Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) vs Berklee

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Berklee College of Music are two prestigious institutions offering specialized education in the arts. RISD, located in Providence, Rhode Island, is renowned for its rigorous fine arts programs, while Berklee, situated in Boston, Massachusetts, is celebrated for its exceptional music education. With acceptance rates of 38% and 32%, respectively, both schools are highly selective, attracting talented students from around the world. RISD's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Berklee's is more evenly balanced (52% female, 48% male). In terms of popular majors, RISD offers a wide range of studio-based programs in disciplines such as painting, sculpture, and graphic design, while Berklee focuses on music-related fields like music production, songwriting, and performance. With graduation rates of 88% and 85%, respectively, both institutions boast a strong commitment to student success. To help

	Berklee College of Music	Rhode Island School of Design
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	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	82.0%	95.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	55.2%	18.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $150	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	7,266	4,742
Total number of admissions given out	4,009	886
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,707	496
Yield rate	42.6%	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	$63,970	$77,280
Average net price	$48,055	$38,234
Tuition	$45,468	$55,220
Room & board	$18,828	$14,790
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $17,013	37.0% Average amount $37,286
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $5,220	36.0% Average amount $5,296
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $27,360	4.0% Average amount $39,311

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,177 Men 58.1% Women 41.9%	2,044 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Graduate students	766 Men 53.8% Women 46.2%	532 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	25.8%	35.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,417	1,450
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Computer and Information Science Health Professions Education	Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Architecture Computer and Information Science Precision Production
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.0%	86.2%
Dropout rate	21.6%	11.9%
Transferred out	9.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $45,051 Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,786 Year 2: $31,914 Year 3: $40,006 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,503 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $28,820 Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,397 Year 2: $16,786 Year 3: $26,596 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,512 Year 2: $22,162 Year 3: $23,540 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $19,273 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Music (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $20,239 Year 2: $16,478 Year 3: N/A Music (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $23,206 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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