Rhode Island School of Design is a private, nonprofit college founded in Providence, RI in 1877—making it one of the first art and design schools in the US. Approximately 2,500 students from around the world are engaged in liberal arts studies and rigorous, studio-based learning at RISD (pronounced “RIZ-dee”), where they earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees in 22 majors. For more information visit www.risd.edu.
About Our Students
FALL 2021 ADMISSIONS
Numbers are for degree-seeking students applied, admitted, and enrolled in the fall of 2021.
Middle 50% SAT Range for Freshman Class
Numbers are for degree-seeking students applied, admitted, and enrolled in the fall of 2021.
Mathematics
680 - 770
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
630 - 710
Freshmen Returning for Sophomore Year
FALL 2021 ENROLLMENT
Numbers are for degree-seeking undergraduate students and graduate students enrolled in the fall of 2021.
Graduate Student:
A student that holds a bachelor's degree or equivalent, and is taking courses at the post-baccalaureate level. Students formerly designated as first-professional students are now captured in the graduate student enrollment numbers.
FALL 2021 FRESHMAN CLASS
GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Percentages are for the origins of first-time freshmen enrolled in the fall of 2021.
GENDER: ALL UNDERGRADUATES
DIVERSITY: ALL UNDERGRADUATES
What Students Pay
Price of Attendance in 2021 - 2022
Note: Numbers are estimates only for full-time undergraduate students living on campus in academic year 2021 - 2022.
Room & Board: This figure assumes double occupancy in institutional housing and 19 meals per week (or the maximum meal plan).
Books and Supplies: These costs include the average cost of books and supplies for a typical full-time undergraduate student living on campus. Unusual costs for special groups of students (for example, engineering or art majors) are not included unless they constitute a majority of the students at the institution.
Transportation: These costs include two round trips per year to the hometown of a typical full-time undergraduate student living on campus.
Other Expenses: These expenses include average costs for a typical full-time undergraduate student living on campus, for clothing, laundry, entertainment, medical (if not a required fee), and furnishings.
Estimated Tuition & Fees$56,290
Estimated Room & Board$14,790
Estimated Books & Supplies$2,700
Estimated Transportation$1,000
Other Expenses$2,500
Average Undergraduate Loans Owed At Graduation
The average per-undergraduate-borrower cumulative principal borrowed of the 2021 undergraduate class (does not include students who transferred in or any money borrowed while at other institutions) who started at this institution as first-time students and received a bachelor’s degree between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. Includes loans through all loan programs: institutional, state, Federal Perkins, Federal Stafford Subsidized and Unsubsidized, Federal Direct Student Loans and Federal Family Education Loans, and private loans certified by this institution; parent loans are excluded but co-signed loans are included.
Use Our Net Price Calculator
An institution's Net Price Calculator provides an individualized estimate of the net price of attendance for a first-time, full-time aided undergraduate at that institution. The federal definition of net price is as follows: an institution's cost of attendance for first-time, full-time undergraduate students less the total need- and merit-based federal, state and institutional grant aid awarded (i.e., monetary awards that do not have to be paid back) divided by the number of first-time, full-time undergraduate students receiving such aid.
The estimates generated by an institution's Net Price Calculator do not represent a final determination, or actual award, of financial assistance or a final net price; they are only estimates.
FALL 2022 Tuition and Fees History
These figures represent typical tuition for a full-time undergraduate student for the full academic year (generally September to June) plus required fees or those charges that all full-time students must pay that are not included in tuition (for example, registration, health, or activity fees). Optional fees such as parking and laboratory use are not included.
Our Graduates
Percentage of Students Who Graduate
Percentages are for full-time first-time bachelor's (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduate students who entered this institution in the summer or fall of 2015 and completed their degree at this institution by the fall of 2021.
Within 4 Years
70%
Within 5 Years
85%
Within 6 Years
86%
Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded Last Year*
This graphic represents the four majors in which the most bachelor's degrees were awarded between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. The category of “All Others” is the sum of all the other majors earned at the institution in that year. Students with a double major will only be represented by the category of their first major.
Other areas are: Apparel, Ceramics, Film/Animation/Video, Furniture, Glass, Interior Architecture, Jewelry + Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Textiles, Sculpture
Number of Degrees Awarded in 2021
Numbers are for degrees awarded between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
Bachelor’s:
Bachelor’s degrees are any degrees that normally require at least four but not more than five years of full-time equivalent college-level work. This includes ALL bachelor’s degrees awarded in a five-year cooperative (work-study plan) program which provides for alternate class attendance and employment in business, industry, or government and thus allows students to combine actual work experience with their college studies. Also, it includes bachelor’s degrees in which the normal four years of work are completed in three years.
Master’s:
Master’s degrees require the successful completion of a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of one but not more than two academic years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree. Some of these degrees, such as those in Theology (ex., M.Div., M.H.L./Rav) that were formerly classified as first-professional degrees, may require more than two full-time equivalent academic years of work.
Doctoral
Doctoral degrees are the highest award a student can earn for graduate study. There are three categories of Doctoral degrees:
- Doctor's degree-research/scholarship: Requires advanced work beyond the master's level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement.
- Doctor's degree-professional practice: A doctor's degree that is conferred upon completion of a program providing the knowledge and skills for the recognition, credential, or license required for professional practice. The degree is awarded after a period of study such that the total time to the degree, including both pre-professional and professional preparation, equals at least six full-time equivalent academic years. Some of these degrees were formerly classified as first-professional and may include: Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); Dentistry (D.D.S. OR D.M.D.); Law (L.L.B. or J.D.); Medicine (M.D.); Optometry (O.D.); Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.); Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); Podiatry (D.P.M., Pod.D., D.P.); or, Vetrinary Medicine (D.V.M.), and others, as designated by the awarding institution.
- Doctor's degree-other: A doctor's degree that does not meet the definition of a doctor's degree-research/scholarship or a doctor's degree-professional practice.
Thinking About Life After College
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About Our Faculty
Faculty Information
Student Faculty Ratio: Ratios are for full-time equivalent students to full-time equivalent instructional faculty for the fall of 2021. Full-time equivalent equals all the full-time individuals plus one-third of the part-time individuals. Faculty and students in stand-alone graduate programs such as medicine, law, veterinary, dentistry, social work, business, or public health in which faculty teach virtually only graduate level students are not included in the ratio calculations. Undergraduate or graduate student teaching assistants are not included as faculty.
Full-Time Faculty with Highest Degree: Full-time instructional faculty in the fall of 2021 who held a doctorate, first professional, or the highest degree available in their field. Instructional faculty is defined as those members of the instructional-research staff whose major regular assignment is instruction, including those with released time for research.
Student Faculty Ratio: 9:1
Full-time Faculty with highest degree: 0%
Life on Campus
RISD students inspire each other to push their own limits in the studio. But finding a healthy balance between work and play—between focused studio time and a more broad exploration of the enormous opportunities this community affords—is essential to getting the most out of a RISD education. The idea is to be open to a full immersion in creative exchange, whether it’s at a gallery opening, watching one of the athletic clubs play or relaxing with friends. For more information visit https://www.risd.edu/student-hub.
What it's Like on Our Campus
Percent of Freshmen Who Live on Campus is for freshmen enrolled in fall 2022.
Percent of Undergraduates Who Live on Campus is for all degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled in fall 2022.
Freshmen who live on campus
97%
Undergraduates who live on campus
65%
Campus Safety
Patrolling campus on foot, bicycle and in distinctively marked cruisers, the members of RISD’s Public Safety team work 24/7 to maintain a safe environment for RISD students. Officers are friendly and professional, often getting to know students and able to recognize members of the campus community. Public Safety also provides education and training that help students, faculty and staff to be stewards of a safe and informed community.
Student Life Helpful Links