RISD Tours, Info Sessions, and Portfolio Reviews

In our portfolio workshops, prospective undergraduate students learn what it takes to develop a collection of art and design work for college admission. We’ll guide you in showcasing your creative voice and technical skills, and suggest ways for you to take your work in new and innovative directions. At the end of each workshop, a RISD portfolio reviewer concludes the session with an individual portfolio review.

Stay tuned to this space for upcoming workshops.

RISD-hosted Portfolio Day events let prospective high-school seniors and juniors, as well as prospective transfer students, show your portfolio to a RISD representative and get a review from us before applying.

Register for a review early in the application process so that you have time to apply the feedback to your portfolio for application submission. We connect with as many attendees as the schedule of each event permits, but slots fill up quickly.

Find and register for a Portfolio Day

Please note, we do not make admissions decisions or accept portfolios for application during RISD Portfolio Day events, nor do we require you to participate in one of these events or connect with anyone from the Admissions Office as part of the application process. Participation does not eliminate the need to submit your portfolio as part of our application requirements.

As the number of portfolio review requests far exceeds our capacity, we ask that sophomores and freshman please reserve the available slots for high school seniors, high school juniors and prospective transfers. If you are an underclass student and would still like to receive a review, learn more about requesting a portfolio review from the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD).

RISD participates in a number of Portfolio Day events sponsored by the National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA). These events let prospective students present their portfolios to representatives from art and design colleges and university art departments. Aspiring artists can gather a wide range of opinions and advice about their portfolios, which may help you strengthen your work and prepare their college applications.

View full NPDA event schedule

Please note, we do not make admissions decisions or accept portfolios during National Portfolio Day events, nor do we require you to participate in one of these events or connect with anyone from the Admissions Office as part of the application process. Participation does not eliminate the need to submit your portfolio as part of our application requirements.

Portfolio Day events can get very busy. We encourage you to prioritize RISD early on in your itinerary to increase the likelihood that we will be able to speak with you before the end of the event. We connect with as many visitors as the schedule of each event permits.

You can also get a review from us without having to wait for a portfolio review event by submitting a sample of your portfolio to AICAD. Upload your sample to AICAD’s portfolio review portal to receive detailed feedback from RISD representatives via email.

Upload Portfolio