RISD (pronounced “RIZ-dee”) is a creative community founded in 1877 in Providence, Rhode Island. Today, we enroll 2,620 students hailing from 59 countries. Led by a committed faculty, they are engaged in 44 full-time bachelor's and master's degree programs and supported by a worldwide network of over 31,000 alumni who demonstrate the vital role artists and designers play in today’s society.

Beyond facts and figures, what is the spirit of this community? Through a cross-disciplinary curriculum of studio-based learning and rigorous study in the liberal arts, RISD students are encouraged to develop their own personal creative processes, but they are united by one guiding principle: in order to create, one must question. In cultivating expansive and elastic thinking, RISD seeks to activate a critical exchange that empowers artists, designers and scholars to generate and challenge the ideas that shape our world.

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Rhode Island School of Design Rankings

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Admissions

Application Deadline

January 17

Acceptance Rate

27%

SAT Range

1250-1470

ACT Range

27-32

Application Fee

$60

SAT/ACT

Considered but not required

High School GPA

Required

Accepts Common App

Yes

Cost

Net Price

$40,048 / year

National

$15,523

Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.

Average Total Aid Awarded

$32,571 / year

National

$7,535

Students Receiving Financial Aid

42%

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Academics

Professors

B+

Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.

Student Faculty Ratio

6:1

Evening Degree Programs

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Majors

Experimental and Foundation Studies (EFS)

The three EFS studios—Drawing, Design and Spatial Dynamics—encourage students to think deductively and intuitively through assignments and critiques, and to investigate the potential of disparate materials as they take projects from concept to completion. Faculty members lead group critiques but critical dialogue among students is also important in helping their work reach its full potential.

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Students

Full-Time Enrollment

1,736 Undergrads

Part-Time Undergrads

Undergrads Over 25

Pell Grant

16%

Varsity Athletes

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Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus

99%

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After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation

$51,100 / year

National

$33,028

Graduation Rate

89%

National

49%

Employed 2 Years After Graduation

89%

National

83%