Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) vs Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) stand out as two of the most prestigious art and design schools in the United States. While they share a commitment to artistic excellence, they offer distinct experiences for aspiring artists and designers. RISD boasts a lower acceptance rate, a larger student body, and a higher graduation rate compared to MCAD. In terms of popular majors, RISD offers a wider range of programs, including architecture, ceramics, film/animation/video, furniture design, glass, graphic design, illustration, jewelry/metalsmithing, landscape architecture, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and textiles. MCAD, on the other hand, focuses primarily on fine arts, design, and media arts. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two esteemed institutions and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your artistic aspirations.

	Minneapolis College of Art and Design	Rhode Island School of Design
Overview
Location	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Providence, Rhode Island
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	77.0%	95.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.5%	18.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	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	638	4,742
Total number of admissions given out	418	886
Admitted students who chose to enroll	163	496
Yield rate	39.0%	56.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,702	$77,280
Average net price	$28,520	$38,234
Tuition	$41,344	$55,220
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,980 Meal plan: $1,200	$14,790
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $25,957	37.0% Average amount $37,286
Students receiving federal student loan	96.0% Average amount $5,416	36.0% Average amount $5,296
Students taking out private loans	20.0% Average amount $15,914	4.0% Average amount $39,311

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	675 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%	2,044 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Graduate students	100 Men 22.0% Women 78.0%	532 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	44.4%	N/A
International students	4.1%	35.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	288	1,450
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Wisconsin Illinois Iowa South Dakota	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.2%	86.2%
Dropout rate	18.6%	11.9%
Transferred out	15.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,987 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,412 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $34,268 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $28,847 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,090 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,963 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,098 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $25,223 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,078 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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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