by our College Data Analytics TeamMake an informed decision about your education by understanding RISD retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.
The percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year is tracked as the freshmen retention rate.
With 85% 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 | 85% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Rhode Island | 78.84% |
Of the 475 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 65% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 89% of the students had graduated and after eight years 90% 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 89%.
The typical RISD student takes 4.23 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 362 | 68% |
| Six Years | 475 | 89% |
| Eight Years | 8 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 51 | 10% |
Approximately 51 students or 10% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 51 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
17 transferred to another institution.
RISD lost contact with the remaining 34 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.0% |
| Transferred | 17 | 33.3% |
| Dropped Out | 34 | 66.7% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 91% |
| Black / African-American | 89% |
| Hispanic | 85% |
| International | 88% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 90% |
| Unknown | 81% |
| White | 90% |
First-time, full-time students, under the age of 25 are known as traditional students. These students are more likely to graduate in four years than so called 'non-traditional' students that includes part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. Some schools cater to non-traditional students and it may affect their overall graduation rates.
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.
How does this school do graduating the type of student you are most concerned bout?
First-time / full-time students at Rhode Island School of Design represent 86% of the students in the class of 2015, and 86.74% of RISD bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 65%, first-time students in the RISD class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the RISD graduation rate was 90%, and by the eight year mark, 91% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | RISD | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 65% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 90% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 91% | 47.82% |
40 first-time / full-time students or 9% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
13 transferred to another institution.
RISD lost contact with the remaining 27 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 2.50% |
| Transferred | 13 | 32.50% |
| Dropped Out | 27 | 67.50% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on RISD first-time, part-time students.
74 RISD students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.86% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 85%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 85%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | RISD | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 85% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 85% | 55.07% |
11 non first-time / part-time students or 15% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
4 transferred to another institution.
RISD lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 4 | 36.36% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 63.64% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on RISD returning, part-time students.
