Application Information

Age: 16–18

Grade: You must be in high school between 10th and 11th grade or 11th and 12th grade during the summer of 2026.

Each year more than 500 students from all over the world join us on-campus to participate in RISD Pre-College. To be eligible to attend, you must have finished your 10th or 11th year of high school (or equivalent) and be between 16 and 18 years old (born between July 31, 2007 and June 27, 2010). Students who are rising juniors and will be 16 years old by October 1, 2026 may still apply.

Beyond that, RISD Pre-College is open to all, regardless of your training or skill level in art. All applicants who demonstrate the ability and desire to contribute positively and benefit from the experience in their application materials are accepted. There are no admission tests or portfolio requirements.

With that said, this is not an art camp. You will have fun, but it is a full-time commitment with a rigorous curriculum. Be prepared to be in day-long classes with several hours of homework each week. The majority of students who apply are highly committed to visual art. They see Pre-College as a means to decide whether or not they want to pursue art and design at the undergraduate level.

All applications must include all of the requirements listed below. Each application is dated and reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Incomplete applications cannot be processed for review. Requirements include:

• a completed application with electronic signatures from both you and a parent/guardian.
• $60 non-refundable application fee.
• proof of English proficiency, if English is not your primary language.
• a 1–5 sentence response to each of the following questions:
  • How do your college and/or career goals relate to attending RISD Pre-College?
  • How do you spend your time outside of school? Include any clubs, programs, classes, or jobs you’ve had in the past year. These do not have to be art-related.
  • RISD Pre-College is modeled after its college-level curriculum. There is about 40 hours of work per week with multiple deadlines each week and your work will be critiqued extensively. To succeed requires time management and resilience. Tell us what makes you prepared for this intensive program.
  • RISD is committed to providing a safe and inclusive community. What do you hope to see in an inclusive environment? What do you think you could contribute and/or gain?
• confirmation that you are able to commit 100% of your time and attention to Pre-College during the program dates.
• If you are not a US citizen or permanent resident, you will need a copy of your passport. See the Visas section below for details.

On your application, you will indicate if you will require on-campus housing, or if you will be commuting locally and do not require housing. Once accepted into the program, on-campus residential students and their parents/guardians will need to submit a separate housing application. More information will be provided after acceptance.

Visas

If you do not hold US citizenship or US permanent residency, you must have or obtain an appropriate visa. For Pre-College, typically the most appropriate visa is the B-2 Tourist visa, or ESTA visa waiver if eligible, since it is a non-matriculating academic enrichment program. However, please refer to the Visitor Visa page of the travel.state.gov website for more information and to determine what is best for you.

Remember to check current travel restrictions and visa requirements before you apply. Some countries are affected by US travel bans or are subject to visa bonds.

If you have any questions, contact RISD International Student and Scholar Affairs.

Payments

Accepted students will receive a decision letter with information on how to submit a deposit. A $1,100 non-refundable deposit is due within two business days after acceptance to the program. The remaining payment balance is due by March 11, 2026. Students applying after this date must pay all tuition and fees in full within five business days after paying your deposit. 

International students will have the option to pay via FlyWire (wire transfer, our recommended method), credit card, or check (from a domestic bank account). 

Learn more about Pre-College tuition and fees

English proficiency

All applicants who speak English as a second language, including US citizens, must submit results from any one of these three options: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Duolingo*. Since proficiency in English is a prerequisite, applicants must attain an acceptable score on their chosen test. RISD requires a minimum result of 5.0 (or 93) on the TOEFL, 115 on Duolingo, or 6.5 on the IELTS.

*Applicants using Duolingo should select “Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Continuing Education” as the receiving institution.

Creating an account

To apply you’ll need to create an account on our application dashboard. Applicants should use their own email address rather than their parent’s or guardian’s. Parents/guardians are required to provide electronic consent at each step.

We communicate with you directly by email—not with your parents or other third parties. Be sure to check your email daily. However, valid email addresses for both you and your parent/guardian are required.

Choosing a major

As you decide on your top choice for your major, consider trying something that will add variety to your portfolio. Having a broad range of work can increase your college acceptance chances. For example, if you always work in 2D, think about trying something 3D such as sculpture or ceramics. Pre-College is an opportunity to challenge yourself and grow, so think outside the box.

Space in majors is limited and placement is on a first-come, first-served basis. Remember, your major is only one component of Pre-College. You will still have two additional studio classes. No matter your major, you’ll come away with a depth of experience, advancement, and artwork.

If your desired major is full at the time you apply, you can opt to be added to the waitlist before being prompted to select an alternate major that is still open. If a space in the waitlisted major becomes available, you’ll be notified via email.

Some majors have a slightly higher workload than others due to a steep learning curve or time-demanding processes. These topics are animation, architecture, fashion, and interior design. The expectations are achievable and the results are highly rewarding. Even so, some students might have a better experience in a less intense major.

Each year, a limited number of scholarships are awarded to those applicants able to demonstrate all of the following:

• significant financial need
• passion and dedication to art and design
• commitment to the program and the grit to succeed
• United States citizenship or permanent resident status

Scholarship financial eligibility

In recent years, recipients typically come from families reporting a collective income of approximately $55,000 annually. The application requires documentation demonstrating all forms of income, including an outline of significant assets and other financial benefits (Social Security, unemployment, etc.). Although the application does not require a qualifying income, we encourage only those students who feel they have faced significant financial hardship to submit a scholarship application. Individual household circumstances are taken into consideration.

How to apply for a scholarship

Within the application, indicate that you’d like to apply as a scholarship student via the ‘Program Information’ tab. The $60 application fee will be waived.

If you plan to attend despite the scholarship outcome, we suggest you apply through the regular application and forgo the request for a scholarship. Scholarship applications aren’t reviewed prior to the scholarship application deadline; if you aren’t awarded a scholarship, your spot may be filled before you’re able to re-apply as a non-scholarship student.

Scholarship application requirements

• a completed application with electronic signatures from both you and a parent/guardian
• a letter of recommendation that follows our guidelines
• proof of English proficiency, if English is not your primary language
• a 1–5 sentence response to each of the following questions:
  • How do your college and/or career goals relate to attending RISD Pre-College?
  • How do you spend your time outside of school? Include any clubs, programs, classes, or jobs you’ve had in the past year. These do not have to be art-related.
  • RISD Pre-College is modeled after its college-level curriculum. There is about 40 hours of work per week with multiple deadlines each week and your work will be critiqued extensively. To succeed requires time management and resilience. Tell us what makes you prepared for this intensive program.
  • RISD is committed to providing a safe and inclusive community. What do you hope to see in an inclusive environment? What do you think you could contribute and/or gain?
• a copy of your parents’ or guardians’ filed and signed 2024 or 2025 federal tax return showing adjusted gross income (include a copy of each parent/guardian’s tax return, if filed separately)
• copies of all W-2(s) from the same year as the submitted tax return
• additional schedule(s) related to "Other Income" reported in Line 8 of Form 1040, if applicable
• most recent pay statement for each parent/guardian
• unofficial transcript from the most recent year (must be grade 9 or later)

Scholarship application deadline

Friday, January 30, 2026 at 5 pm ET
Late applications will not be accepted. Applicants will be notified by email of the outcome of the scholarship review by February 20, 2026.

Partner scholarship opportunities

In addition to the RISD Pre-College scholarship, we’ve partnered with outside organizations that provide scholarships for historically underrepresented students and youth interested in pursuing careers in art and design. You can learn more about partner scholarships, including the selection process and criteria, at ce.risd.edu. To qualify for a RISD CE partner scholarship, you must be nominated by a current partner organization.
 

Disclaimer: Admittance into RISD Pre-College does not guarantee admittance to Rhode Island School of Design within the undergraduate admissions process.