Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) vs American Academy of Art College

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and American Academy of Art College (AAAC) stand out as prominent institutions offering specialized art and design education. While both share a commitment to fostering creativity and artistic excellence, they differ in several key aspects. RISD boasts a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 38%, compared to AAAC's more accessible 100% acceptance rate. RISD's student body is smaller and more diverse, with 2,500 undergraduate students representing 68 countries, while AAAC's larger student population of 8,000 undergraduates primarily hails from the United States. RISD's focus on fine arts and design is reflected in its popular majors, including Illustration, Painting, and Sculpture, while AAAC offers a broader range of programs, including Commercial Art, Fashion Design, and Game Art. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these esteemed art schools and make an informed decision that

	American Academy of Art College	Rhode Island School of Design
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	Providence, Rhode Island
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	70.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	18.7%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	1310 - 1480
ACT range	N/A	28 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		31.0%
Students submitting ACT score		7.0%
Total number of applicants		4,742
Total number of admissions given out		886
Admitted students who chose to enroll		496
Yield rate		56.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$47,236	$77,280
Average net price	$22,406	$38,234
Tuition	$35,800	$55,220
Room & board		$14,790
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	67.0% Average amount $19,206	37.0% Average amount $37,286
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $6,159	36.0% Average amount $5,296
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $13,425	4.0% Average amount $39,311

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	145 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%	2,044 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Graduate students	N/A	532 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	35.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	N/A	1,450
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Computer and Information Science	Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Architecture Computer and Information Science Precision Production
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.9%	86.2%
Dropout rate	29.3%	11.9%
Transferred out	12.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,434 Year 2: $23,719 Year 3: $28,522 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,217 Year 2: $19,866 Year 3: $23,771	Design and Applied Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,121 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $70,583 Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,475 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $58,141 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,129 Year 2: $36,166 Year 3: $46,057 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,604 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $35,453 Woodworking (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,714 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $27,613 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $30,365 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $27,580 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,934 Year 2: $22,627 Year 3: $27,562 Architecture (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,281 Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: N/A Interior Architecture (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,035 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,493 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A

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Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) vs American Academy of Art College

American Academy of Art College

Rhode Island School of Design

Overview

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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