University of Rhode Island

What University of Rhode Island does

The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public Carnegie R1 research university founded in 1892 and headquartered in Kingston, Rhode Island. It is the state's flagship land-grant and sea-grant institution, serving more than 17,000 students (approximately 3,100 first-year, 500+ transfer, 2,000+ graduate, plus returning students) across 90+ undergraduate majors, 100+ minors, 86 graduate master's/doctoral programs, and roughly 265 total academic programs. URI operates four campuses (1,200-acre Kingston, 153-acre Narragansett Bay, Providence Nursing Education Center, and W. Alton Jones) plus the URI Online division delivering fully online graduate degrees in Data Science, Cyber Security, Dietetics, and Nursing Practice. Core academic technology is built on WordPress (public web, GPL-3.0 open source on GitHub), Brightspace LMS, Starfish for student success, Handshake for careers, and the proprietary Rhody Connect mobile app (built with Modo Labs), which integrates dining, maps, calendars, course catalogs, libraries, directory, recreation, safety, sports, admissions, and news. The Graduate School of Oceanography is among the top five U.S. oceanographic institutions.

URI's revenue model combines multiple streams: tuition and fees (subscription/recurring, with record $156M financial aid disbursement in 2025); research grants and sponsored funding ($144M in FY2023 expenditures from NSF, NIH/NIGMS, DOE, DoD, U.S. Department of State, NASA, Ørsted, PPL Corporation); federal contract revenue from international programs (notably $24M Fish Right Program with U.S. State Department in the Philippines); state appropriations including voter-approved bond referenda ($145M for Bay Campus modernization, $87.5M for biomedical sciences building); continuing education and professional development (URI Online, OLLI, Cooperative Extension); auxiliary services (housing with new P3-financed 1,100+ bed residence halls, dining, Ram Account); philanthropic donations managed by the URI Foundation; and P3 financing through the Gilbane tax-exempt bond structure. Recruitment operates via direct-to-consumer channels (Common App integration, campus tours, International Admissions, Veterans Affairs), event-driven conversion (Welcome Days, Summer Orientation, alumni weekends), community engagement (Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners, RISBDC, OLLI, Cancer Prevention Research Center, TickEncounter, SNAP-Ed), and alumni ambassador networks.

Name

University of Rhode Island

Legal name

University of Rhode Island

Website

https://uri.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The University of Rhode Island is a Carnegie R1 public research university serving 17,000+ students across four Rhode Island campuses with 265 academic programs, $144M in annual research expenditures, and the state's only land-grant and sea-grant designation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education & Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM-Focused Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Public research university
• Undergraduate education
• Graduate programs
• Oceanographic research
• Continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue stream from undergraduate and graduate enrollment (~17,000+ students). Financial aid disbursed reached a record $156 million. Driven by record first-year applications of 28,036 for Fall 2025 and 3,100 first-year enrollments.
2. Research Grants and Sponsored Funding: Research expenditures of $144 million in fiscal year 2023. Funding sources include federal agencies (NSF, NIH/NIGMS, DOE, Department of Defense, Department of State, NASA), state government, private foundations (Champlin, FORE), and corporate sponsors (Ørsted, PPL Corporation, General Dynamics Electric Boat via UConn partnership).
3. International Program Funding: Federal contracts to manage international development programs such as the $24 million Fish Right Program with the U.S. Department of State (with prior $24M + $8M extension from USAID), generating multi-year federal contract revenue and student engagement opportunities.
4. State Appropriations and Bond Funding: State funding including $145 million in voter-approved bond referenda for Narragansett Bay Campus modernization, $87.5 million bond for a Kingston biomedical sciences building, and ongoing FY27 state budget allocations for healthcare leadership expansion.
5. Continuing Education and Professional Development: Revenue from Lifelong Learning, URI Online degree and certificate programs, Pharmacy Continuing Education, OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for adults 50+), Cooperative Extension programs.
6. Auxiliary Services (Housing and Dining): Revenue from on-campus housing (with new 1,100-bed P3 residence halls), dining services (Mainfare, Butterfield halls and retail outlets), and the Rhody Connect-linked Ram Account accepted at multiple on- and off-campus merchants.
7. Philanthropic Donations: Gifts managed by URI Foundation, including the Research Impact Fund, 10 Under 10 alumni giving program, and alumni central campaigns supporting the endowment.
8. Public-Private Partnership (P3) Financing: Structured P3 deal with Gilbane for $1,100+ bed student housing project, financed through tax-exempt bonds with Provident Resources Group as conduit borrower and Raymond James as underwriter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The University of Rhode Island is a public research university delivering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and certificate education across 265 academic programs (90+ majors, 100+ minors, 86 master's/doctoral programs) to more than 17,000 students. It also operates R1-scale research and sponsored programs ($144 million FY2023 research expenditures) and community-extension services such as Cooperative Extension, the Small Business Development Center, the Cancer Prevention Research Center, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, supported by four Rhode Island campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• URI Coastal Institute: URI research center focused on coastal and marine resources, leading the Fish Right Program sustainable fisheries work internationally.
• Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO)
• URI Metcalf Institute
• URI Bee Lab
• URI Cooperative Extension
• GoRhody (URI Athletics)
• Harrington School of Communication and Media
• Rhody Connect

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs (90+ majors) More than 90 undergraduate majors and 100+ minors delivered across URI's eight colleges and two schools to more than 17,000 students, with experiential learning supported by approximately 7,000 internships annually.
• URI Online Programs Fully online graduate degrees, certificates, and degree-completion programs (Data Science M.S., Cyber Security PSM, Dietetics M.S., Doctor of Nursing Practice, Digital Forensics, Early Childhood Degree Completion, etc.) delivered via Brightspace LMS.
• Graduate Master's and Doctoral Programs (86 programs) Eighty-six part- and full-time master's and doctoral degree programs spanning engineering, oceanography, business, health sciences, communication, computer science, and more.
• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) URI's 0-6 Doctor of Pharmacy professional degree program within the College of Pharmacy, with continuing pharmacy education and certificate training programs.
• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) URI's professional doctorate in business administration, with the first DBA Scholars Conference scheduled for fall 2026.
• Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence B.S. New URI Bachelor of Science program combining business analytics with artificial-intelligence curriculum.
• Business Studies B.A. New URI Business Studies B.A. undergraduate degree program.
• Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) URI's Graduate School of Oceanography, ranked among the top five oceanographic institutions in the U.S., hosting the Coastal Institute and major blue-economy research programs at the 153-acre Narragansett Bay Campus.
• URI Coastal Institute — Fish Right Program URI's international sustainable-fisheries program in the Philippines, supported by $24M from the U.S. Department of State (and previously by USAID from 2018-2025), focused on maritime domain awareness, ecosystem-based fisheries management, and student research opportunities.
• Harrington School of Communication and Media URI's communication, journalism, film, and media school within the College of Arts and Sciences, serving approximately 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students; hosts the Community News Lab, Christiane Amanpour Lecture, and Taricani Visiting Journalist Series.
• Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 4.8% of U.S. research institutions (Carnegie R1)
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and moderate.

• UConn (University of Connecticut) and General Dynamics Electric BoatflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026URI is a partner in the UConn Shipbuilding Initiative and the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology, alongside General Dynamics Electric Boat and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Initiative has collectively secured more than $130 million in federal, state, and industry funding; includes AUKUS security partnership with student exchanges in Australia and UK.
• GPI US Global Studies Program (Japan)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026URI Japanese program students Ashly Martinez Rodriguez and Sydney Sneeden were accepted into the GPI US Global Studies Program to teach English in Japan for one month in July 2026.
• Metcalf Institute (URI) and Rosanna Xia (Filmmaker/Reporter)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026Metcalf Institute's annual Leeson Lecture presented an exclusive screening of Rosanna Xia's 'Out of Plain Sight' documentary, with conversation between Xia and Executive Director Fara Warner, coinciding with Metcalf's 28th Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists.
• United Kingdom GovernmentmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026The United Kingdom and Rhode Island celebrated a blue economy partnership at URI, with the British delegation hosting a collaboration focused on marine environments and job creation.
• Gilbane Building CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Gilbane and URI reached financial close on November 6, 2025 on a public-private partnership to construct three new residence halls totaling 1,100+ beds at Kingston campus. Flagg Road residence halls will deliver 914 beds (August 2027 opening); Graduate Village redevelopment provides 152 units for graduate students (Fall 2028). Largest on-campus housing expansion since 2012. Financed via tax-exempt bonds with Provident Resources Group as conduit borrower and Raymond James as underwriter.
• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026URI has embedded Mental Health First Aid instructors across departments including academic advising, housing, and athletics; offers MHFA as a credit-bearing course to address rising student mental health needs.
• Boston University and University of DelawaremoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Boston University's Institute for Global Sustainability launched a five-year, multi-million dollar research initiative in 2024 partnering with URI and University of Delaware, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office. Studies energy justice implications of U.S. offshore wind development in coastal communities including New London, CT; New Bedford, MA; and Sparrows Point, MD.
• PATH Foundation Philippines Inc.moderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPATH Foundation Philippines Inc. partners with URI on the Fish Right Program, providing additional field capacity and local expertise for fisheries management work in the Philippines. Partners also include Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, National Maritime Center, and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.
• Rhode Island Department of HealthmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerURI partnered with the Rhode Island Department of Health to launch a statewide physician survey to inform future medical education and workforce planning in Rhode Island.
• Rhode Island Healthcare Workforce PartnersmoderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerURI is expanding educational programs and partnerships to address Rhode Island's significant shortage of healthcare providers across primary care, mental health, physical therapy, and nutrition. New degrees and training initiatives are part of broader workforce capacity expansion.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Connecticut: UConn is URI's closest direct peer: a New England public flagship with R1 status, land-grant designation, and overlapping research areas including ocean engineering, nursing, and biomedical sciences. URI and UConn partner directly through the UConn Shipbuilding Initiative with General Dynamics Electric Boat, reinforcing their status as joint regional research comparables.
• University of Massachusetts Amherst: UMass Amherst is the largest New England public flagship R1 and shares URI's land-grant DNA, broad academic catalog, and large research enterprise. It is the primary benchmark for URI's public-university rankings and competes for the same regional applicant pool.
• University of Vermont: UVM is a public R1 in New England with a comparable land-grant mandate, similar mid-sized enrollment footprint, and parallel healthcare/research emphasis. It is a frequent cohort comparison in regional public-university rankings and competes for Northeast applicants and federal research dollars.
• University of New Hampshire: UNH is a public R1 land-, sea-, and space-grant university in New England with strong oceanography and engineering programs — directly overlapping URI's Graduate School of Oceanography profile. It competes for similar applicant demographics and federal research funding.
• University of Maine: UMaine is the flagship land- and sea-grant public R1 in northern New England with comparable scale (~11,000–12,000 students), marine sciences emphasis, and similar enrollment challenges. It is a structural analog in size, geography, and funding mix.
• Stony Brook University: Stony Brook is a SUNY public R1 with a top-tier oceanographic program (School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences) and similar federal research funding profile. Its scale and ocean-research emphasis make it a national analog to URI's Graduate School of Oceanography.
• University of Delaware: UD is a public R1 with sea-grant designation and an ocean/coastal research portfolio that directly overlaps URI's. The two institutions are joint partners in the BU-led offshore wind energy justice initiative and compete for the same DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office funding.

Regional players

• University of New England: UNE is a private New England university with comparable health-professions and ocean sciences focus, smaller enrollment, and similar regional recruitment base. It is a closer local alternative for in-state applicants in health sciences and marine biology.

Broad incumbents

• Brown University: Brown is a private R1 located in Providence, RI, sharing the same state and competing for the same in-state applicant pool and federal research dollars. It is a broader-incumbent peer in research prestige but operates with substantially different funding economics.

Emerging players

• Oregon State University: Oregon State is a public R1 sea-grant university with a leading oceanography program and similar scale and structure. It is a national cohort comparable in the ocean-research and offshore-wind funding landscape that URI's Graduate School of Oceanography competes in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/URINews
• GitHubgithub.com/uriweb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniversityOfRI
• Facebookfacebook.com/60011053571
• Instagraminstagram.com/universityofri
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-rhode-island-19357

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds13 records

Investors10 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Rhode Island