CollegeGrad School
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- 4 Year
- Troy, NY
- 1,023 reviews
COVID-19 Update for Prospective Students and Families:
In lieu of on-campus visits, we are currently offering daily general admissions information session webinars, and offer a virtual campus tour experience. Please check our website for information on when and how in-person visits will resume.
- AcademicsA+
- ValueA+
- DiversityA
- CampusC
- AthleticsB
- Party SceneB
- ProfessorsA+
- LocationC+
- DormsB-
- Campus FoodC+
- Student LifeB
- SafetyB
Athletic Division
NCAA Division III (with football)
Athletic Conference
Liberty League
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.
RPI Admissions
Acceptance Rate
43%
SAT Range
1330-1500
ACT Range
29-33
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Considered but not required
High School GPA
Required
Early Decision/Early Action
Yes
Application Website
Will You Get Into RPI?
Test Scores and High School GPA for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute See Other Colleges
Cost
Net Price
$39,308/ year
National
$15,523Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Average Total Aid Awarded
$30,824/ year
National
$7,535Students Receiving Financial Aid
82%
Academics
Professors
A+
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
13:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
- 74%
- of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.58 responses
- 73%
- of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.67 responses
- 40%
- of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.67 responses
Majors
Most Popular Majors
Computer Science
208 GraduatesMechanical Engineering
192 GraduatesChemical Engineering
109 GraduatesElectrical Engineering
100 GraduatesBioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
97 GraduatesBusiness
87 GraduatesAerospace Engineering
85 GraduatesComputer Systems Technician
64 GraduatesMathematics
49 GraduatesCivil Engineering
47 Graduates
Students
Full-Time Enrollment
6,607Undergrads
Part-Time Undergrads
21
Undergrads Over 25
1%
Pell Grant
15%
Varsity Athletes
10%
Campus Life
Freshmen Live On-Campus
100%
Poll
- 52%
- of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.79 responses
Poll
- 69%
- of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life.90 responses
After College
Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$82,000/ year
National
$33,028Graduation Rate
86%
National
49%Employed 2 Years After Graduation
95%
National
83%- 93%
- of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.45 responses
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Reviews
1,023 reviews
All Categories
I liken RPI to academic boot camp...there is an overall pride in the administration for being very difficult graders. This is excellent for teaching you to grind through adversity and serves you well in the workforce, however it is terrible if you plan on applying to grad school!
RPI is like MIT-light in the fact that it's a research institution and the administration only cares about the professors and grad students who get them big grants and notoriety. This results in an overall poor undergraduate experience however there are tons of opportunities to participate in undergraduate research which is a fantastic resume builder.
Overall, RPI is a great school for the very serious student looking for a career the tech world. If this does not describe you, you would be better off going someplace else!
RPI is like MIT-light in the fact that it's a research institution and the administration only cares about the professors and grad students who get them big grants and notoriety. This results in an overall poor undergraduate experience however there are tons of opportunities to participate in undergraduate research which is a fantastic resume builder.
Overall, RPI is a great school for the very serious student looking for a career the tech world. If this does not describe you, you would be better off going someplace else!
I should clarify to start: I think the learning itself is good. The professors are making good use of various online tools to help students succeed online and to be available for students to ask questions and work through difficult concepts. My biggest frustration is with the administration and the expenses they're putting us through. Not only did they not reduce tuition, but they went through with the previously scheduled increase, despite having weakened instruction online. I still think the education is valuable, but it bothers me that a school that claims to care about its students is continuing to push their students to their financial limits despite a national recession and weakened education.
The education is as rigorous as it is known for. On top of that, the professors are truly experts in their field, and given the time to work with them one-on-one, any hard-working individual will become an expert them-self. RPIs biggest weaknesses come from the administration, and if you can overlook some restricted parts of the college experience the education is rigorous and worth it. The number of employers who come to Rensselaer is astounding, and I personally know numerous graduates who had jobs lined up more than six months out from graduation. The other big issue is the area. Troy is notorious for crime and while it's getting better and has been for the last decade, we still get numerous notifications about crime in Troy. That being said, campus itself is generally safe, but walking off campus is risky, even during the daytime.