About

Rhode Island School of Design is a private, nonprofit college founded in Providence, RI in 1877—making it one of the first art and design schools in the US. Approximately 2,500 students from around the world are engaged in liberal arts studies and rigorous, studio-based learning at RISD (pronounced “RIZ-dee”), where they earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees in 22 majors. Each year more than 5,800 children and adults also access our specialized studio facilities through RISD Continuing Education courses.
Student body
- 2,227
-
total enrollment (2020/21)
- 1,736
-
undergraduate students (2020/21)
- 491
-
graduate students (2020/21)
- 33%
-
domestic students of color (2019/20)
- 37%
-
international (2019/20)
Faculty
- 196
-
full-time (2019/20)
- 421
-
part-time (fall 2019)
- 9:1
-
student/faculty ratio (fall 2019)
Average class size
- 14
-
2019/20
Average SAT scores
- 688
-
math (entering first-year students fall 2020)
- 655
-
evidence-based reading and writing (entering first-year students fall 2020)
Acceptance rates
- 20%
-
first-year (2020/21)
- 22%
-
transfer (2020/21)
- 33%
-
graduate (2020/21)
Retention rate
- 92%
-
first-year 2018 to sophomore 2019
Graduation rate
- 89%
-
graduating students (first-year undergraduate) 2013–19
Alumni
- 30,465
-
alumni
Financial information
- $55,220
-
2021/22 tuition and fees
- $344.6 m
-
fiscal year 2020 endowment
- $134.4 m
-
2020/21 operating budget
Undergraduate study
First-year program
Liberal Arts departments
Graduate study
Degree programs
- Architecture
- Ceramics
- Design Engineering
- Digital + Media
- Furniture Design
- Glass
- Global Arts + Cultures
- Graphic Design
- Industrial Design
- Interior Architecture
- Jewelry + Metalsmithing
- Landscape Architecture
- Nature–Culture–Sustainability Studies
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Teaching + Learning in Art + Design
- Textiles