RISD First Year in Florence

Students apply directly through the Common App. RISD will admit students directly to the program for the fall semester, with an expected class size of 20. Students accepted for the spring semester will spend the fall in Providence and go to Florence for the spring term.

Students will be notified at the point of admission when we send acceptance letters out in mid March 2025. Your notification will state if you have been admitted either to the Providence campus for the full academic year, the Florence campus for fall and then Providence for spring, or Providence for fall and Florence for spring.

For interested Early Decision candidates, you will be notified about acceptance to RISD in December and then, if admitted to the Florence campus, will receive a second notification in March.

RISD faculty will teach all three first-year studios—Drawing, Design and Spatial Dynamics—in three consecutive segments. For each, an entire semester’s worth of work will be taught over the course of an intense four weeks.

Faculty will switch out during the semester, allowing them to teach for four weeks in Florence and then return to Providence.

Liberal Arts courses will be either fully in person or hybrid with some lectures online and others in person. These courses will consider the cultural history of Florence from contemporary viewpoints.

The Florence Study Center offers

• professional support staff to help with housing, food, health, safety and other logistics.
• a central reception area that facilitates frequent check-ins with center staff.
• a student lounge.
• computers with printing services.

RISD First Year in Florence students also enjoy access to generous studio facilities in a historic building in central Florence’s San Lorenzo neighborhood.

Students in the program will stay in double- or triple-occupancy rooms in a single-building student residence in Florence for the duration of the program. The residence building is within walking distance of the Florence Study Center and program studio spaces.

There is a limited number of single-occupancy rooms in the residence, and availability will not be known until approximately 1–2 weeks before the program departure date. Students who stay in a single-occupancy room will be issued a supplemental charge.

Yes. Students in the program will take part in excursions to other cities and regions in Italy. Trips will likely be overnight or three days/two nights.

Tuition and room charges for students in Florence are the same as those for students who are in Providence for the entire first year.

However, students will not be charged for meals while in Florence. Rather, students will need to purchase their own food and/or cook for themselves.

Students may receive financial aid for the Florence semester. Financial aid awards will account for airfare and food costs.

The anticipated arrival date for the fall program in Florence on August 27, 2025. Classes are expected to start during the second week of September. The fall semester will end on Friday, December 12, 2025.

We are currently determining details regarding the spring 2026 semester in Florence. We will post updates to this page once we determine spring 2026 start/end dates.

Students in Florence will take part in a virtual RISD orientation as well as an on-site orientation. The on-site orientation will take place before the start of classes, and includes intensive language instruction as well as guidance for navigating Florence.

We will hold an online info session in late March to share important information with students admitted to RISD First Year in Florence. Additionally, students who attend in-person Admitted Student Day programs at RISD in April will hear more information about the Florence semester.

Admitted students can find information and updates about RISD First Year in Florence on the New and Incoming Students area of the RISD Student Hub.