Residence Halls

a student sits on a bench in front of a vertically slatted partition, flanked by walkways on each side

Whether you’re in your first year or finishing up at RISD, we offer a variety of housing options for you to get the most from your on-campus experience. Take a look at our video tours and learn more below.

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Descriptions

First-year

First-year work rooms

Sophomore

Upperclass

Video tours

First-year

Sophomore

Upperclass

First-year

First-year work rooms

Sophomore

Upperclass

Copy link to section

First-year

Sophomore

Upperclass

Copy link to section

First-year housing

To build a strong foundation at RISD, all first-year students live in a group of buildings known as the first-year area (FYA).

In addition to residence halls, the FYA includes the Public Safety main office, the college’s fitness center, the Residence Life office and The Met, our main, all-you-care-to-eat dining facility.

The buildings that make up the FYA—also known as The Quad—are listed below. To see a residence hall’s floor plans, just click the corresponding link.

Room types

single room
shared room (double and triple)

Amenities

laundry facilities (machines take risdbucks)
shared kitchen (one per residence hall)
microfridge (combination refrigerator/microwave unit) in each room
work rooms, including spray booths in select residence halls (more information below)

Homer Hall is also home to a meditation/reflection lounge and the Pride Lounge.

North Hall residents please note that, due to the sensitive nature of the hall’s heating and air conditioning systems, you must keep windows closed and locked at all times in order to reduce moisture and improve air quality, unless otherwise advised. If you have any temperature concerns, please report them to Facilities Operations. If you need a medical housing accommodation, please follow the medical accommodations process.

Dining

First-year housing also includes the following dining allotment:

unlimited access to The Met, our “all you care to eat” dining facility
225 dining points per semester for use in any RISD Dining venue
five (5) weekly cafe credits for use in most dining venues
three (3) guest meal credits
a one-time $50 RISD Bucks credit (can be used for dining venues and other purchases on campus)

Note that your dining plan is built into the cost of housing and cannot be removed.

Residential experience

Your first year at RISD is an exciting time for making new friendships and exploring what it means to be an art and design student. Throughout the year, we collaborate with Student Affairs to provide a variety of residence hall experiences and programs, exclusively for first-year students. This programming complements the work you do in the classroom and helps you make connections, get involved on campus and learn about available resources.

Our team strives to make your first-year experience fun and full with new traditions, memories and personal growth. Stay on the lookout for emails from us throughout the year to learn about programming.

First-year work rooms

Studio work is integral to a RISD education and the first-year experience. During this time, students complete the college’s Experimental and Foundation Studies curriculum together.

To support community development and collaboration outside the classroom, students in first-year residence halls can access a variety of well-equipped work rooms. In these spaces students can draw, paint, sculpt, cut, spray and more.

Work room amenities

All work rooms come with a range of work tables, bulletin boards, seating, sinks and safe disposal receptacles.

The work rooms in North Hall and Nickerson Hall also include spray booths. Students should only use these spaces for work involving aerosol media (e.g. spray adhesive, spray paint, etc.).

Locations and size

All of the work rooms listed below are open to all first-year students. They are:

North Hall, first floor: large with spray booth
Nickerson Hall basement: extra large with spray booth
Homer Hall, second floor: large
East Hall, first floor: medium

First-year video tours

Sophomore housing

Sophomore year at RISD is a transitional period for students as they navigate their major degree program. To support this transition, we offer a designated sophomore area. Sophomore residence halls are listed below. To see floor plans, click the corresponding link.

Sophomore residence floor plans

The sophomore area communities provide students with a close-knit, independent living experience. Students living in this area can navigate their new majors together while forging new connections and pathways for success. They also benefit from targeting programs and events that help them develop concrete connections between academic and extracurricular experiences.

All rising sophomores are given priority housing selection to choose rooms in this area.