Rhode Island School of Design

Rhode Island School of Design is a private institution that was founded in 1877. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,044 (fall 2022), and the campus size is 23 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Rhode Island School of Design's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities North, #4. Its tuition and fees are $57,505.

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is a private, four-year school located in Providence. When the institution was created during the Industrial Revolution, it was named as a design school to indicate its importance to economic development in an area where textiles and jewelry manufacturing industries were flourishing. Now, although there are design majors offered, RISD is considered an art school. RISD offers nearly 20 bachelor’s and master’s programs, with fine arts being the most popular major. The school is home to one of the top-ranked master’s programs in fine arts, which can include a range of specializations, such as photography, sculpture, metals/jewelry, graphic design, glassware, and more.  

The RISD campus has an extensive art museum with rotating exhibits and a nature lab with animals, plants, and specimens for students to study and reference in their art. On campus, RISD students can explore dozens of clubs, including student government, and off campus, they can check out the restaurants and interesting architecture of the state capital. There are no RISD varsity athletic teams on campus, although students can participate in many recreational sports, including “midnight soccer.” Notable RISD alumni include Seth MacFarlane, who created the animated series Family Guy, in which he also voices the main character Peter.