RISD Financial Aid
Undergraduate
Approximately 40% of the
student body who demonstrate artistic and academic excellence and financial
need receive RISD scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $38,000 per year.
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RISD also offers several scholarships each year to freshmen who exhibit outstanding
academic and artistic achievement but do not necessarily demonstrate need. Two
awards of at least $10,000 are made to participants in the Arts Recognition and
Talent Search (ARTS) (www.nfaa.org), and two awards of at least
$10,000 are made to participants in Scholastics (www.artandwriting.org). To be eligible for
these scholarships, applicants must enter the ARTS or Scholastics competitions.
In
addition, up to five Trustee Scholarships of at least $10,000 are awarded each
year. Trustee Scholarships may be renewed annually, provided the student
remains in good standing. No special application is required.
RISD-controlled financial aid is not available to special, visiting,
international or exchange students.
Graduate
Graduate students may be eligible for Assistantships and Fellowships in their area of study.
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President’s Scholars
President’s Scholars is a
program established in 1994 that provides assistance to the top graduate admits
during the admissions process. The scholarships extend throughout the duration
of the student’s studies at RISD. The awards are determined by a committee
composed of members of the Graduate Studies Division and the academic
departments who review and vote on candidates.
Assistantships
+ Fellowships
All Assistantships
+ Fellowships
originate from each graduate program and are assigned by the Graduate Program
Director. They are processed by the Graduate
Studies Office before being processed by the Financial Aid Office and/or
Payroll Office.
Graduate Fellowships
Graduate Fellowships are
awarded through the student's department. Fellowships may be
based on financial need as determined by completion of the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), merit or a combination of both based on
departmental preferences. Typically, fellowships are credited to a
student’s RISD Tuition Account in the following manner – half to the fall semester and the
other half to spring semester.
Assistantships
Assistantships are awarded by the student's department and may be assigned for fall, Wintersession,
spring and/or summer. Typically, assistantships are assigned for one
academic year and are subject to review; a student can be relieved of an
Assistantship for failure to fulfill the job’s requirements.
Assistantships are work-related
and subject to Federal and State taxes. Summer
Assistantships are subject to Federal, State, Medicare and Social Security
(FICA) taxes.
Students may elect one of two options for receiving an
Assistantship payment. Both options
are subject to taxes:
- Credit to a student’s RISD
Tuition Account or
- Delivery of a Payroll Check to a
student’s RISD mailbox.
Assistantships are paid through
Student Payroll. Payments are made in monthly installments in conjunction with
the schedule issued from the Payroll Office.
Payment is made only during those semesters that a student works
an Assistantship in monthly installments, not necessarily every month
throughout the academic year.