ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY
Bristol, Rhode Island
The University
Roger Williams University (RWU), ranked in the top tier of Best Comprehensive Colleges in its region and category by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges, has experienced tremendous growth with new facilities, record enrollment, and an increasingly diverse and vigorous academic curriculum. During the last decade, Roger Williams has moved ahead by expanding undergraduate programs and creating master's degree programs to meet students' needs.
As a leading liberal arts university, Roger Williams exemplifies core values that represent higher education at its best: a love for learning, preparation for the future, applied research, service, a global perspective, and respect for the individual. Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and founded in 1956, Roger Williams University is an independent, coeducational university offering liberal arts and selected professional programs. The University enrolls approximately 3,500 full-time undergraduate students in more than thirty majors, instructed by a full-time faculty of 173 in a residential campus setting. The Ralph R. Papitto School of Law, the first and only law school in Rhode Island, offers the Juris Doctor degree and enrolls approximately 500 students. Master's programs in criminal justice, teaching, literacy education, architecture, and public administration enroll approximately 200 students. A Master of Arts in forensic psychology will be offered starting in fall 2006. RWU's strong teaching orientation and dedicated faculty members, who are noted experts in their fields, take a genuine interest in students, ensuring an engaging learning environment.
The main campus, overlooking beautiful Mt. Hope Bay in Bristol, Rhode Island, opened in 1969 and features modern academic and recreational facilities, including a waterfront Marine and Natural Sciences Building; the 150,000-square-foot School of Law and Law Library; an $8-million Main Library; the award-winning Architecture Building and Architecture Library; and the Performing Arts Center. In summer 2003, RWU opened a multimillion-dollar addition to the Campus Recreation Center. The addition includes an eight-lane swimming pool, racquetball courts, and a state-of-the-art workout facility. RWU values the importance of continuing to upgrade facilities for an ideal living, learning, and wellness environment for students.
Outdoor recreational facilities include softball and baseball diamonds, three rugby/lacrosse/soccer fields, six tennis courts, and a jogging track. RWU teams compete in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), and the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC); the University sponsors eighteen varsity sports for men and women as well as clubs in men's rugby, coed crew, and coed track and field. In addition, an extensive program of intramural and recreational activities is offered all year long, with drop-in recreational activities available to the student body.
Many student residences claim impressive sweeping, waterfront views of spectacular Mt. Hope Bay. One of the newer residence halls, Stonewall Terrace, is a wonderful addition to students' housing options. The four 3-story complexes house approximately 400 upperclass residents in single and double rooms in a suite-style arrangement. Each room is carpeted and fully air-conditioned. Spacious common areas provide additional meeting, study, and programming space for residents. A variety of other comfortable residences located on the main campus offer students a choice of coeducational or single-sex residential living in facilities directly on Mt. Hope Bay. The Bayside Courts offers town-house-style accommodations overlooking the water. There also is an apartment complex, managed by the University, 2 miles from the campus. Residential units include 24-hour quiet areas for study and some specialized living/learning units grouped by major.
The University sponsors many athletic, social, cultural, and academic activities, and students may choose from a variety of structured and informal activities, including Socrates Caf, which is held in the newly constructed Mary Tefft White Cultural Center; the Alive! Arts Series; Main Season theater and dance productions; Penny Arcade Film Series; visiting speakers forum; and lectures by distinguished speakers, visiting novelists, and poets. The student radio station, WQRI, provides opportunities to gain broadcasting experience; students gain journalism and publishing experience working on the yearbook, newspaper, and literary magazine. Additional opportunities include participation in campus and community choruses, service projects both on and off campus through the Volunteer Center and Community Service Association, numerous student clubs and organizations, and student government. Also of note are Alpha Chi (a national honor society), numerous departmental honor societies, continuing education opportunities, and a strong Career Services department.
In addition to its undergraduate degrees, the University awards the Master of Arts in Teaching (elementary education), Master of Arts in literacy education, Master of Science in criminal justice, Master of Architecture, Master of Public Administration, and the new Master of Arts in forensic psychology (beginning in fall 2006).
Location
The University is located in Bristol, Rhode Island, a historic seacoast community with a small-town, residential character. A half-hour's drive from the campus, the Rhode Island cities of Newport, the city by the sea, and Providence, America's Renaissance City, feature restored historic buildings, shops, museums, theaters, and numerous cultural, educational, and recreational attractions. Boston is approximately 1 hour away by car or bus. A bus stop is located directly in front of the campus.
Majors and Degrees
At the undergraduate level, RWU awards the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. In addition, the University also awards a combined Bachelor of Science/Master of Architecture degree. Academic programs are offered through one college and five professional schools that combine traditional liberal arts education with professional studies. Professional programs are offered through the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation; the Gabelli School of Business; the School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management; and the School of Justice Studies, and liberal arts majors are offered through the Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. Continuing education is available through the School of Continuing Studies.
All students complete an interdisciplinary core program, a major, and a core concentration or minor. Students select their majors and minors from the following disciplines: accounting, American studies, anthropology/sociology, architecture, art and architectural history, biology, business management, chemistry, communications, computer information systems, computer science, construction management, creative writing, criminal justice, dance performance studies, education (elementary and secondary education), engineering, English literature, environmental science, financial services, foreign languages, graphic design communications, historic preservation, history, international business, legal studies, marine biology, marketing, mathematics, philosophy, political science, psychology, theater, and visual arts studies. Other programs include an undergraduate Honors Program, prelaw, premedicine, preveterinary science, and a 3+3 program (bachelor's and Juris Doctor degrees). Students can also study English as a second language.
Academic Programs
The fall semester begins in September and ends in December; the spring semester begins in late January and ends in May. During the month of January, special on- and off-campus intersession programs, including opportunities for travel and service, are open to students at other institutions of higher learning. During the summer, undergraduate day and evening classes are available in Bristol. Additional classes are available at the University's Providence Center. The University Honors Program is offered by invitation to high school students who have demonstrated academic excellence.
Off-Campus Programs
Honors, cooperative education, internships, study abroad, and community service programs enhance undergraduate studies. University career planning counselors work one-on-one with students and alumni, providing career development guidance, assessment, employment search skills, and placement assistance. Students are encouraged to participate in off-campus opportunities or study-abroad programs in Australia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Scotland, and more than thirty additional destinations worldwide.
Academic Facilities
Two undergraduate libraries with a total of more than 168,000 volumes are open 92 hours a week to students, faculty members, and community residents. The 54,000-square-foot main library houses 1,225 periodical titles and seating and quiet study/reading areas for approximately 400 students, computerized databases, and an online catalog. The main library also houses special collections and the University archives. A computerized system allows students to utilize library services of four additional Rhode Island institutions.
The University maintains a fully staffed, state-of-the-art computer facility, where all students have access to Pentium-based Novell, Apple Macintosh, and DOS- or Windows-based servers and features such as the Internet, CD-ROM capability, color scanners, and laser printers.
The Marine and Natural Sciences Building, housing science and mathematics departments, features a wet laboratory with flowing seawater, research space, and modern physics, chemistry, and biology laboratories. The Engineering Building supports modern lab facilities equipped for computing; drafting; electronics; surveying; soil, fluid, and materials mechanics; and digital and environmental systems. Art and sculpting studios, an art gallery, photography labs, a theater, a dance studio, rehearsal rooms, and scene and costume shops support fine arts studies. The award-winning School of Architecture, Art, and Historic Preservation Building includes design studios, review and seminar rooms, a library, a photography studio and darkroom, a model shop, computer labs, and an exhibition gallery.
Costs
For the 200405 academic year, full-time tuition was $20,808 for 12 to 17 hours ($23,808 for architecture majors). Room and board charges for on-campus housing (double occupancy) averaged $9750 annually.
Financial Aid
The University offers merit scholarships, which are awarded regardless of financial need, to recognize students with superior academic achievement. Merit scholarship recipients are determined by high school or prior college record, class rank, grade point average (GPA), and SAT scores. These scholarships are renewable yearly, provided that recipients maintain a designated GPA while enrolled full-time at the University. There is no separate application(s) for these scholarships. Each applicant's record is examined to determine eligibility as part of the routine admission process.
The vast majority of the funds and programs administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Financial Planning at RWU require the demonstration of financial need as an essential consideration. Those not based on need determination include Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, PLUS loans, alternative loan programs, and various outside/external scholarships (where selection is made by the donor or organization). With few exceptions, all other programs require that need be evaluated and determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Financial Planning.
The University requires the submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Financial Aid PROFILE to the respective processor by January1. The Roger Williams University Title IV Federal Code Number is 003410. The FAFSA must be received at the federal processor no later than February1 to be considered for maximum financial aid.
Faculty
The University's undergraduate program employs more than 173 full-time faculty members. Teaching is central to the undergraduate mission of the University, as is academic advisement. The University does not utilize teaching assistants, and all faculty members devote much time working with students both in and outside the classroom. The University faculty members also reflect distinguished scholarship and applied research.
Student Government
Leadership opportunities are available to students through the Student Government Association. Students may serve in elected positions on the Student Senate, which carries out the executive and legislative functions of the association.
Admission Requirements
The University encourages applications from motivated students who have completed college-preparatory courses. In determining admissibility, the Office of Admission considers the applicant's high school courses and grades, rank in class, SAT scores, letters of recommendation, and additional information (such as required audition or p`ortfolio). Early decision is available for students who designate Roger Williams University as their first choice.
Application and Information
Applicants may submit applications and transcripts after September1 for the following fall. The deadline for early decision is December1. The deadline for the architecture program, majors within the Gabelli School of Business, and merit scholarship consideration is February1. A nonrefundable fee of $50 must accompany the application.
Application forms and admission information may be obtained by contacting:
