Ringling College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Sarasota, Florida. It enrolls 1,662 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
57/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes79
Value1
Affordability10
Selectivity62
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Ringling College of Art and Design admits 69.7% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
69.7%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Ringling College of Art and Design is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stable ↑
3.5 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $57,742 a year on average, it sits above what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That is a serious number, so the earnings further down matter more here than usual. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$57,900
Room & Board (on-campus)
$19,100
Room & Board (off-campus)
$15,468
Books & Supplies
$2,700
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,174
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,510
Total Cost of Attendance
$80,276
Application fee: $70 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$47,261
$30,001 – $48,000
$48,213
$48,001 – $75,000
$55,121
$75,001 – $110,000
$59,265
Over $110,000
$62,609
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,50010%percentile
$12,00025%percentile
$27,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$35,50090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $27,000
—
No Pell $26,198
↓ $802
Dependent students $27,000
—
Independent students $32,500
↑ $5,500
Female students $27,000
—
Male students $27,000
—
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,500, less than completers ($27,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
67% of students who start here finish within six years, and 85% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
67%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
85%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $43,325 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$43,325
Earning > $25K
63%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$36,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$48,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$36,900
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$46,800
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$44,200
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $11,600, about 24% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
8.8 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 76% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,662 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
1,662
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
17%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 42.5%706
International 20.5%340
Hispanic 16.6%276
Asian 9.5%157
Other 4.5%75
Black 3.9%64
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Ringling College of Art and Design. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Ringling College of Art and Design offers
a focused set of programs:
7 distinct programs across
3 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$228M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$85,629
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
128 instructional faculty across 1 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
No Rank
128
100%
$85,629
Pros & Cons of Ringling College of Art and Design
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Ringling College of Art and Design is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Very high published cost of attendance (full-pay families pay much more than the net-price average)
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
No graduate programs offered at this institution
Narrow program catalog compared to mid-sized peers
Frequently Asked Questions about Ringling College of Art and Design
The questions families ask most about Ringling College of Art and Design, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Ringling College of Art and Design hard to get into?
Admissions at Ringling College of Art and Design are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 69.7%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Ringling College of Art and Design?
69.7% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Ringling College of Art and Design cost?
Budget around $57,742 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Ringling College of Art and Design worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $43,325 a year against a net price of $57,742, about 0.8 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Ringling College of Art and Design known for?
Mostly Graphic Communications, Design, Fine Arts. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Ringling College of Art and Design graduates earn?
About $43,325 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Ringling College of Art and Design accredited?
Yes. Ringling College of Art and Design is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Ringling College of Art and Design?
1,662 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Ringling College of Art and Design?
67% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Ringling College of Art and Design a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Ringling College of Art and Design located?
Ringling College of Art and Design is located in Sarasota, Florida.
What programs does Ringling College of Art and Design offer?
7 different programs, most commonly Graphic Communications, Design, Fine Arts. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Ringling College of Art and Design?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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