Founded in 1914, Johnson & Wales University-Providence. is a Private college. Located in Rhode Island, which is a city setting in Rhode Island, the campus itself is Urban. The campus is home to 8,459 full time undergraduate students, and 865 full time graduate students.
The Johnson & Wales University-Providence Academic calendar runs on a Quarter basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 20:1. There are 318 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at Johnson & Wales University-Providence include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.
Quick Facts
Acceptance Rate
88%
Application Deadline
Application Fee
0
SAT Range
ACT Range
Admissions at JWU are considered Less Selective, with ,67% of all applicants being admitted.
In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 14 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.
0% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 0% were in the top quarter, and 0% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.
STUDENT LIFE Reviews
We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at Johnson & Wales University-Providence.
8%
“We”re apathetic”
40%
“We know about current events and vote”
51%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
1%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
12%
“We save it for the classroom”
36%
“Sometimes, but not often”
36%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
15%
“All the time, including weekends”
3%
“I”m always terrified”
18%
“I only go out in groups”
47%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
32%
“I feel extremely safe”
8%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
54%
“We bought the gear”
38%
“We live for the big game”
20%
“It”s not really our thing”
23%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
45%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
12%
“We”re a very artistic group”
3%
“Haven”t met them”
7%
“Available in class”
59%
“They keep regular office hours”
31%
“They”re always available”
3%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
28%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
66%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
3%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
4%
“We”re not into drinking at all”
26%
“Maybe a little, but it”s not a big thing”
36%
“We only party on weekends”
34%
“There”s some drinking happening every night”
15%
“Never, we”re here to learn”
45%
“There might be people who do”
29%
“People are known to partake on weekends”
11%
“There”s a huge drug scene”
8%
“We”re apathetic”
40%
“We know about current events and vote”
51%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
1%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
12%
“We save it for the classroom”
36%
“Sometimes, but not often”
36%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
15%
“All the time, including weekends”
3%
“I”m always terrified”
18%
“I only go out in groups”
47%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
32%
“I feel extremely safe”
8%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
54%
“We bought the gear”
38%
“We live for the big game”
20%
“It”s not really our thing”
23%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
45%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
12%
“We”re a very artistic group”
3%
“Haven”t met them”
7%
“Available in class”
59%
“They keep regular office hours”
31%
“They”re always available”
3%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
28%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
66%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
3%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
203 Students rated on-campus housing 3.3 stars. 13 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate off-campus housing?
144 Students rated off-campus housing 3.6 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate campus food?
211 Students rated campus food 3.3 stars. 17 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate campus facilities?
216 Students rated campus facilities 4 stars. 34 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate class size?
215 Students rated class size 4.4 stars. 53 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate school activities?
213 Students rated school activities 3.8 stars. 31 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate local services?
215 Students rated local services 4.3 stars. 54 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate academics?
218 Students rated academics 3.8 stars. 31 % gave the school a 5.0.
Johnson & Wales University-Providence REVIEWS
What's your overall opinion of Johnson & Wales University-Providence?
86 Students rated Johnson & Wales University-Providence
Samuel
Prospective04/07/2025
I often enjoy baking and I feel that the major culinary arts experience that the college has to offer is major. It has given me multiple opportunities whenever I had first visited it. 10/10. Would definitely recommend to everyone.
Symora
Prospective04/06/2025
I gave Johnson & Wales University 4/5 stars, because there is definitely room for improvement. I'm currently a freshamn at Johnson & Wales and I've noticed that they're really big on sustainability here. However, a lot of food ends up going to waste and doesn't get repurposed. Between the dining halls, culinary and pastry labs, and various food locations on campus so much food gets thrown out. Other than that, campus life is great! The community is very inviting. There is always something going on for students to interact with one another. The RA's are flexible and always willing to help. There are countless resources on campus for students. From tutors to counselors, JWU does their best to make sure that students have the highest chance at success.
Emma
03/24/2025
Johnson and Wales University has a majority of ups and downs. One of the best things about the school is the activities that go on around the area. The staff are also nice but generally the academics aren't the best. The school fills its purpose of a good culinary or food related school but there are also some things that lack otherwise. For example, we were told we could move off-campus after our freshman year, then once we started going it changed that we had to live on-campus until the end of our junior year. Not only that, but the housing options on campus are very expensive and lack compared to what is around campus. I think going here has been a good experience overall but could use some improvement.
Melissa
05/13/2024
My uncle went to Johnson & Wales university- providence and he became an amazing chef. I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to school or not and after hearing about my uncle's experiences, I decide to apply and I am very excited to attend the school in August.
Naiya
05/15/2022
It is okay, but it definitely could be better. However, I also went in the middle of a global pandemic, which could have easily changed something about how the school runs normally. The main issue I found was with the food. I was unable to eat anything and contacting the chefs did not help. Also, my academic advisor would not meet with me and I was harassed by a professor. I will be transferring schools.
Alexus
07/17/2021
Johnson and Wales University - Providence is an overall great college. Their lab facilities are all up to date with good equipment and are a bunch of fun to be in. Chefs and professors are always there whenever you need them during their office hours or they're just one email away. You can usually expect a response to your emails from the staff pretty quickly. The housing is a bit on the expensive side if you want to stay in a nice dorm on campus, if not the other dorms aren't in the best condition so it's kind of pick and choose. There is definitely partying at this school but there are parties at every college. The market on campus is also nice and is always stocked with goodies for movie night or just snacks needed to get through the day. Overall it is a pretty good college academic and lab wise.
Iyanna
04/13/2021
I absolutely loved it when I visited! The campus is gorgeous! Students roaming, very out and about. Student life seems amazing in Providence, always something to do, no matter what you’re into! Campus police and Providence police work very close together to keep a safe environment! Must visit, would 1000% recommend!
Tynita
08/12/2020
The school has room to improve on student issues. The students need to be able to have a bigger voice than they allow. The things students love are often not taken into consideration and/or removed and then we are left with options we do not appreciate. Dining options have been reduced and they are less favorable. There are nice living options but they are being removed next year. The climate here is that a lot of students don't attend class and are often seen on drugs and alcohol. There are a lot of clubs and activities but attendance are always low. The class size is nice but the professors are often inattentive and very general.
Louie
04/30/2020
Johnson and Whales is a good school for those looking to pursue a degree in culinary, art or business. Johnson and Whales providence is located on the water. there is a amazing food scene with quite a bit to do. there is a really nice mall with a Lego store build a bear. Over all its a lot of fun.
Tatianna
04/29/2020
I think that if you are interested in the Culinary Arts, this is an amazing school. I'm personally in the Baking & Pastry Arts program, and I've already learned a lot (even with the current pandemic going on). There are so many different opportunities that come from this school, and I would honestly recommend this school to anyone.
Rachel
04/10/2020
Johnson & University is a good university that provides good academics for culinary arts. There are many opportunities for career and future help. Residential Life can improve on how they deal with situations and the food could be improved by having more variety.
Garett
03/23/2020
Johnson & Wales is a decent school overall. I enjoyed the availability of professors and the size of the classrooms, as well as the overall feeling that they truly wanted to help you succeed. I was also satisfied with the dorm living and the way that they are set up. This is as far as my satisfaction with the school goes. I am disappointed with the campus atmosphere and the way that it is so boring on campus and there really is no campus life. I am disappointed with the services offered by the school as they often do not know what they are talking about and take forever to respond to simple questions. I was extremely bored in classes and I felt like all of my academic classes were so dumbed down to the most basic level that is was almost impossible not to do well. The dining services are lackluster and do not offer much of anything good to eat and work on a very limited schedule, especially for a culinary school. I was much more satisfied with the school once I began the culinary program, but even then I was still let down by many of the other aspects of the school.
Jacob
02/05/2020
The providence campus is a huge learning environment, but also a place to lay back and relax with friends at the near by mall or a variety of other activities in the city. People make there own lives here and strive for greatness. Its not hard to be awesome if u try to be your self. Every where u look this a crowed u can fit into. Off campus life, on campus life, commuting. I am a commuter at the moment and still love the schools atmosphere and vibes it brings.
Rayce
01/13/2020
I think it is a beautiful campus and I am very excited to be a wildcat. I visited in December and everyone was so nice and respectful and there was so much to take in. Overall it is an amazing campus. It has everything someone could ask for in a college.
Linda
12/08/2019
Jwu has become a wonderful university for me I appreciate everything they have to offer.As a single mother this school provides everything I need educational wise and I would definitely recommend a lot if people to come here it not only for culinary arts they have other majors there for everyone . #WILDCATS
The fall 2020 acceptance rate for Johnson & Wales University-Providence is 88%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020, _____ students were offered admission.
What should every freshman at your school know before they start?
If I could go back to high school I would take my school work more serious, get more prepared for college, and apply for more scholarships.
My clasmates enrich my learning enviorment because they enjoy the same area of studies s me. Most of my classmates are helpful and allow me to better understand the subject. Along with them being helpful they also lighten the mood of the class with jokes and funny moments. Over all my classmates are helpful, fun, inquizitive, and diverse.
What kind of person should not attend this school?
A person who should not attend Johnson and Wales University is someone looking for a party school and who is not serious about their future and/or what they would like to do in life.
What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?
The worst thing about my is that there aren't enough hands-on activities. I feel class would be much more interesting if we had more activities such as in-class experiments, working with tools and devices used in that area of study. I believe schools as a whole would benefit from activities such as these and student interest would peak also.
The kind of people who need to attend this school are the misfits. If you have never had a place where you feel like your belong or you feel like there is something special about you but your are not quite sure what then you should come to Johnson and Wales, they will find a place where you can belong.
The majority of the student population, unfortunately, does not seem to be very intellectual. Most of the students go to class to get the work done, not to actually learn anything, they see the degree as more of a resume builder. I personally feel that I could have benefited more from the university if the students were a bit more relatable, or actually interested in getting an education. I feel that the university is attempting to change this in the near future, by increasing the difficulty of acceptance in admissions.
Johnson & Wales University was previously known as the "Career School," it has since changed it's direction for advertising. The school prides itself on making sure every student is ready to enter the field they have chosen. Students are required to complete Career Management classes, they also provide career services and internships for all colleges within the university.
All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA.
Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.
99% of students attending Johnson & Wales University-Providence receive some sort of financial aid.
43% were awarded federal grants.90%received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.