Ringling College
of Art and Design
Private College in Sarasota, FL. Six-year graduation rate 72%. Median 10-year earnings $43,325.
Ten years after entry, the median Ringling College of Art and Design student earns $43,325 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 72% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Median debt at graduation reaches $27,000, heavy enough to shape the years right after the degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.62 — elevated (above 0.60)
Admissions
Ringling College of Art and Design accepts 70% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. 2,244 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. 24% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Ringling College of Art and Design →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 72% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. 86% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. A 11:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,719 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay $62,012 a year on average after aid, a premium price that the earnings data has to justify. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $47,261 at the $0–30k band to $62,609 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 100% of students receive it, averaging $18,219. Federal borrowing reaches 38% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 447 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $47,261 |
| $30–48k | $48,213 |
| $48–75k | $55,121 |
| $75–110k | $59,265 |
| $110k+ | $62,609 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 659 of these 1,719 students, totalling $4,494,027 — an average of $6,819 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sarasota County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)