Rhode Island School of Design Pre-College Summer Program Recently Updated

RISD Pre-College offers rising high school juniors and seniors the chance to experience life as a RISD undergrad. For five weeks you’ll follow a college-level curriculum with day-long studio classes, critiques and projects. You’ll live like a RISD student, access renowned resources and instructors, strengthen your portfolio and forever change the way you approach art and design.

Pre-College at Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, Rhode Island) is one of the most established summer art and design programs for high school students in the world—and also one of the oldest, celebrating 50+ years since its establishment in 1971.

Foundation courses
These three required courses ask you to move beyond the expected, and help you to develop a new visual vocabulary that will allow you to confidently speak about art and design.

• Drawing Foundations
• Design Foundations
• Critical Studies in Art

Majors
Build on your foundation work by choosing a major, which will allow you to focus on a particular field of design or art. With 12 class hours per week, you will quickly make significant gains in your new medium. All majors are open to beginners. In fact, we encourage students to try something new.

• Animation
• Architecture
• Art and Activism
• Art and Science
• Ceramics
• Drawing
• Fashion Design
• Film/Video
• Furniture Design
• Game Design
• Glass
• Graphic Design
• Graphic Novel
• Illustration
• Industrial Design
• Interior Design
• Jewelry
• Painting
• Photography: Digital
• Printmaking
• Sculpture
• Textile Design

Program dates: June 28-August 2, 2025

Residential program: $12,095
Commuter program: $9,300
Application fee: $60