Rhode Island School of Design
Academics

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How strong are the academics at Rhode Island School of Design?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

8:1
Student to faculty ratio
49%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

RISD has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Rhode Island School of Design:

95%
First-year retention rate
49%
4-year grad rate
89%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Rhode Island School of Design's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Illustration
Systems Science and Theory
Computer Graphics
Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology
Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other
26.6
41.48
56.36
71.24
86.12
101

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology 54
  • Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology 1
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Graphics 61
  • Computer Graphics 1
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
  • Apparel and Textiles, General 15
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Systems Science and Theory 84
Precision Production
  • Furniture Design and Manufacturing 26
  • Furniture Design and Manufacturing 3
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Illustration 101
  • Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other 39
  • Painting 38
  • Sculpture 32
  • Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts 28
  • Jewelry Arts 11
  • Photography 9
  • Printmaking 8
  • Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other 4
  • Ceramic Arts and Ceramics 4
  • Painting 3
  • Printmaking 3
  • Fine Arts and Art Studies, Other 3
  • Sculpture 2
  • Photography 1
  • Jewelry Arts 1
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CollegeIQ® relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

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