BROWN-RISD Five Year Dual Degree Program FAQ

The Program

1. What is the Brown-RISD Five Year Dual Degree Program?

The new Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program brings closer together two world-class institutions, and offers students the opportunity to pursue collaborative and multidisciplinary work. Students will be able to choose a concentration at Brown and a major at RISD — in the process integrating, relating, and developing diverse spheres of their own academic and artistic interests — and within a period of five years earn both an A.B. degree from Brown and a B.F.A. degree from RISD.

2. What kinds of students would be attracted to a Brown-RISD AB/BFA program?

Students interested in combining film and video with screen or playwriting; photography with anthropology or urban studies; sculpture with music or performance; art and design with the sciences, theater with glass, the list goes on. RISD and Brown offer different but complementary strengths: RISD offers intensive, specialized education in all categories of the arts, architecture, and design; Brown offers comprehensive majors (concentrations) in the physical and biological sciences, social sciences, mathematics, and the humanities. The possibilities are many. Please note that not all combinations of majors at RISD and Brown will be possible because of the degree requirements for certain concentrations and because of the rigorous demands of the Dual Degree Program.

Admission and the Application Process

3. What is the application process?

Students who wish to apply to the five-year dual AB/BFA program must submit a separate application to RISD and to Brown, and also apply to the program. Each admission office will conduct a separate evaluation before joint consideration for the Dual Degree Program. A student may be admitted to RISD only or to Brown only. Because the pioneer class will be small, it is possible that a student will be admitted to both Brown and to RISD, but not to the Dual Degree Program.

4. What is the application deadline?

For deadlines, please consult Brown Admission and RISD Admissions.

5. Can a student apply Early Decision?

Students who wish to apply Early Decision to Brown may do so. If a student is accepted Early Decision to Brown, however, he or she must matriculate under the terms of the Early Decision policy regardless of the subsequent decision of the joint committee. A student may also apply Early Action to RISD if he or she is an applicant to the Dual Degree Program. Early notification of acceptance to the Dual Degree Program will take place beginning in February, after RISD has completed its evaluations of applicants under its Early Action plan. A student may be admitted by both Brown and RISD and be either accepted to the joint program or deferred.

6. How many Dual Degree Program students will be admitted?

The number of dual degree students admitted would be small and strictly limited. For the first five years of the program, there will be a maximum of 20 dual degree candidates in each class.

7. Can students transfer into the Dual Degree Program, or apply to it after freshman year?

Not at this time.

8. Can students apply to the Dual Degree Program and to Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education?

Not at this time.

9. What if I have additional questions about admission?

We are happy to answer any questions! Please contact Brown, 401-863-2378, or admission_undergraduate@brown.edu. If you have questions about the RISD application, please contact the RISD Admissions Office, 401 454-6300 or 800 364-RISD (364-7473), or admissions@risd.edu.

The Student Experience

10. How will students schedule classes at each institution?

Upon acceptance to the program after completion of secondary school, students would undertake a first year of Foundation Studies at RISD, followed by a second year at Brown. Students will attend RISD’s orientation for incoming students to prepare them for the first year. They will also be oriented to the Dual Degree program. To insure that they develop a close familiarity with Brown from the beginning, students will have a session about Brown’s campus resources during the RISD orientation. During the first year of enrollment, advisors will work with dual degree students to assist them in charting their plans for their academic programs at RISD and Brown.

11. What advising will be available?

Each institution will designate an advising coordinator for students in the Dual Degree Program. The advising coordinators and faculty from each institution will provide advising. For descriptions of advising programs, please consult the individual websites of each college.

12. Where will students be housed?

Program participants will be housed at RISD during the first year and at Brown during the second year. In the third year, students will live on campus at either Brown or RISD, according to individual preference and availability. In the fourth and fifth years, students can live on- or off-campus (with permission.)

13. Can a student accelerate graduation with AP credits?

This is a five year (ten semester) degree program. Upon approval of deans from each of the institutions, AP credits may be applied toward fulfilling certain distribution requirements. However, they cannot be used to shorten the program.

Tuition and Financial Aid

14. How much does the Program cost?

All tuition and financial aid for Dual Degree students will be figured at Brown rates for the duration of the Program, and students enrolled in the Program must pay no fewer than ten semesters of Brown tuition. If a student leaves the Program and continues at Brown, Brown rates will apply; if a student leaves the Program and continues at RISD, RISD rates will apply. For more information, see Brown’s tuition and fee schedule.

Many RISD courses carry associated lab and/or material and supplies fees. Please see the RISD Course Announcement Catalogue for details. These fees will be charged to the student account bill in aggregate with a generic description each semester. Specific details supporting the total charge will be maintained by RISD and can be obtained by calling the office of Student Accounts/Accounts Receivable (401-454-6442). Students should be aware that RISD projects often entail students purchasing materials and supplies beyond those specifically attached to the course and should plan accordingly.

15. How do students apply for financial aid?

Applicants to the Dual Degree Program must submit financial aid applications to both Brown and RISD, and follow the guidelines provided on each institution’s website. Given that students will be initially admitted through procedures in place at both institutions, financial aid will be made with respect to formulae operating at both. Should a student be rejected as a Dual Degree student, or choose to matriculate at only one of the two institutions, he or she will receive the financial aid package offered by that institution. Financial aid for students admitted into the Dual Degree Program will be calculated according to the Brown formula.

16. What is Brown’s financial aid philosophy?

Financial aid at Brown is a partnership that draws on the combined resources of the student, his or her family, federal and state governments, and the University. Brown believes that the primary responsibility to pay for college lies, to the extent possible, with the family. Eligibility for aid from the University, therefore, is based on financial need. Brown, as a member of the Ivy League, does not offer aid based on academic achievement, athletic ability, or any other form of merit. For more information please review “General Questions” about Brown financial aid.

17. How does Brown determine financial need?

Demonstrated Financial Need is determined based on two primary factors: the Cost of Attendance and the Family Contribution. The Cost of Attendance is a combination of direct costs (tuition, fees, room & board), and indirect costs (books, supplies, and personal expenses). The Family Contribution is determined through an analysis of the information provided on the family’s financial aid application. Demonstrated Financial Need is calculated by subtracting the Family Contribution from the Cost of Attendance. For more information and examples please read the Brown financial aid, “Need Analysis.”

18. How much financial aid will I receive?

Because Brown meets full Demonstrated Need, students will receive an award equal to the difference of Cost of Attendance and Family Contribution. Awards generally consist of a combination of loan, campus employment, and grant funds.

19. What is need-blind admission?

Need-blind admission means that an applicant’s ability to pay for his or her education will not be a factor in the admission decision. In other words, a candidate’s financial need will not be taken into consideration when deciding to admit, wait list, or deny an applicant. This policy applies to all U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents regardless of the program to which the applicant has applied. For more information, please read Brown’s “Need-Blind Admission.”

20. Is my financial aid renewable for all five years of the program?

Financial aid is renewable for all five undergraduate years, assuming eligibility continues. Students must reapply each year for financial aid. Renewal forms and procedures are distributed at the end of the fall term.