Rhode Island
This state page integrates student data, economic contributions, state policies, effective practices, and other resources to learn about and better support the state’s undocumented, other immigrant, and international students in higher education.
We classify Rhode Island as a Comprehensive Access state in terms of inclusive in-state tuition and state financial aid policies for undocumented students. The Portal tracks state policies for undocumented students on in-state tuition, state financial aid, professional and occupational licensure, and driver licenses.
State Data
Higher education in the U.S. benefits from the participation of immigrant and international students. First and second-generation individuals comprise 28% of all students enrolled in higher education, a growing figure that underscores the importance of immigrant-origin students in the classroom and our workforce.
| All Students in Higher Education in Rhode Island | 81,000 |
| First-Generation Immigrant Students | 5,000 |
| Second-Generation Immigrant Students | 13,000 |
| International Students | 4,401 |
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Note: First-generation immigrants were born abroad and immigrated to the U.S. Second-generation immigrants are U.S.-born individuals with at least one immigrant parent. First-generation immigrants include undocumented immigrants. First-generation immigrants do not include international students on a visa. |
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International students comprise only 5 percent of all students in higher education, but provide significant economic, academic and cultural contributions that enrich learning, enrollment and funding opportunities for American students.
| International Students in Higher Education | 4,401 |
| Economic Contributions of International Students in the State | $232.1 million |
| Jobs Supported by International Students in the State | 2,135 |
| Optional Practical Training (OPT) Participants | 424 |
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Note: Optional Practical Training participants are a subgroup of international students. |
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Immigrant residents, including undocumented immigrants and DACA-eligible residents, play an important role in the state's economy, contributing spending power and paying federal, state, and local taxes.
| All Immigrant Residents in Rhode Island | 142,011 |
| Immigrant Share of Total Population | 13.4% |
| Undocumented Immigrants in State | 25,403 |
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Note: DACA-eligible residents are a sub-group of undocumented immigrant residents. |
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Higher education helps prepare all students, including immigrant and international students, to fill critical career and skills needs.
| State Immigrant Workers Fill Critical Skills Needs | |
| Share of STEM Workers Who Are First-Generation Immigrants | 23.5% |
| Share of Nurses Who Are First-Generation Immigrants | 9.2% |
| Share of Health Aides Who Are First-Generation Immigrants | 34.3% |
| First-Generation Immigrant Faculty and Staff in Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools | 5,537 |
| Share of First-Generation Immigrants With a Postsecondary Credential | 52% |
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Note: First-generation immigrants were born abroad and immigrated to the U.S. |
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You can find additional state data, including by congressional district, in the following resources by immigrant population (AIC) and international students (NAFSA).
State Policies
Evaluating Access for Undocumented & Refugee Students
State policies in four key areas – in state tuition, state financial aid, professional and occupational licensure, and driver licenses – play an important role in expanding access to higher education and workforce development for undocumented students. The section below on in-state tuition also includes policies related to refugee students.
In-State Tuition & State Financial Aid Access and Affordability
Comprehensive Access: Policies provide statewide access to in-state tuition and some state financial aid or scholarships for the state's resident DACA recipients and undocumented students.
Professional & Occupational Licensure Workforce Entry & Eligibility
No State Policy: No policies identified that actively expand access to occupational licensure for individuals who do not have legal immigration status.
Driver Licenses & Identification Mobility
Restrictive: Policies do not provide the state's undocumented residents with access to driver licenses and state identification, but DACA recipients can still obtain a driver's license or state identification card.
Enacted Policies
Rhode Island provides eligible undocumented residents, including DACA recipients, with access to in-state tuition and some state financial aid. The state does not appear to have legislation that affirmatively extends professional and occupational licensure to undocumented individuals, including DACA recipients.
Rhode Island does not provide undocumented residents with access to driver licenses and state identification.
Rhode Island’s Board of Governors for Higher Education amended the state’s Residency Policy on September 26, 2011 to allow eligible undocumented students living in Rhode Island, including DACA recipients, to access in-state tuition. The Rhode Island Student Success Act (2021-H. 5238), signed into law on July 12, 2021, codified the Board of Governors’ residency policy into law, extending access to in-state tuition to state residents regardless of immigration status.
Undocumented students must meet certain requirements to qualify for in-state tuition, including:
- Attend an approved Rhode Island high school for three (3) or more years and continue to live in Rhode Island;
- Graduate from an approved Rhode Island high school or received a high school equivalency diploma from the state of Rhode Island; and,
- File an affidavit with their institution stating that the student has filed an application for lawful immigration status or will do so when eligible.
Refugee In-State Tuition: According to Council on Postsecondary Education State of Rhode Island refugees are not eligible for in-state tuition until they obtain permanent residence status and meet the 12-month residency requirement.
The Rhode Island Student Success Initiative, implemented in January 2019, provides the state’s undocumented students, including DACA recipients, with access to some state financial aid. Students must graduate from a Rhode Island high school and meet certain other requirements, including showing financial need, to be eligible.
The Rhode Island Promise Scholarship (RI Promise) program also allows Rhode Island students, including the state’s undocumented students, to pursue a tuition-free associate degree at the Community College of Rhode Island. RI Promise is a “last-dollar scholarship” that fills in the gap between other financial aid and the cost of tuition and fees. The pilot program is set to run from the fall of 2017 to the fall of 2020.
Rhode Island does not appear to have statewide legislation that affirmatively extends occupational and professional licensure to undocumented individuals, including DACA recipients.
Undocumented immigrants in Rhode Island do not have access to a driver license or state identification card.
DACA recipients in Rhode Island are allowed to obtain a driver license or state identification card.
Effective Practices and State Resources
Spotlight on effective practices and policy, research, or community-based state resources.
Report: Higher Education and Success for Undocumented Students Start with 9 Key Criteria
Higher Education is the key to achieving social & economic mobility in the U.S. The Education Trust analyzed 9 criteria in the 15 states with the largest shares of undocumented college students to determine whether state policies are helping or hurting undocumented students’ ability to access & complete college.
Continue ReadingHigher Ed Guide to Tuition, Financial Aid, & Other Funding Opportunities for Undocumented Students
An overview of in-state tuition, state aid, and other funding opportunities for undocumented students.
Continue ReadingImmigrant-Origin Students in U.S. Higher Education
The report shows that, in 2018, more than 5.3 million students, or 28% of all students enrolled in colleges and universities, were immigrants or the children of immigrants.
Continue Reading