DEADLINES | CREDENTIALS | TESTS | SUMMER PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES

To begin the application process, you must first submit our application form. Here is how to apply for admission to RISD:

>> submit your application online
Please note: your application fee must be paid using a credit card (MasterCard or VISA).

>> download .pdf version
· undergraduate (freshman and transfer) application form

Please note: mail your completed application form along with a check or money order (payable to Rhode Island School of Design) for the $60 application fee (non-refundable) to
RISD Admissions Office | Two College Street | Providence, RI 02903

Questions? Contact the RISD Admissions Office directly:
telephone: 401 454-6300 or 800 364-RISD (800 364-7473)
e-mail: admissions@risd.edu
US Mail: RISD Admissions Office | Two College Street | Providence, RI 02903

DEADLINES

Fall Term Transfer Applicants
Transfer candidates who submit all required credentials by March 15 will be notified of the decision of the Admissions Committee in the last week of April.

Spring Term Transfer Applicants
If your training and accomplishments qualify you to forego the Transfer Summer Program and enter as a second-semester sophomore, you may be considered for admission in the second semester, if openings occur. All candidates for mid-year entrance must have completed at least two years of college. Mid-year entrance is not generally possible, however, in the architectural studies departments. The deadline for filing an application and all other required credentials for spring term entrance is November 1. You will be notified of the Admissions Committee’s decision in late November. If you have been considered and denied admission for second-semester entrance, you will not be reconsidered for entrance the following fall.

CREDENTIALS
If you have satisfactorily completed at least one full year of study at a college accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the US (or recognized in a similar fashion by an appropriate authority if the college is in another country) by June of the year you intend to enroll at RISD, you may apply as an upperclass transfer student. A full year comprises a minimum of 27 earned credits, including a minimum of 12 credits in the liberal arts.

The quantity and type of education previously completed will determine your entrance level at RISD. If you have completed one year, you must apply as a first-semester sophomore. If you are admitted, you will be required to participate in the Summer Foundation Studies Program, a six-week session that runs from mid-June through the end of July.

Modeled on our Foundation Studies curriculum, the Summer Program is an integral part of the degree program, offering courses in drawing, two-dimensional design, and three-dimensional design. On the recommendation of Foundation Studies faculty, attendance at the summer program may be waived by the Admissions Committee. Waivers are granted only if you have completed the equivalent of RISD’s Foundation Studies Program; all applicants are automatically reviewed for this waiver.

Candidates who have completed three semesters or more — including 18 credits in the liberal arts — may apply for second-semester sophomore standing. If you have completed four semesters or more (with a studio emphasis), you may apply for entrance as a first-semester junior. Advanced sophomore or junior standing will be granted only if you have completed the equivalent of RISD’s freshman and sophomore studio programs, and if your application portfolio presents sufficient evidence of the breadth of your visual skills and experience. If you apply for advanced standing but are admitted as a first-semester sophomore, you may request a departmental review of your background and accomplishments to determine eligibility for advancement once you have completed your first semester at RISD.

Transfer students must be enrolled in a department for a minimum of two years to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from RISD. Those transferring to architectural or design areas must be enrolled at RISD for at least three years to receive a professional degree. In rare instances, an exception may be made for transfer students from other accredited schools of architecture who have completed three years of full-time study. With permission from the department head (to be granted only during your second semester in the department), you may be eligible to complete the curriculum for the professional degree in two-and-a-half years.

Transfer of Credit
Course credits in liberal arts, mathematics, science, and foreign languages earned at other colleges or universities accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the US (or recognized in a similar fashion by an appropriate authority if the college is in another country) are usually transferable to RISD and will be applied toward the 42 liberal arts credits required for graduation. A grade of “C” or better is required in order to transfer credits from other institutions. The Division of Liberal Arts determines whether each course is eligible for transfer credit. Once you have enrolled as a RISD degree student, you may only transfer 12 credits from other institutions.

If you are transferring to RISD with a BA degree, you will be exempt from all liberal arts requirements, except the required two-semester sequence in History of Art + Visual Culture. You may seek a waiver of this requirement if you have taken an equivalent course elsewhere. If you are transferring to RISD with a BA degree from a foreign institution, you may need to seek a waiver of the English requirements for graduation. Contact the Liberal Arts Office for more information regarding waivers.

Credits earned in studio courses are generally not transferable. If you enter RISD having completed a minimum of three semesters at an accredited institution, you may apply to receive studio credit from your major department. Typically, these credits will be reviewed for transfer after you have completed your first semester at RISD. One or two semesters of advanced standing may be granted after your initial performance at RISD and your previous studio experience have been evaluated. In rare instances, advanced standing may be granted at the time of admission.

Academic Transcripts
Applicants must provide official transcripts covering at least the last three full years of academic work completed. This should include all college transcripts and, if applicable, your secondary school transcript. If you are attending school in another country, all of your academic credentials must be translated into English by an approved translator.

Drawings
Three drawing samples are required of all candidates. Each drawing must be done using graphite pencil on a sheet of white paper measuring 16” x 20” (40 cm x 50 cm); other drawing materials should not be used. The first drawing must represent a bicycle. The second drawing must utilize both sides of the sheet of drawing paper. For the third drawing, consider something from three perspectives and relate your three visualizations together on the page.

You may approach these three drawings in any way you wish. For example, your drawings may be realistic or abstract; you may choose to draw an object alone or place it in a situation; you can draw the whole object or only a portion of it, etc.

We consider drawing to be as much about process as presentation, so we encourage you to consider your drawing submissions as exercises in experimental thinking and risk-taking more than final presentations or examples of technical proficiency. We encourage you to consider the full range of possible expression in your submissions, as we do not value any particular style of drawing more than another.

These drawings must be submitted in their original form, not as reproductions. Fold your drawings in half and then in half again to a finished size of 8” x 10” (20cm x 25cm) and be sure to note your full name and address on the back of each drawing.

Portfolio
Your portfolio should consist of 12 to 20 examples of any type of two- or three-dimensional work you have completed recently. We suggest that the work reflect your interests, experience, and abilities in the arts to date. It may be in any media, may be finished or in sketch form and may be from as assigned class project or be self-directed. In making your choices, you might include work that you’ve done which demonstrates your background in drawing and design. It would also be helpful to include work that shows your potential for, or background in, the major to which you are applying. In your visual presentation, we suggest you reproduce and submit 2-3 pages from your journal or sketchbook to indicate your process of research, thinking or investigation, although this is not required.

Your portfolio must be reproduced and may be submitted as digital image files on a CD or DVD, as 35mm slides, or as unmounted photographic prints no larger than 8” x 10” (20cm x 25cm). At this time, we do not accept work posted on a website as your portfolio submission.

If you choose to send your portfolio digitally, each image should be submitted as a separate file in .jpg format. Individual files should not exceed 3MB. Do not combine images in a prepared presentation or slideshow of any type (i.e., PowerPoint or Keynote). Please be sure to include a printed thumbnail page showing all the images submitted digitally. Time-based work or performance pieces may be submitted as QuickTime or .mpg files on a CD or DVD.

Slides should be arranged in a plastic slide-holder page.

Whichever format you select, include a work description sheet. Number the examples you are submitting and on your description page list the corresponding number, medium, size, date of completion and title for each work.

It is very important that your full name and address are clearly noted on your CD/DVD , individual slides, or prints and on your description and thumbnail pages.

Writing Samples
Submit two examples of writing, each between 200 and 400 words. For the first, discuss your interest in, and preparation for, a RISD art and design education.

Choose one of the following three options for your second writing sample:

We’re confronted every day by circumstances that range from the worrisome to the inspiring. What do you find compelling in the world right now? How might this impact our future? What influence can you have on this situation?

Describe the greatest risk you have taken in your life to date and share the outcomes.

Look around, imagine! You have the possibility of eliminating one thing from existence. What is it? Tell us how it’s absence would change the world and why you made your choice.

Interesting applicants typically follow all of the good rules of writing but are not afraid to take a risk in their expression. We hope that you will have a dynamic position on the writing subjects you have chosen and will not hesitate to use a wring style or method that might be outside of the mainstream expectation.

Letter(s) of Recommendation
Although not required, letters of recommendation can be very helpful in the consideration of your application. One letter is suggested, although as many as three may be submitted. Recommendations should be written by teachers or other professionals who have a first-hand knowledge of your art or academic achievements and can comment on your potential as a student. We strongly suggest that your recommender(s) use our form (pdf), which you may download here. (Recommenders may also use their own stationery, but it is critical that they include your full name in the letter.) Recommendations should be sent by the writer directly to the Admissions Office (see address at the top of this page) by the writer in time to meet the appropriate deadline.

TESTS

SAT Reasoning Test (SAT)
Transfer applicants for Architecture, Interior Architecture and Industrial Design are required to submit SAT results, unless they have already completed three years of college. Transfer applicants for all other departments are not required to submit SAT scores. Please be sure to specify RISD (CEEB code no. 3726) as one of the recipients of your score reports. The examinations administered by the American College Testing Program (ACT) may be submitted in place of the SAT (RISD ACT code no. 3812). Transfer applicants have the option of submitting either of these examinations with or without the Writing section.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
If English is not your native language, you must submit results from the TOEFL in addition to the SAT. Proficiency in English is a prerequisite for acceptance and applicants must attain an acceptable score on this test.

Different versions of this examination may be available, depending on where you are in the world. The Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT) is becoming more widely available and we expect a minimum score of 93 on this scale. The paper-based version is still in use in some testing centers and we expect a score of 580 from this version of the examination. Finally, some applicants may have taken the Computer-Based TOEFL (CBT), which uses a different scoring scale, and we expect a result of at least 237 if you used this version of the test.

You should schedule to take the TOEFL well in advance of the application deadline you have chosen, as it may take (depending on the test center location and the test format) six weeks for your scores to be sent to RISD. Further information about TOEFL is available at www.toefl.org.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Students may choose to submit their result from IELTS in place of TOEFL. RISD expects a minimum score of 6.5 from an IELTS examination. Further information is available at www.ielts.org.

SUMMER PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES
The Summer Program in English Language Studies is recommended for non-native speakers of English who either need to, or would like to, increase their fluency in listening, reading or writing formal English. The program is six weeks long and involves preparing students for the regular RISD curriculum with a rich mix of classes. Students completing the summer program successfully will receive three Liberal Arts elective credits

During these classes, students will listen to and write English, focusing on the specifics of art and design studies. In the reading and writing course, they will develop critical reading and writing skills: in the studio class, students will focus on the language of art critiques and develop self-confidence in speaking before their peers. Students will live on-campus in our residence halls, study in the collections of the RISD Museum of Art and RISD Library, travel as a group to New York City, and visit the many art galleries and smaller museums in and around Providence. During the six-week program, which begins in late June, students will have the opportunity to practice both formal and informal English within the larger community of students who will be studying at RISD during the summer months. A student in the Summer Program in English language Studies may be asked to take the English Department proficiency placement test to determine whether he or she should begin the first-year, Liberal Arts courses in Fundamentals of Writing or Literature Seminar: Design in Words.

In rare circumstances, a student may be required to attend and successfully complete this program as a condition of their acceptance to the College.