Special Programs - Undergraduate

Assessment of Prior Learning

Rhode Island College makes every effort to acknowledge college-level learning that has taken place outside of formal college classrooms. The college has a procedure for granting undergraduate credit for prior college-level learning achieved through experience, such as workplace learning or armed service-sponsored training, community service, self-education, law enforcement training, relevant work assignments or artistic development. Credit will be granted only for documented learning that is clearly germane to the student’s degree program, not for experience per se. The basis for granting credit will be a portfolio of documentation prepared by the student with the guidance of the college.

Credit will be granted only for documented learning that is clearly germane to the student’s degree program, not for experience per se. The basis for granting credit will be a portfolio of documentation prepared by the student with the guidance of the college.

Undergraduate credit may also be earned via exam through testing programs such as the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or AP credit from high school.

Students with military experience may be awarded additional college level credit for training and educational opportunities. The college accepts ACE credits documented in Joint Services Transcripts (JTS) and other related military documents classified as upper level baccalaureate. Contact the undergraduate admissions office for additional information.

Students applying to the technology education program who have completed a NOCTI Workplace Competency Credential will be awarded 23 elective credits. Contact the undergraduate admissions office.

Hope Scholarship

In June 2023, the State of Rhode Island created the Rhode Island Hope Scholarship Pilot Program Act (“Hope”). Through the Hope Scholarship program, eligible students who attend RIC for their freshman and sophomore years are able to attend RIC for their junior and senior years with free tuition and mandatory student fees. This also applies to adult students who meet the requirements. The current Hope legislation provides this scholarship to current and future RIC students.

The Hope Scholarship program allows Rhode Island residents who meet program eligibility criteria to attend RIC for their junior and senior years free of tuition and mandatory fees. These are costs and fees that every RIC student is required to pay to enroll in classes. Hope Scholarship funding is available to eligible students regardless of family income.

Additional costs not covered by Hope Scholarship funding include:

Textbooks;
Late registration fees;
Fees associated with particular academic programs (for example, nursing fees);
Fees associated with particular courses (for example, materials fees);
Housing and food costs; and,
Travel costs associated with attendance at RIC.

Hope Scholarship funds are applied after all other sources of federal aid (e.g., Pell Grants, Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grants, etc.), scholarships, and any additional financial aid funding are applied to the student’s cost of attendance. No grants received by students from the Department of Children, Youth and Families’ Higher Education Opportunity Incentive Grant as established by Chapter 72.8 of Title 42 or the College Crusade Scholarship Act as establishes in Chapter 70 of Title 16 shall be considered federal or financial aid for the purposes of this program.

Hope Scholarship will cover intersession courses during both the junior and senior years, as well as summer classes taken between a student’s junior and senior years. However, Hope Scholarship funds are not available after the completion of the eighth (8th) spring or fall semester, regardless of whether the student has graduated. In addition, the Hope Scholarship will also cover any credits taken in excess of eighteen (18) credits per semester during the student’s time of eligibility for the award. Hope Scholarship students who begin as first-time, full-time students in a spring semester will be eligible for the Hope Scholarship providing they meet all other requirements.

Details and eligibility requirements can be found at https://www.ric.edu/hope-scholarship/ric-hope-scholarship-policy-manual

Continuing Education

Rhode Island College offers a wide range of continuing education options in cooperation with campus and community partners. Programs serve adult students; children, families and community members; working professionals in the private and public sectors and candidates for undergraduate and graduate CE degrees and certificates.

Workforce development programs are available through Outreach Programs and the Office of Professional Studies and Continuing Education offers credit and non-credit academic and enrichment courses and programs.

The continuing education offices provide partners with assistance to develop and deliver programs and with identifying college resources that support personal enrichment and professional development activities. Rhode Island College has a long history of providing such assistance to business and industry and of assisting public and private schools and agencies. For more information, contact the director of professional studies and continuing education.

For returning adult students, a schedule of college course offerings, which includes information on registration and fees, is available online at https://www.ric.edu/. For formal admission to an undergraduate program and for information on possible transfer credit, applicants should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Applicants interested in pursuing graduate work should contact the appropriate dean. Individuals with teacher certification questions or those seeking to complete professional teaching requirements should contact the dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development

National Student Exchange Program

The National Student Exchange Program enables undergraduate students to study for up to one academic year at one of up to 200 colleges or universities in another part of the United States and its territories. In addition to the academic opportunities made possible by studying on another campus, the program offers social and cultural experiences to further self-exploration and the enrichment of educational objectives.

In order to qualify for participation, a student should (1) be a full-time degree-seeking undergraduate at Rhode Island College, (2) have completed one full-time academic year at Rhode Island College (3) have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5, and (4) be in good standing with the college at the time their application is submitted. Interested students should contact the Office of Academic Advising.

Rhode Island Teacher Education (RITE) Program

Students who hold a baccalaureate degree and who have majored in or completed a substantial amount of coursework in an appropriate academic area (see appropriate academic areas below) may pursue the Secondary Education teaching certificate or for languages the PK-12 World Languages teaching certificate in that area through the RITE program. (This will appear on the transcript as a CUS; Certificate of Undergraduate Study, as the courses taken are undergraduate offerings.) This is not a degree program and courses taken in this program cannot be used in any graduate degree program at Rhode Island College. This program is designed so that successful applicants can, in most cases, complete the required course work within three consecutive semesters.

Appropriate academic areas are:

• Biology

• Mathematics

• Chemistry

• Physics

• English

• Portuguese

• French

• Social Studies

• General Science

• Spanish

• History

RITE Admission Requirements

1. A baccalaureate degree with a major equivalent to an undergraduate major at Rhode Island College in an appropriate academic area listed above.

2. A completed application submitted to the dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, including complete transcripts from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university.

3. A minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.75 in all previous undergraduate course work.

4. This requirement was removed last year

5. The minimum G.P.A. required in the academic major. Requirements for G.P.A.s in specific majors are available from the Department of Educational Studies.

6. Two Disposition Reference Forms from an instructor of a college course in the applicant’s academic major, or from a professional who can document the applicant’s experience with youth, or from a work supervisor.

7. A Statement of Education Philosophy.

8. A résumé outlining educational and work experience.

9. A personal interview with the RITE program major advisor.

10. A complete plan of study approved by the RITE program advisor, the chair of the Department of Educational Studies and the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development associate dean.

ROTC

Participation in the Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program is available to Rhode Island College students through the ROTC program at Providence College. For more information and a complete program description, contact the program director at Providence College, (401) 865-2471.

Specialization in Adapted Physical Education

See Physical Education.

Seal of Biliteracy

Beginning with the graduating high school class of 2021, college students in Rhode Island can earn credit toward a major or minor in language at a Rhode Island public university or community college. Students must have demonstrated proficiency in both English Language Arts and a nationally-recognized world language standards and request credit within three years of graduation. Proficiency is measured by RIDE-approved assessments.

Per RIDE policy (available here), the Seal of Biliteracy can be achieved at two levels:

Gold Seal of Biliteracy: The Rhode Island Gold Seal of Biliteracy will be awarded to students who have demonstrated their ability to narrate and describe in past, present, and future in a world language. Their language functions allow them to deal effectively with unanticipated complications. The Gold level is aligned with the ACTFL “Advanced Low” Proficiency Guidelines (2012).

Students will earn a Gold Seal of Biliteracy if they meet the performance standard on an English assessment and the Gold-level performance standard on a World Language assessment from the RIDE-approved assessment list.

Silver Seal of Biliteracy: The Rhode Island Silver Seal of Biliteracy will be awarded to students who have demonstrated ability to create with language, initiate, maintain, and bring to close a simple conversation by asking and responding to simple questions in a world language. The Silver level is aligned with the ACTFL “Intermediate Mid” Proficiency Guidelines (2012).

Students will earn a Silver Seal of Biliteracy if they meet the performance standard on an English assessment and the Silver-level performance standard on a World Language assessment from the RIDE-approved assessment list.

RIC Award of College Credit for the Seal of Biliteracy:

Silver Seal of Biliteracy:

Credit for a 113-level language, which also will satisfy the college’s second language requirement (4 credits).

Gold Seal of Biliteracy:

Credit for 113 and 114-level languages, which satisfy the College's second language requirement; 113 serves as the pre-req for 115 in the major (8 credits).

Study Abroad

Rhode Island College students, no matter what their majors, may study and/or intern abroad for course credit at institutions in other countries. They may study for a semester, an academic year, the summer or during the early spring term.

While studying abroad, students do not pay RIC tuition and may apply their financial aid to program costs, including tuition, at the host institution and toward travel expenses.

The choice of program and specific location depend upon the student’s interests. The Study Abroad Office provides information about the study abroad process, guides students in the selection of their program according to their estimated budget and their study roadmap at RIC, oversees their stay abroad in accordance with safety guidelines,and facilitates transfer of credits.

Rhode Island College is affiliated with eleven study abroad program providers and international schools that offer discounted tuition for RIC students: Academic Programs International, the American Institute for Foreign Study, the Center for International Studies, the Education Abroad Network, CAPA International Education, the International Studies Institute (Florence, Italy), Study In Portugal Network, SIT Study Abroad,University of Pavia (Pavia, Italy),University of Perugia (Perugia, Italy), KCP International (Tokyo, Japan). RIC has also engaged in international student exchange programs with the Institute of Technology (Sligo, Ireland) and the University of Neuchatel (Neuchatel, Switzerland). These providers and schools can be found on the Web. However, students are not limited to these affiliates and may study with many other programs and universities around the world. Also, individual faculty members may lead RIC courses abroad from time to time.

Students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to review the information available on the RIC Study Abroad website at https://www.ric.edu/department-directory/office-study-abroad and to meet with the director of Study Abroad soon as they matriculate at RIC.

Summer Sessions

Summer Sessions provides degree and nondegree undergraduate and graduate students access to a comprehensive cross section of courses in two six-week sessions each summer. Traditional and intensive courses are offered to accelerate and maximize college study and many courses are designed specifically for personal enrichment or professional advancement.