Rhode Island School of Design
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 13.2-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 22 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 14 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing7 · 31.8%
- No Data14 · 63.6%
- Failing1 · 4.5%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
New England Commission of Higher Education
National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
Action history · 4
- Jul 2022Voluntary Withdrawal ReceivedNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
- Jun 2021Voluntary Withdrawal ReceivedNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
- Oct 2017Renewal of AccreditationNational Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation
- Nov 2016Renewal of AccreditationNew England Commission of Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 362 students received $2.2M in Pell grants, alongside $13.8M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 325 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (0.6%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Rhode Island School of Design
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus24
Includes 16 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Religion2
- National origin1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Homer Hall1 fireOtherDamage $100-$999
- 15 West2 firesOtherDamage $100-$999
- 15 West2 firesOtherDamage $100-$999
- Barstow House1 fireA student used a cigarette lighter to set fire to a piece of paper that was affixed on bulletin board.Damage $100-$999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Rhode Island School of Design vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Rhode Island School of Design selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectRhode Island School of Design | 89% | — | 2,520 | $50,507 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| 77% | 68.2% | 2,791 | $36,967 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 0% | 91.0% | 2,839 | $20,252 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 80% | 65.5% | 3,636 | $41,219 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 50% | 88.4% | 4,303 | $31,027 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 86% | 50.9% | 4,666 | $48,523 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| Peer group median | 79% | 68.2% | 3,238 | $39,093 |
Institutions like Rhode Island School of Design
Explore the federal data for institutions in Rhode Island School of Design's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsRhode Island
Salve Regina University
Grad rate77%Admit rate68.2%Enrollment2,791Net price$36,967View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsRhode Island
Johnson & Wales University-Online
Grad rate0%Admit rate91.0%Enrollment2,839Net price$20,252View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsRhode Island
Bryant University
Grad rate80%Admit rate65.5%Enrollment3,636Net price$41,219View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsRhode Island
Johnson & Wales University-Providence
Grad rate50%Admit rate88.4%Enrollment4,303Net price$31,027View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsRhode Island
Providence College
Grad rate86%Admit rate50.9%Enrollment4,666Net price$48,523View data
Rhode Island School of Design Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) uses best practices in evaluation and data governance to support continuous improvement and meaning-making across RISD. We utilize systematic and data-informed research and analysis to support RISD’s mission and goals, ensure continued compliance with accreditation and external reporting requirements, and contribute to efforts to increase social equity and inclusion within the institution, with the ultimate goal of enhancing learning and the overall student experience.
Visit IR office page- Jennifer RobertsExecutive Director, Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness
- Jay LowreyAssociate Director, Institutional Effectiveness
Frequently asked questions about Rhode Island School of Design
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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