Rhode Island School of Design

Private, Four-years School Located in Providence, RI

Save to My School
How much is the RISD tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, RISD's tuition & fees is $59,760.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $81,194 when a student lives on-campus.

RISD Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
Tuition & Fees$59,760
Books & Supplies Costs$2,700
On-campus Room & Board$15,234
On-campus Expenses$3,500
Off-campus Room & Board$15,234
Off-campus Expenses$3,500
2023-2024 Projection
Tuition & Fees$57,505

How Much Does it Cost to Go to RISD for 4 Years?

For the class of 2027, who entering colleges in 2023, the 4 years tuition & fees is $263,411 at RISD. The estimated tuition rate is based on the changes over last 5 years. With room & board, books, and other personal expenses, the estimated 4 years costs of attendance is $343,007. After receiving financial aid including grants, scholarships, and/or student loans, the 4 years COA is down to $194,208.
The following table computes the 4 years tuition and COA by class of year.
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2023-24)$62,103$81,292$46,210
Sophomore (2024-25)$64,539$84,193$47,736
Junior (2025-26)$67,070$87,201$49,314
Senior (2026-27)$69,700$90,320$50,947
4 Years Total$263,411$343,007$194,208
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2024-25)$64,539$84,193$47,736
Sophomore (2025-26)$67,070$87,201$49,314
Junior (2026-27)$69,700$90,320$50,947
Senior (2027-28)$72,433$93,554$52,637
4 Years Total$273,741$355,269$200,634
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2025-26)$67,070$87,201$49,314
Sophomore (2026-27)$69,700$90,320$50,947
Junior (2027-28)$72,433$93,554$52,637
Senior (2028-29)$75,273$96,907$54,386
4 Years Total$284,475$367,982$207,284
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2026-27)$69,700$90,320$50,947
Sophomore (2027-28)$72,433$93,554$52,637
Junior (2028-29)$75,273$96,907$54,386
Senior (2029-30)$78,225$100,384$56,195
4 Years Total$295,631$381,165$214,165
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2027-28)$72,433$93,554$52,637
Sophomore (2028-29)$75,273$96,907$54,386
Junior (2029-30)$78,225$100,384$56,195
Senior (2030-31)$81,292$103,989$58,068
4 Years Total$307,224$394,834$221,286

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to four-years schools nationwide, RISD' tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $20,937. Compared to private, four-years colleges in Rhode Island, its tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $29,260.
In-StateOut-of-State
Rhode Island School of Design$59,760
U.S. Four-years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
Rhode Island Four-years Colleges$28,810
Public Schools$10,907$25,511
Private Schools$29,260

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between RISD and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (private, four-years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationUndergraduateGraduate
Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, RI$59,760$59,760
Bryant UniversitySmithfield, RI$51,169$49,960
Johnson & Wales University-ProvidenceProvidence, RI$40,408$15,156
Providence CollegeProvidence, RI$60,848$12,210
Rhode Island CollegeProvidence, RI$26,519$18,230
Salve Regina UniversityNewport, RI$47,930$12,795
Johnson & Wales University-OnlineProvidence, RI$13,365$15,156

Financial Aid and COA

At Rhode Island School of Design, 787 students (39%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $33,758.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at RISD is $47,436 for students living on-campus and $47,436 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 211 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $37,480 and the average amount of student loans is $7,148.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
COA (on-campus)$81,194
COA (off-campus)$81,194
Tuition & Fees$59,760
Indirect Costs (on-campus)$21,434
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$21,434
COA (on-campus) after Receiving Aid$47,436
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$47,436
Average Financial Aid$33,758
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship78739%$33,758
Pell Grants30815%$5,433
Federal Student Loan65632%$6,748
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid21142%-
Grants or Scholarships16834%$37,480
Federal Grants6713%$6,345
Pell Grants6613%$5,426
Other Federal Grants6713%$1,000
State/Local Grants0--
Institutional Grants16834%$34,950
Student Loan Aid17034%$7,148
Federal Student Loans17034%$5,375
Other Student Loans112%$27,407

Admission Stats and Requirements to Apply

RISD's acceptance rate is 18.68%. A total of 4,742 applicants applied to and 886 students were accepted. Of the admitted students, 496 enrolled finally, and the yield (i.e. enrollment rate) is 55.98%.
To apply to RISD, 5 items are required - Secondary school GPA, Secondary school record, Recommendations, Formal demonstration of competencies and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and 1 items are recommended to submit - Completion of college-preparatory program. SAT and ACT scores are considered during the admissions process but are not required to be submitted.
TotalMenWomen
Applicants4,7421,145$3,597
Admitted886281$605
Enrolled496161$335
Acceptance Rate18.68%24.54%16.82%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)55.98%57.30%55.37%
Secondary school GPARequired
Secondary school rankNeither Required Nor Recommended
Secondary school recordRequired
Completion of college-preparatory programRecommended
RecommendationsRequired
Formal demonstration of competenciesRequired
Admission test scoresConsidered But Not Required
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)Required
Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)Neither Required Nor Recommended

SAT and ACT Scores

The SAT and ACT scores are considered but not required to apply to RISD. The average SAT score of the enrolled first-time students is 1,395 and the average ACT score (ACT composite) is 31.
Its SAT score is much higher than the national average score of 1,168. The ACT score is much higher than the national average score of 24.
Average25th75th
SAT Total1,3951,3101,480
National Average1,168
Rhode Island Average1,223
SAT EBRW670630710
SAT Math725680770
ACT Composite312834
National Average24
Rhode Island Average29
ACT Math292632
ACT English312735

Student Population

Rhode Island School of Design has a total of 2,620 students including 2,108 undergraduate and 512 graduate students. By gender, there are 866 male students and 1,710 female students attending RISD.
TotalMaleFemale
Total2,576 8661,710
Undergraduate2,044 6841,360
Graduate532 182350

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
Address2 College St, Providence, RI
Phone401-454-6100
WEBwww.risd.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate, Graduate
Program Offered33 Programs
Graduate Program Offered17 Graduate Programs
Academic Stats
Acceptance Rate17.42%
Yield54.17%
Student Population2,620
Graduation Rate91%
Transfer-out Rate4%
Retention Rate95%
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate9 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties185 (Full-time), 343 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs811 (Full-time), 390 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$94,548
Average Staff Salary$68,611