Undergraduate Cost of Attendance

2024–25 cost of attendance

Expense	Academic year	By semester
Tuition	$61,564	$30,782
Activity fee	$284	$142
Academic and technology fee	$840	$420
Estimated housing	$9,830	$4,915
Estimated food	$6,796	$3,398
Estimated books and supplies	$3,000	$1,500
Estimated transportation	$1,050	$525
Estimated health insurance	$2,045	$1,022.50
Estimated total cost of education	$85,409	$42,704.50

Understand your costs

The estimated housing, food and other items in the chart above reflect the typical cost of attending RISD. These amounts can vary based on a variety of factors, including costs related to your degree program or whether you choose to enroll in our health insurance as opposed to a comparable plan.

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Learn more about student housing, including information about room and board plans and rates on the RISD Student Hub.

If you choose to reside off campus during your junior or senior year (or meet the conditions for living off campus during your first or second year and choose to do so) and do not take a RISD meal plan, we do not charge housing and dining charges. Rather, room and board figures become an estimate of possible non-RISD housing and dining costs.

If you reside on campus, you must leave your room in the same condition as you found it when you moved into your room. If it is found in lesser condition than it was when you moved onto campus, you could be subject to residence hall damage charges. These charges are assessed for violations of the housing contract, which include but are not limited to damages and vandalism.

Tuition and room charges for students participating in the First-Year in Florence program are the same as for students who reside in Providence for the entire first year. However, students in this program will not be charged for meals while in Florence, where they will need to purchase their own food and/or cook for themselves.

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At RISD, we require that all students have health insurance. You may waive our student health insurance if you are enrolled in a comparable, comprehensive, US-based health insurance policy. For questions regarding our insurance coverage, or to complete the online waiver, please consult University Health Plans for more information.

Unless you have submitted a waiver, enrolled students are charged $2,045 in the fall for the health insurance plan. If you have comparable coverage, you must submit the waiver by the September 1 deadline for each year you attend RISD.

Learn more about student health insurance

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Through RISD’s laptop program, you can submit a request to use your loan funds towards purchasing a computer that meets your department’s software requirements. We will then adjust your loan amount if needed and add this to your total cost of attendance.

Learn more about the program and find your department’s laptop requirements and recommendations through the link below.

Laptop program

Net price calculator

To assist you with early financial planning for college, our net price calculator helps estimate the total cost of attending RISD and provides a preliminary assessment of your financial aid eligibility.

Estimate your total cost

Experimental and Foundation Studies (EFS) Summer Program

Incoming transfer students may need to attend the EFS summer program. First-year EFS students making up classes during the summer will be billed on a per-course, per-credit basis.

Students enrolled in a summer program will be billed for the summer health insurance policy ($515).

Expense	Summer fee
Tuition	$9,819
Orientation fee	$300
Housing	$1,148
Estimated food	$630
Estimated books and supplies	$780
Estimated transportation	$435
Summer health insurance coverage	$515
Estimated personal expenses	$505
Estimated total cost of summer EFS program	$14,132

Learn more about EFS

Get to know RISD

Find information you need to succeed and thrive at RISD through our Student Hub.

A group of RISD orientation leaders in pink shirts with a print that says "Hi" standing on a green with trees and a brick campus building behind them.

New and incoming students

Find key dates and deadlines for what you need to do as an incoming RISD student, as well as info about course registration, transferring credits, campus resources and more.