Providence College Admission
Providence College Undergraduate Program
Providence College Application

The Facts

Providence College is a moderately sized, private liberal arts and sciences college located in the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Providence College is home to over 3,690 undergraduate students and approximately 916 graduate and part-time professional students. The school is perhaps best known for the large amount of one-on-one attention students receive, as well as for its research opportunities and liberal arts core curriculum. The college offers its students more than 40 undergraduate majors in a wide variety of primarily preprofessional areas; some of the most popular choices include marketing, political science, elementary and special education, biology, and English. Students are not pushed to declare a major immediately, and there is even a special program to held undecided students figure out what’s right for them.

Admission to Providence College is quite competitive, and the applicant pool has been steadily growing with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 7,400 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 4,000 of those students were accepted; of those, about 975 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1110 to 1300, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 23 to 28. Additionally, over 82% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.44.

Providence College has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 13:1, and it is very rare to find an undergraduate class with more than twenty students; even the freshman introductory classes are quite intimate. Professors get very high marks from students in terms of accessibility and willingness to help students out; it is not rare for teachers to give an entire class both their home and cell phone numbers in order to be available literally 24-7. Many students even do one-on-one research projects with professors, and often continue their relationships long after graduation.

The Social Scene

The city of Providence may be small as cities go; however, it offers students plenty of entertainment options and all the amenities of a cosmopolitan area including museums, performances, bars, clubs, cafes, and restaurants. The public transit system is quite efficient and affordable, so students say that cars aren’t necessary, although many students do own them. We hear that weekend road trips to New York City are a popular option.

There are no fraternities and sororities at the school, however, this doesn’t seem to curb students’ partying very much. Drinking is definitely one of the most popular modes of social interaction, as well as pot smoking.

The dating scene is pretty vibrant and diverse; you can be sure that there is really something for everyone at Providence College...

What’s Good

“The classes are nice and small, and you really feel like your voice is heard here.”

“The dorms are great, and you actually get a good place for the money you fork over.”

“I love Providence. The people here are really, really friendly, even to us lowly college students.”

What’s Bad

“There isn’t really that much to do in the city, and the really great stuff tends to be kind of expensive.”

“Everyone here is really opinionated, and you get into a lot of fights over ultimately silly matters.”

“The party scene is really ridiculous, and you get sick of getting bumped into by totally wasted students on the weekends.”

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