Apply to RISD
Submitting your materials
Our online application portfolio lets you submit the majority of your required application materials to a single platform. You will submit your portfolio via SlideRoom.
Questions about financial aid?
RISD’s Student Financial Services Office (SFS) works with students and parents to reach the shared goal of preparing and educating creative individuals who aspire to make a meaningful contribution to our world. Our staff is here to help you seek, obtain and make the best use of all resources available to help finance the costs of attending RISD.
Eligibility
Students who will have completed an undergraduate bachelor’s degree program at an accredited college or university by June 2024 are eligible to apply to the graduate program for admission beginning in the 2024–25 academic year.
International students completing requirements for a diploma rather than a degree must submit a written statement prepared by an appropriate school official verifying that the status of the diploma is equivalent to a US baccalaureate degree.
Program-specific eligibility requirements
Architecture 2-year MArch
At the discretion of the admission committee, applicants with a four-year undergraduate degree in architecture may be admitted to the Master of Architecture advanced standing track. Successful advanced standing students typically complete degree requirements in two years.
Requirements for advanced standing consideration:
- A four-year undergraduate degree in architecture at an accredited college or university
- At least two semesters of six-credit studios in architecture
- Demonstrated design proficiency (in the view of the admissions committee)
- Equivalent of two semesters of graduate level studio work
- 24 credits (or equivalent) of architecture courses, including 18 credits of architectural technology (including structures and environmental control systems), architectural history and construction of architectural drawing
- Six credits of undergraduate coursework for a total of 42 required credits
- A minimum grade of C for any course counted towards advanced standing
Interior Architecture 1-year+ MA
The Master of Arts in Adaptive Reuse is a unique specialist design education in adaptive reuse that functions as a post-professional program for students who have previously earned a degree in architecture.
Landscape Architecture 2-year MLA
The Master of Landscape Architecture II is a two-year program for students entering with accredited pre-professional degrees in Landscape Architecture (BLA).
Teaching + Learning in Art + Design 1-year MAT
- A four-year undergraduate degree (BFA or BA with studio major) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 from an accredited college or university
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the studio coursework
- If applicant completed Master’s degree, must show evidence of meeting these same cumulative GPA requirements
- A minimum of 39 credit hours in the following domains: Literacy (12 credits), History of Art/Design (12 credits), Humanities/Sciences (9 credits) and 2 courses (6 credits) from any of the domains
- The MAT program prepares candidates to earn art teacher certification for pK–12 schools in the US, so enrollment is restricted to American citizens and permanent residents who hold a green card.
Please note: In order to fulfill degree requirements, MAT students are required to complete practicum and student teaching assignments in K–12 public schools at various points in the program. This will entail undergoing and successfully meeting the standards (or requirements) of one or more state or national background checks. Candidates who have any questions about this process may contact the Teaching + Learning in Art + Design department.
Teaching + Learning in Art + Design 1-year MA
- Four-year undergraduate degree in art/design or art history with a studio minor with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 from an accredited college or university