by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many RISD first-year students return for their second year, and how many go on to graduate? Retention and graduation rates help you understand how students progress at RISD. First year retention shows who comes back, and graduation rates show who finishes and how long it takes.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 95% students making it past their freshmen year, RISD has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Rhode Island, the average is 78.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| RISD | 95% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Rhode Island | 78.84% |
Of the 477 students in the class of 2023, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 66% of those students had graduated. By 2025, six years after starting their degree, 90% of the students had graduated and after eight years 92% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical RISD graduation rate 90%.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 351 | 66% |
| Six Years | 477 | 90% |
| Eight Years | 10 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 41 | 8% |
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
Approximately 41 students or 8% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 41 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
24 transferred to another institution.
RISD lost contact with the remaining 16 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.4% |
| Transferred | 24 | 58.5% |
| Dropped Out | 16 | 39.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 86% |
| Black / African-American | 89% |
| Hispanic | 81% |
| International | 88% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 94% |
| Unknown | 90% |
| White | 91% |
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at RISD are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of the specific cohorts below can be more revealing than the overall graduation rates.
First-time / full-time students at Rhode Island School of Design represent 86.36% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the RISD graduation rate was 91%, and by the eight year mark, 93% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| Completions | RISD | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 64% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 91% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 93% | 47.82% |
34 first-time / full-time students or 7% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
21 transferred to another institution.
RISD lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.94% |
| Transferred | 21 | 61.76% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 35.29% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Rhode Island School of Design.
Returning / full-time students at Rhode Island School of Design represent 13.64% of the students in the class of 2023.
After six years, the RISD graduation rate was 86%, and by the eight year mark, 90% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for this group is 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Completions | RISD | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 86% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 90% | 55.07% |
7 non first-time / part-time students or 10% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
3 transferred to another institution.
RISD lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 3 | 42.86% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 57.14% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data for this cohort at Rhode Island School of Design.
