Student Success

Scholarships help the most talented undergraduates afford RISD. With financial aid support, emerging artists, designers and innovators can envision a future of their own making without incurring untenable levels of debt.

The RISD Scholars program is an important vehicle for providing significant financial aid to undergraduate students that is distinct from both RISD Fund financial aid and endowed scholarships. Generous donors who participate in the program make commitments of $30,000 or more paid over three or more years to provide direct, immediate scholarship support that offsets a particular student’s tuition over the course of their college career. Unlike endowed funds which involve an interval before income is distributed, funding through the RISD Scholars program is made available as soon as it is received. In contrast with gifts to the RISD Fund that may vary in size, the RISD Scholars program provides a predictable level of support to one student year after year. Donors who participate at giving levels above the $30,000 threshold support proportionally more students or students at a higher level.

If you’d like to learn more about RISD Scholars, our Celebration of Scholarships programming & giving societies, or to inquire about making a gift, please contact Sarah Caggiano, executive director, RISD Fund at scaggian@risd.edu or 401 454-6799.

If you wish to support RISD Scholars and make your pledge intention online, please use this form.

Art and design education requires access to a wide range of materials, equipment and supplies that enable students to work across a variety of creative modes and build their own unique practices. RISD students spend, on average, $2,700 per year on materials. For high-need and financial aid-eligible students, the Materials Fund offers grants and project support to offset those costs and ensure that imagination, rather than finances, drives the creative process. 

Fellowships support graduate students by covering the full cost of tuition, room and board and other expenses. By eliminating the need to secure loans, work-study or other types of funding, fellowships help recipients focus on learning and making throughout their RISD education.

The Student Emergency Fund provides one-time grants to current RISD students facing unexpected financial crises such as personal or medical emergencies or shortfalls associated with housing or food security. The fund is an essential tool in creating a culture of care at RISD and ensuring that students’ well-being, academic success and sense of belonging is not dependent on good luck or having a personal financial cushion.