Roger Williams University or RWU is a private, coeducational, American liberal arts university located in Bristol, Rhode Island. Named after theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams, the university was founded in 1956 although its operations date back to 1919 with the opening of a branch of Northeaster University in the YMCA building in Rhode Island. In 1940, the YMCA Board of Directors took over the school which was granted a state charter in 1956 to become a two-year, degree-granting institution by the name of Roger Williams Junior College. When the college started granting Bachelor’s degrees in the 1960s, it decided to move to a bigger location in Bristol. By 1992, the college had been renamed Roger Williams University.
Today, there are over 4,600 students enrolled at RWU pursuing a post-graduate or Master’s degree. The university maintains schools and colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business, Education, Justice Studies, Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation, and Engineering, Computing and Construction Management. RWU is the only law school in Rhode Island.
Cost of attendance for academic year 2010-2011 for fulltime undergraduate students, not including architecture majors, is US$27,840. For those enrolled in architecture, tuition cost is US$31,344 including studio fees. For graduate students, cost of tuition varies depending on the course of study enrolled in: for School of Architecture, tuition cost is US$1,306 per credit; for School of Education, US$454; for School of Justice Studies, US$695; and Feinstein College of Arts and Science; US$454. Those pursuing a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology are charged US$695 per credit; while a Master of Science Leadership degree costs US$454 per credit. Financial aid is extended to help students pay for their cost of tuition.
For more information on admissions, college majors, reviews, degrees offered, online programs, athletics, school rankings, tuition, scholarships and financial aid options, please contact Roger Williams University.