Rhode Island School of Design

2 College Street, Providence, Rhode Island

Background Image: RISD

Each year approximately 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students work together at RISD as part of a creative community focused on critical thinking and hands-on making. Students major in studio disciplines in the fine arts, architecture and design, but take a third of their courses in the liberal arts, which support critical research skills and contextual understanding. The practicing artists and designers dedicated to teaching at RISD work closely with students to support their development as nimble thinkers and makers. Graduates go on to make their mark as creative leaders in the arts and a wide range of other fields hungry for the type of innovative thinking fostered at RISD.

DEGREES OFFERED: BFA, B.Arch, M.Arch, MAT, MA, MDes, MFA, MID, MLA
ACCREDITATION: LAAB, NAAB, NASAD, NECHE

Hover over dots to see degrees offered and online availability.

MAJORS OFFERED:

Apparel DesignBachelors Degree
ArchitectureBachelors Degree Masters Degree
CeramicsBachelors Degree Masters Degree
Digital + MediaMasters Degree
Film/Animation/VideoBachelors Degree
Furniture DesignBachelors Degree Masters Degree
GlassBachelors Degree Postbaccalaureate Certificate Masters Degree
Graphic DesignBachelors Degree Masters Degree
IllustrationBachelors Degree
Industrial DesignBachelors Degree Masters Degree

 

 

Interior ArchitectureBachelors Degree Masters Degree
Jewelry + MetalsmithingBachelors Degree Postbaccalaureate Certificate Masters Degree
Landscape ArchitectureMasters Degree
PaintingBachelors Degree Masters Degree
PhotographyBachelors Degree Masters Degree
PrintmakingBachelors Degree Masters Degree
SculptureBachelors Degree
Teaching + Learning in Art + DesignMasters Degree
TextilesBachelors Degree Masters Degree

LEGEND

Certificate
Associates Degree
Bachelor's Degree

Postbaccalaureate Certificate
Low-Residency Masters
Masters Degree


Fully Online
Partially Online
Optional Online

FOUNDATION PROGRAM
One of the first of its kind, RISD’s Experimental and Foundation Studies program began in 1940, providing an enlightened approach to education that has since been widely adopted at other colleges of art and design. All first-year students follow the same course of study - which introduces RISD’s pedagogical approach - before they move on to disparate studio majors as sophomores. The intensive, collaborative investigation of abstract and conceptual issues that touch every discipline is considered fundamental to the educational experience at RISD.


This program is Residential.

UNDERGRADUATE COST OF ATTENDANCE 2025-2026
FULL-TIME  
TUITION $ 63,966
MANDATORY FEES 1,170
BOOKS & SUPPLIES 3,400
ON-CAMPUS ROOM & BOARD 17,400
OFF-CAMPUS ROOM & BOARD 17,400
OTHER 4,500
FINANCIAL AID 2023-2024 FULL-TIME FRESHMEN *
AID CATEGORY AVG PER RECIPIENT 1st YR RECIPIENTS
INSTITUTIONAL AWARDS3 $37,227 74%
FEDERAL/NATIONAL GRANTS 7,031 26%
STATE & LOCAL GRANTS 0 75%
FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS 5,139 74%

AVERAGE AMOUNT RECEIVED PER RECIPIENT: $37,089
95% OF FULL-TIME FRESHMEN RECEIVED AID

* Most recent financial aid data available

ACCEPTANCE RATE: 19%

Acceptance Rate = The percentage of students admitted out of applications received in a given year.

 
ENROLLMENT: FALL 2024

UNDERGRADUATE FTE1 = 2,521

UNDERGRADUATE

FULL-TIME 2,521
PART-TIME 0

NOTE 1: "Full-Time Equivalent" is the common way to measure the relative size of colleges. This adjusts for differences in the percentage of part-time students (or faculty). For example: one full-time student = 1 FTE; three half-time students = 1.5 FTE, etc.

UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
APPLICATION: Required
ONLINE APPLICATION: Required
APPLICATION FEES: 60 (approximate)
HOME EXAM: Required
INTERVIEW: Not Required
ESSAY: Required
SAT / ACT: Required
PORTFOLIO: Required
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: N/A
IELTS: N/A
TOEFL: N/A

TRANSCRIPTS

HIGH SCHOOL: Required
COLLEGE: Required, if transferring
FACULTY: 2024-2025

FACULTY FTE1 = 313

FULL-TIME 200
PART-TIME 339
 

STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: FALL 2024
8.1 TO 1
FTE STUDENTS PER FTE FACULTY1

RETENTION

FRESHMAN RETENTION

FALL 2022 FRESHMEN
RETURNING IN FALL 2023
93%
 
FALL 2023 FRESHMEN
RETURNING IN FALL 2024
95%
GRADUATION

SIX-YEAR GRADUATION RATE

FALL 2017 FRESHMEN
GRADUATING WITHIN SIX YEARS
 
88%
 
FALL 2018 FRESHMEN
GRADUATING WITHIN SIX YEARS
 
89%

UNDERGRADUATE ETHNICITY

FALL 2024

UNDERGRADUATE GENDER DISTRIBUTION

FALL 2024

NEW STUDENT GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION2

FALL 2024
OTHER PROGRAMS

Continuing Education
Certificate Programs
Executive Education
RISD Pre-College
Summer Programs

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

Brown University cross-registration
BrownIRISD Dual Degree program
Global Exchange Program
RISD in Rome/European Honors Program
Slice of Life: Seoul
Maharam STEAM Fellowship
AICAD Exchange Program

NOTE 1: "Full-Time Equivalent" is the common way to measure the relative size of colleges. This adjusts for differences in the percentage of part-time students (or faculty). For example: one full-time student = 1 FTE; three half-time students = 1.5 FTE, etc. NOTE 2: Geographic distribution is reported for first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates. NOTE 3: Includes all institutional scholarships and grants, but does not include College Work Study or third party awards.