College · Private nonprofit · Providence, RI · City
Johnson & Wales University-Online
Providence, RI
Online-only
Admit rate91%
6-yr median pay$36k
Net price / yr$20k
Undergrad size2,202
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $20k/yr for a shot at a $36k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 91% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.
If you get in
2,202 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $27k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $20k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$107k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$81k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$26k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $13.4k
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
How students pay for it.
Pell grants36%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans51%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$26k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention53%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr0%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$36k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$43k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out50%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 2,202
- Location
- Providence, RI
- Region
- New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · primarily nonresidential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · higher part-time
- Accreditor
- New England Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White45%
- Black24%
- Hispanic20%
- Unknown6%
- Asian3%
- American Indian / Alaska Native1%
- International1%
First-gen students35%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time76%
Many students enroll part-time — often working.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$41k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 22
What you can study.