Tuition and Fees
Program cost
Below is an overview of required tuition and fees for the 2024 program.
Residential program: $11,350
Commuter program: $8,715
Application fee (non-refundable): $60
Tuition details
Program tuition includes housing and dining costs for residential students in shared accommodations, access to RISD Health Services for all students, and access to participate in all planned Pre-College activities (e.g., museum/venue admissions fees, buses, ferries, etc.). However, students are responsible for any personal purchases during these activities, as well as travel to and from the program, art supplies and personal laptop.
The residential program costs include shared residential accommodations. A shared accommodation consists of double or triple room occupancy. There are a limited number of single rooms available. Students may request a single room accommodation during the housing application process, which begins in April. If a student requests and is placed in a single room, an additional housing cost of $200 will be added to the student’s account and must be paid in full by June 1. For any questions or concerns, contact the Residence Life office: precollegehousing@risd.edu or 401 454-6650.
The commuter program cost includes a dining plan of 25 meals.
Short-term health insurance: $222
Medical insurance is mandatory for all students at RISD, including summer students. The college requires all students to carry valid medical insurance to help cover the extra expenses of medical treatment that is not covered by our Health Services. All medical insurance policies must be from a U.S. domestic insurance company
If you do not have medical insurance from a U.S. domestic insurance company, you may purchase a five(5)-week short term medical insurance policy for $222. The short-term medical insurance fee is paid directly to University Health Plans. To assist in providing you with the coverage you will need during your summer studies at RISD, we have contracted with University Health Plans Insurance Program to offer the Pre-College Student Health Insurance Plan. The plan includes a local and national network of preferred providers, and is designed to be an affordable option. Students will be able to sign up for UHP health insurance after they have been accepted to the program; a direct link will be available on the student applicant dashboard.
Art supplies: $800 (estimate)
You will need a variety of art supplies and presentation materials (along with appropriate carrying cases) for your courses. A general supply list, of items most often used, will be sent with your program forms and documentation. Depending on your major and approaches taken by different instructors, supplies can sometimes cost in excess of $800. You’re welcome to bring your own supplies to mitigate cost. Inevitably you will need to purchase supplies during the program, and there are several art supply stores nearby—including two on campus—to accommodate these needs.
Laptop requirement:
For Pre-College 2024 all Pre-College students will be required to bring a personal laptop that meets the minimum requirements to access Canvas (outlined below), as well as basic printing and word processing capabilities. Mobile devices (i.e. smartphones and tablets) are not supported. We require students to bring their own laptop, but for those who do not have a laptop that meets the minimum system requirements, a limited number of loaner laptops will be available after enrollment in the program. For questions, contact precollege@risd.edu before February 15, 2024.
Minimum system requirements:
- Chrome 107 or later version
- Firefox 106 or later version
- Edge 107 or later version
- Safari 15 or 16 or later version (Macintosh only)
- Students should also have an office suite installed like MS Office or LibreOffice, or use an online office suite like Google Apps or Office 365.
Typical cost of a personal laptop that meets minimum system requirements: $300–$500. Typical cost to purchase required software: $0–$70.
Travel
Expenses related to travel to and from campus at the start and end of the program (and during excused absences) are not included.
Payment info
Program deposit
Upon acceptance to the program, you’ll receive a decision letter on the student applicant dashboard. At that point you will be prompted to pay the $1,000 deposit in the applicant dashboard. The non-refundable deposit must be paid within five business days after acceptance.
After you’ve made the deposit payment, you will receive further instructions about paying the balance due. Those who apply after Tuesday, April 30, 2024 must pay all tuition and fees in full within five business days after acceptance.
You may make payments in any amount at any time up to the payment deadline.
Payment methods
Credit card payments are the preferred method of payment. Acceptable payment methods include:
Credit card
You and authorized users on your behalf may make payments via credit card through our electronic payment system. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
529 payments
If using a 529 plan, consult with your account administrator to confirm the program is eligible. If this is eligible, a check can be sent to RISD Continuing Education, 20 Washington Place, Providence, RI 02903. The check must contain the student’s full name.
Check
Checks may be mailed to Continuing Education at 20 Washington Place, Providence, RI 02903. Checks should be made out to RISD Continuing Education. Payment date will be determined by the date the check is received in the mail. Be sure to include the student’s full name on the check.
A returned check for insufficient funds or other reasons will be assessed a $25 returned check fee.
International wire transfer
International students are encouraged to use Flywire for program payment. Flywire offers favorable foreign exchange rates, the ability to pay in your home currency, and in most cases is more economical than traditional banks. You’ll be able to track your payment via Flywire’s dashboard and will receive notification once we have received your payment.
Once you receive an invoice with a balance due after being accepted into the program, payments can be made at risdce.flywire.com.
Flywire is the only international payments partner authorized to process international payments on behalf of RISD Continuing Education.
Withdrawal and refunds
Refunds for voluntary withdrawal after a student has been accepted into the program are granted; however, amounts vary based on the time of withdrawal.
Payment timeline
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Program deposit due
5 days after acceptance
Tuesday, April 30
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Student payment deadline
All balances are due. If you apply after this date, you must pay full tuition and fees within five business days after acceptance. You may make payments in any amount at any time up to the payment deadline.