas in a way that previews the Western Civilization core's discussion-based format. Catholic identity is not a requirement for admission, but students should expect the core curriculum's religious and philosophical content regardless of their own faith background.

Worth knowing

The Western Civilization core is a real, multi-year commitment rather than a single course, and it is worth understanding before enrolling since it shapes a large share of every student's schedule regardless of major.

providence.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate50.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1250–1390 · ACT 29–32

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying