Rhode Island School of Design

Rhode Island School of Design

Providence, RI, USA

The Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts college in the state capital of Providence and one of the first art and design institutions in the United States. RISD confers bachelor’s degrees in 21 fine arts fields of study such as Ceramics, Photography, and Furniture Design. As part of RISD’s emphasis of the liberal arts, all undergraduates are required to take one-third of their classes in the Liberal Arts division along with their BFA. The RISD campus is shared with Brown University and both schools work together to offer joint courses.

Admissions

Key Admissions Stats

Institution Type
Private
  • Not for Profit
  • Coed

Need Blind

This school does not consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
4 Year
Campus Setting
Small city
0
100
19%
Acceptance Rate

Admissions Requirements

SAT
SAT is not checked
No
ACT
ACT is not checked
No
Transcript
Transcript is checked
Yes

Important Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineReply Deadline
Early Decision Acceptance is binding so student must attend college if accepted.November 1
Fall Regular DecisionJanuary 17

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
1%
Out-Of-State Students
96%
7%
Submitting ACT
31%
Submitting SAT
Average ACT Composite: 31
0
36
Average SAT Composite: 1349
0
1600

Academics

Key Academic Stats

Highest Degree Offered
Master's
Total Number of Students
2,576
Total Number of Undergrads
2,044
Academic Calendar

Four-one-four plan

See your fit
Classroom Sizes

2-19 Students
79%
20-39 Students
19%
40-99 Students
1%
0
100
72%
Graduate in 4 Years US National: 28%
0
100
89%
Graduate in 6 Years US National: 52%
Student:Faculty Ratio
9:1
US National: 21:1

Tuition, Cost & Aid

Key Financial Stats

Average Net Price
$43,982
Calculate your net cost
Tuition
In-State Tuition In-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state's or institution's residency requirements. In-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students residing in the locality in which they attend school and may be a lower rate than in-state tuition if offered by the institution.
$57,505
Out-of-State Tuition Out-of-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements. Out-of-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students not residing in the locality in which they attend school.
$57,505
Additional Costs
Room and Board The weighted average for room and board and other expenses is generated as follows:
  • (amount for on-campus room, board and other expenses * # of students living on-campus.
  • + amount for off-campus (with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus with family
  • + amount for off-campus (not with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus not with family)
divided by the total # of students. Students whose living arrangements are unknown are excluded from the calculation. For some institutions the # of students by living arrangement will be known, but dollar amounts will not be known. In this case the # of students with no corresponding dollar amount will be excluded from the denominator.
$15,234
Books and Supplies
$2700

Aid & Grants

0
100
65%
Need Met
Students Receiving Gift Aid Percent of undergraduate students awarded federal gift aid. Federal gift aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
16%
Average Aid Per Year
$32,571
Students Receiving Grants Percent of undergraduate students awarded grant aid. Grant aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
16%
Average Federal Grant Aid Per Year
$5,495
Average Institution Grant Aid Per Year
$30,154

Student Loans

Students Borrowing Loans Loans to students - Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally- and privately-sponsored loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.
31%
Average Loan Amount Per Year
$7,321
Average Debt at Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who graduated. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
$24,596
Median Monthly Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
$258

Campus Life

Key Campus Stats

Student Gender
Male
Female
33%
67%
Student Organizations
70
Size of Town
Small city
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups is checked
Yes
On Campus Women's Center
On Campus Women's Center is not checked
No

Housing

0
100
60%
Undergrads Living on Campus
On-campus living required of freshman
No

Athletics

Varsity Athletics Conference Primary
Not applicable

Campus Safety

24-HR security patrol
24-HR security patrol is checked
Yes
Campus emergency phones
Campus emergency phones is checked
Yes

After Graduation

Post Grad Stats

Top 5 Cities
New York
Providence
Boston
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Average Salary
6 years after graduation
$56,400

What Students Are Saying

risd is an amazing opportunity and one of the best art schools in the world. if it's really for you, one visit seals the deal: you won't want to go anywhere else and the price of admission will seem trivial in comparison with the amazing opportunity. be prepared to work very hard, but love every minute of it because it doesn't feel like work to you.
van donsel from waltham, ma
This school is an incredibly challenging school, however the ability to grow as an artist and a designer is limitless. The amount of talent and dedication here is something that doesn't exist at other schools and is something that forces a student to perform to their upmost ability. However, the intensity level is sometimes too high and seems like it has the potential to burn students out.
William
RISD is competitive, everyone is expected to be self-motivated and self-reliant. Asking for help is strongly encouraged and freely given, but you have to self advocate. The school is small but the resources available are without equal.
Clara from Providence, RI
RISD is a diverse community.
RISD is well known for its strong academics.
Students are very talented and enthusiastic about art in general.
Julie
risd is a challenging school that will help you to look at art in new and interesting ways. the professors are amazing and always willing to help. the diverse cultural and artistic styles help to stir creativity.
meri
An amazing school with a good perspective on the importance of knowledge of art and design in the world, which they show through interwoven disciplines. This school gives you a great foundation to go off and be successful in whatever you want, if you work hard to get there. I love RISD and although the price is steep, I believe its worth it.
Julia from Horsham, PA
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is on a beautiful campus. Their facilities are endless, and the professors are very accomplished. It's definitely a place I can see myself spending four years in.
Anshika from Ellicott City, MD
AMAZING facilities, very stressful, hard work
Jessica from PROVIDENCE, RI