About RISD

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students walking on the sidewalk in front of the red brick Waterman Building on RISD’s campus

RISD is a college and museum founded in 1877 in Providence, RI. Today 2,525 students from 57 countries engage in 44 full-time bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, supported by a committed faculty and worldwide network of more than 33,000 alumni.

By cultivating expansive and elastic thinking, RISD equips artists, designers and scholars to generate and challenge the ideas that shape our world.

Student-to-faculty ratio

8:1

Average class size

15

Undergraduate students (2024–25)

2,084

Graduate students (2024–25)

434

Domestic students of color

43%

International students

34%

Retention Rate

93%

Graduation Rate

89%