blog our.risd.edu

risd facts

website | www.risd.edu

phone | 401 454-6100

overview
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD, or “RIZ-dee”) is the leading college of art and design in the United States. Approximately 2,300 students from the US and abroad are enrolled in full-time study at RISD, where bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in 19 majors include a firm grounding in the liberal arts.

location
RISD is located in Providence, Rhode Island — on the east coast of the US, a three-hour drive north of New York City and 45 minutes south of Boston.

founding
RISD, founded in 1877, is one of the oldest independent colleges of art and design in the country.

mission
Through its college and The RISD Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design educates its students and the public to create and appreciate works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge, and to make lasting contributions to a global society through critical thinking, scholarship and innovation.

academic programs
RISD educates students to engage with and challenge the contemporary landscape of art and design through hands-on, studio-based learning in a critical and informed environment. The college is known for the depth and breadth of its academic programs, which are organized into five divisions: Foundation Studies, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, Architecture and Design, and Graduate Studies. A core and defining characteristic of RISD’s undergraduate program is Foundation Studies, an intensive and demanding investigation undertaken by all first-year students into three studio areas: drawing, two-dimensional design and three-dimensional design. Required Liberal Arts courses provide students with a broad background in literary, historical and cultural studies, and help build reading and writing abilities as well as analytical and critical skills. Beginning in the sophomore year, students pursue studio majors that enable them to further develop creative, critical and conceptual thinking skills through in-depth exploration of specific media and materials.

fifth-year undergraduate degrees
Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) | Bachelor of Graphic Design (BGD) | Bachelor of Industrial Design (BID) | Bachelor of Interior Architecture (BIA)

In addition to the degree programs mentioned above, in 2008 the first students will be admitted to an optional new dual degree program in which candidates simultaneously earn a BFA from RISD and a BA from Brown University (www.risd.edu/brown).

students
RISD enrolls approximately 1,900 undergraduates and 400 graduate students from the US and more than 55 countries throughout the world. In the undergraduate Class of 2011, 25% of the students are of color, 69% are female and 16% are international students. The grade point average among first-year students is 89.1.

In addition, RISD’s Division of Continuing Education enrolls nearly 8,000 students annually, with credit-bearing courses and extensive offerings for children, teens and adults.

faculty
As professional artists and designers themselves, RISD’s 150 full-time and 350 adjunct faculty members approach art education in an exceptionally effective manner. They build relationships of deep trust with students, inspiring them to push beyond their own expectations — to redefine problems and question traditional methods as they learn to see and think in new ways. RISD professors emphasize the creative process through rigorous studio courses, and as part of this process, they offer critical feedback that motivates students to create innovative work of strong conceptual value.

alumni
Many of RISD’s 20,000 alumni are world-renowned artists, designers, performers and illustrators. In the past 10 years, eight RISD alumni have been named MacArthur Fellows, and graduates are frequently recognized with other national honors, including the Caldecott Medal, American Institute of Architects awards, Academy and Emmy awards, and the National Design Award.

Alumni include fine artists Janine Antoni, Jenny Holzer, Shahzia Sikander and Kara Walker; visual storytellers Roz Chast, David Macaulay, Chris Van Allsburg and David Wiesner; animators Seth MacFarlane and Angus MacLane; fashion designers Eric Javits, Nicole Miller, Laura Poretzky and Nicole Romano; graphic designers Tobias Frere-Jones, Criswell Lappin and Michael Rock; architects Deborah Berke, Michael Gabellini and Michael Maltzan; directors and filmmakers Deborah Coolidge and Gus Van Sant; musicians and actors David Byrne, Martin Mull and Tina Weymouth; and glass artists Dale Chihuly, Harumi Yukutake and Toots Zynsky. Alumni also pursue careers in a wide range of fields and as entrepreneurs and educators. Many work for companies such as Apple, Disney, Houghton-Mifflin, Martha Stewart Living, NASA, Nike and Pixar.

campus + resources
RISD’s urban campus includes 41 historic and newly renovated buildings on College Hill and along the Providence River. Key campus resources include:

The RISD Museum of Art
A regional gem open to the public, featuring rotating special exhibitions, traveling shows and 85,000 items in the collection, with particular strengths in:
Etruscan, Greek and Roman art | costume and textiles | British watercolors | 19th-century French art | 20th-century American and Latin American art | American decorative arts | photographs, old master prints and drawings, Japanese prints | contemporary crafts

Fleet Library at RISD
A nationally award-winning example of adaptive reuse, this 55,000-sf renovated bank building and second floor houses:
130,000 books | 685,000 image and sound holdings | 1,200 artists books

Students also have access to Brown University libraries and the Providence Athenaeum

Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab
Founded in 1937, this popular natural history repository offers students access to 80,000 natural history specimens and study objects, including
live animals and plants | a reference library and clipping file | slides, tapes, videos and x-rays

14 campus galleries for student work, including:
Sol Koffler Graduate Student Gallery | Woods-Gerry Gallery | Gelman Gallery (opening September 2008 as part of the new Chace Center)

enrollment
2,300 total (including 1,900 undergraduate and 400 graduate students)

applicants accepted
38% freshman | 27% transfer | 24% graduate

student retention/graduation rates
95% (freshman to sophomore) | 90.1% graduate (within six years of enrollment)

test scores
619 SAT math | 613 SAT critical reading | 610 SAT writing

tuition | $32,858

financial aid
% of freshmen receiving aid: 31%
average freshman award amount: $12,141
total scholarships offered: $12 million

students from outside the US | 16%

countries most represented
Korea, Canada, Taiwan, Turkey, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Brazil, Germany, Venezuela, Singapore, Sweden, Mexico, Pakistan, Austria, Bolivia, Costa Rica, France, Israel, Malaysia

students of color | 23%

male/female ratio | 35/65%

full-time faculty | 146

adjunct faculty | 357

faculty/student ratio | 1:8.2

average undergraduate class size | 13.4 students

average graduate class size | 10 students

endowment | $367 million (June 30, 2007)

annual operating budget | $115 million (2007-08)

RISD annual fund | $1.03 million (2006-07)