What You Should Know About Graduating From College in Rhode Island
When choosing a college and degree program, you should consider how the degree will be useful in the future job market. As of October 2021, USA Facts lists education and health services; trade, transportation, and utilities; professional and business services; government; and goods-producing as the five industries that employ the most people in Rhode Island.
Many of these schools offer degrees that are highly relevant to Rhode Island’s job market. The fastest growing occupations in the state that require a bachelor’s degree are materials engineers, religious workers, data scientists, information security analysts, and logisticians.
For a sense of the job opportunities that are available in Rhode Island, here are a few of the companies and organizations that rank among the state’s 150 largest employers: Lifespan Finance, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, and CVS Health Corporation. Of course, there are many other companies that employ 1,000 or more people.
What’s Next?
While researching Rhode Island’s colleges, make sure you understand what financial aid is available. Here are some state and federal resources that help with finding and applying for grants, scholarships, and other financial aid opportunities.
- Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner. The Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner has details on multiple financial aid opportunities that are available to students in the state.
- Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). U.S. college students receive more than $120 billion annually in financial aid. The funds are awarded by the Department of Education and through the FAFSA program. Check whether you qualify for aid through the Aid Estimator, and apply through an online form if you do qualify.
- CareerOneStop. CareerOneStop is an effort of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it serves as a robust source for grant and scholarship information. Scholarships can be sorted by state, and they can be further sorted by award amount, requirements, deadlines, and other considerations.