At RISD the first year is an exciting, intense academic and social experience, starting with arrival on campus in early September and ending with a final “crit week” in June. The key components of this experience are freshman orientation, the Foundation Studies program, the first year of Liberal Arts courses, and engagement in RISD campus life.

RISD Orientation for first year undergraduates starts with Check-In on the Saturday before the beginning of fall semester classes and includes special information sessions, campus tours and an array of social activities.

The academic year begins symbolically with Convocation, which is scheduled for the Monday before the beginning of fall semester classes. The event typically includes welcoming addresses by the President, the Director of the Museum and the Provost. Incoming students attend the ceremony and a number of scholarship awards for students who were in Foundation Studies during the previous academic year are announced. In recent years, Convocation has featured musical entertainment and a simple communal meal on Markethouse Square.

The first year academic program typically consists of three year-long studio courses (Drawing, 2-D and 3-D) taught by Foundation Studies and four Liberal Arts courses: English Composition + Literature and History of Art + Visual Culture I in the Fall; and History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences (Topics) and History of Art + Visual Culture 2 (Topics) in the Spring. If a student enters RISD with suitable transfer credits, one or more of these Liberal Arts courses can be waived, in which case the student can start taking other Liberal Arts electives.

In addition to academics, RISD provides students with many opportunities for extra-curricular involvement in campus life and the surrounding Providence community. There are also many support services available on campus.