Rhode Island School of Design
Admissions

Interested in attending Rhode Island School of Design?

On this page, you'll learn how difficult it is to get into Rhode Island School of Design, we'll dig into high school grades and test scores, and you'll find out the factors the school considers when reviewing applications.

19
%
Acceptance rate
3.74
Average High School GPA
1441
SAT Midpoint
January 15
Regular admission deadline

Admission Rates

Is it difficult to get into Rhode Island School of Design?

19%

Using the most up-to-date data on record, RISD accepted 19% of applicants. We classify this as very selective.

In the most recent year, 6,685 people applied and 1,249 were accepted.

Accepted/Applied
Women
962 / 5279 (18%)
Men
287 / 1406 (20%)

Acceptance rates at colleges can change over time, with some becoming more competitive and others accepting more students. Here’s a look at the acceptance rate trend for the past 3 years at Rhode Island School of Design:

100%
80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
2023
2024
2025

Acceptance rates at schools can vary depending on if the student is in-state, out-of-state, or international.

41%
Enrollment of those accepted
High
Yield rate

Of those accepted, 41% ended up enrolling at Rhode Island School of Design, making their yield rate High. The yield rate is the percentage of accepted students who enroll at the school. You can use the yield rate to find out how coveted a school is for the students who apply to it.

Application Factors

You can increase your chances of getting into Rhode Island School of Design by looking at what the school considers during the application process.

Here are the things RISD considers:

Considered

  • Academic GPA
  • Alumni/AE Relation
  • Application Essay
  • Character/Personal Qualities
  • Class Rank
  • Extracurricular Activities
  • First Generation
  • Geographical Residence
  • Interview
  • Level of Applicant's Interest
  • Recommendation(s)
  • Religious Affiliation/Commitment
  • Rigor of Secondary School Record
  • Standardized Test Scores
  • State Residency
  • Talent/Ability
  • Volunteer Work
  • Work Experience

Grades & Testing

Do you have the grades and test scores to get into Rhode Island School of Design?

3.74
Average High School GPA
1441
SAT Midpoint

Grades

Students who recently attended Rhode Island School of Design as freshmen had an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.74.

These are the high school grade point averages (unweighted) of students who enroll:

High School GPAs
4.00
26%
3.75-3.99
32%
3.50-3.74
26%
3.25-3.49
9%
3.00-3.24
6%
2.50-2.99
1%

Applicants submitting SAT Scores

16%

Applicants submitting ACT Scores

4%
SAT Math Scores
25th Percentile
708
Math Mean
732
75th Percentile
780
SAT Verb Scores
25th Percentile
688
Verbal Mean
709
75th Percentile
750
SAT Composite Scores
25th Percentile
1395
Composite Mean
1441
75th Percentile
1520

Application Deadlines

These are the deadlines for applying to Rhode Island School of Design. Application deadlines are subject to change, so please verify all deadlines with the school.

Regular Admissions

January 15
Regular admission deadline
March 15
Application notification

Early Decision

Early Decision is a program in which students commit to attend a school if they are accepted. Some schools have a higher acceptance rate for Early Decision than regular decision. RISD's Early Decision acceptance rate is 27%, compared to 19% overall. If you’re sure you want to attend Rhode Island School of Design, you might consider applying Early Decision.

November 1
Applications Due
December 15
Notification Date
27%
Early Decision Acceptance Rate
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