Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) vs San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI)

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) stand as prominent institutions in the realm of art and design education, each possessing unique strengths and characteristics. While RISD boasts a lower acceptance rate of 38% compared to SFAI's 70%, both schools share a commitment to fostering creativity and artistic expression. RISD's student body is more diverse, with 42% identifying as students of color, while SFAI's student body is predominantly White (63%). In terms of popular majors, RISD offers a wider range of programs, including Industrial Design, Architecture, and Film/Animation/Video, while SFAI focuses primarily on Fine Arts and Design. With graduation rates of 88% for RISD and 75% for SFAI, both institutions demonstrate a strong commitment to student success. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the distinctions between these two esteemed art schools

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

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.7%	94.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	1310 - 1480	N/A
ACT range	28 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	7.0%
Total number of applicants	4,742	169
Total number of admissions given out	886	160
Admitted students who chose to enroll	496
Yield rate	56.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

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

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

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%	42 Men 50.0% Women 50.0%
Graduate students	532 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	28 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	35.6%	N/A
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,450	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Architecture Computer and Information Science Precision Production	Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	4:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	N/A

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.2%	31.8%
Dropout rate	11.9%	68.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $32,786 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,309 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $30,264 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,116 Year 2: $28,381 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,494 Year 2: $22,420 Year 3: $16,882 Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,008 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) vs San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI)

Rhode Island School of Design

San Francisco Art Institute

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About