A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A+
  2. Value
    A+
  3. Diversity
    A
  4. Campus
    C+
  5. Athletics
    B
  6. Party Scene
    B
  7. Professors
    A
  8. Location
    B-
  9. Dorms
    C+
  10. Campus Food
    C
  11. Student Life
    B+
  12. Safety
    B-
View Full Report Card
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is ...
Private not-for-profit
Athletic Division
NCAA Division III (with football)
Athletic Conference
Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association
Address
110 8th St
Troy, NY 12180
Website
rpi.edu

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
38%
SAT Scores Range
1300-1490
ACT Scores Range
27-32
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Required
High School GPA
Required
Will You Get In?

Test Scores and GPA for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Cost

Net Price
$36,374/ year
National
$15,431

Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.

Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $24,151/ year
  • $30-48k
    $25,623/ year
  • $49-75k
    $29,677/ year
  • $76-110k
    $33,166/ year
  • $110k+
    $38,371/ year

Academics

Professors
A
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
15:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
74%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.58 responses
74%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.61 responses
41%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.61 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Mechanical Engineering
    169 Graduates
  • Computer Science
    101 Graduates
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering
    84 Graduates
  • Business Administration and Management
    81 Graduates
  • Chemical Engineering
    74 Graduates
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
    72 Graduates
  • Aerospace Engineering
    70 Graduates
  • Civil Engineering
    60 Graduates
  • Industrial Engineering
    58 Graduates
  • Architecture
    45 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
5,598Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
2%
Pell Grant
18%
Varsity Athletes
10%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 35 responses
Report
  • Nerdy
    49%
  • Driven
    20%
  • Motivated
    17%
  • Nerdy trying to be a college bro.
    14%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
100%
Poll
49%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.73 responses
Poll
70%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life.84 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 31 responses
Report
  • Why not change the world?
    65%
  • A bunch of nerds.
    16%
  • A community of innovative and creative minds.
    16%
  • A bunch of nerds with potential
    3%

After Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$81,700/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
82%
National
47%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
94%
National
83%
93%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.45 responses
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Reviews

925 reviews
All Categories
If you are into a STEM oriented education, RPI is for you! If you graduated at the top of your class in high school, be prepared to be average because everyone else did too. This makes Rensselaer a competitive place but you will find friends that will last well after graduation. The curriculum is highly structured so don't expect to have many electives. This does assure that when you graduate you will have the knowledge and thoroughness that are expected of an RPI grad.
Review Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
I've had a great time at Rensselaer so far. I've been heavily involved in Rensselaer's student-run union as well as student government. Students have a great say in what happens on campus, which is great. The academics, overall, are also amazing and comparable to what you would find at other top-tier universities for STEM. The business school is also great as well! Third best in New York, and top 50 in the country!
All students should know coming into RPI that it is not an 'easy' school whatsoever. It is extremely difficult to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, or even one near it as the courses here are definitely made to challenge you and make you think. The course loads for certain classes are less than others, but still require just as much effort if you want to pass. There are many high school students who come into RPI thinking that they can get by without studying for tests as they did in high school, which is a big misconception. STUDY! The professors are usually very friendly and want students to do well in the course, so make sure to make use of office hours to go over any problems. Class sizes will diminish as you move up in grade as courses become more specific to major. Overall, I can say that the classes I have taken so far are very useful, none of them considered to be a waste of my time.