Established in New York as the Rensselaer School in 1824, the school is the oldest technological research university in the United State and a hub of innovative research and development. Rensselaer has always been at the forefront of technological development as it was among the first universities in the United States to launch an ICT program called The Rensselaer Information Technology and Web Science (ITWS) program. Presently, the school is known to be the home to one of the world's most powerful university-based supercomputers. 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Ranking

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is ranked:

  • 401st to 500th in world University Rankings list by Times Higher Education 
  • 383rd in QS world university ranking by QS Top Universities Ranking.
  • 50th in National Universities Ranking in the United States by US News

Highlights

College Type Private
Campus Setting Suburban
Annual Endowment 718 million USD
Student Retention Rate 93%
Work-study program Yes
Mode of Program Full time; Part-time; Online
Campus Housing Capacity 57%
The annual cost of Attendance 71,998 USD
Admission Helpdesk admissions@rpi.edu

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Campus

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Campus
  • Situated on 275 acres of land at 110 Eighth Street Troy, New York, USA 12180., the campus houses a total of 746 labs, studios, and technology spaces used for research.
  • Other prominent structures on campus include a stadium, field houses, swimming pool, residential halls, and apartments, and open space for different athletic activities.
  • Currently, there are 23 fraternities and four sororities providing an array of choices for over 1,500 students who choose to be members of the Greek community.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Residence

  • First-year students, second-year students, first-year transfer students and students participating in the arch summer semester are required to live on campus while others can choose to live on campus or not.
  • Graduate students at Rensselaer Polytechnic institute stay off-campus.
  • To help students find suitable off-campus apartments, Places4Students -a free, off-campus housing finder is provided for all students in the Rensselaer community.
  • On-campus residency in Rensselaer polytechnic Institute follows the CLASS (Clustered Learning, Advocacy, and Support for Students), model
  • Application for on-campus residence is through the Rensselaer Residence Life's Online Services Portal.
  • There are 13 freshmen halls, six sophomore suite and apartments, three junior apartments, one senior/co-term apartment, five Arch suites and traditional halls making it a total of 28 residence buildings on campus.
  • Students with critical health or financial circumstances can request for a housing waiver.
  • Some basic amenities like AC, laundry, ethernet, cable TV, lounge, kitchen with kitchen utensils, carpet, etc are available in some halls of residence.
  • Rensselaer's non-discrimination housing policy accommodates students who are:
    • Transgender
    • Non-binary
    • Gender non-conforming
    • Do not subscribe to the gender binary construct
    • Questioning their gender identity

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Program

  • Rensselaer offers 40+ undergraduate programs, 40 graduate programs, and 28 doctorate programs across five schools.
  • Specialized programs such as Interdisciplinary programs, accelerated programs, professional programs, Graduate Level Advanced Manufacturing Certificate and 38 Co-Terminal Degree Programs popular among them are MBA, Aerospace Engineering, Quantitative Finance & Risk Analytics, etc.
  • Online courses are offered in the following areas: Mechanical Engineering (M.E.), Engineering Science (M.S.), Business Intelligence, etc.
  • Student/Faculty ratio: 13:1

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Application Process

  • Online application portal of the institute
  • Application fee: 70 USD for undergraduate and 75 USD for graduate admissions
  • Application requirements for international undergraduate freshmen are:
    • Academic Transcripts
    • International Student Financial Statement (ISFS)
    • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT: 88, IELTS: 7.0, PTE:59)
    • InitialView, Vericant, or Duolingo Interview (optional)
    • Recommendation Letter
    • Essay
  • While the graduate applicants are required to submit:
    •  a personal statement
    • curriculum vitae
    • GRE or GMAT Scores (optional)
    • Portfolio (if required by department)
    • IT Background Evaluation form (for IT only)
  • Non-degree seeking applicants are expected to submit the following documents:
    • Graduate application for non-matriculated study (PDF)
    • Official academic transcript
    • 75 USD application fee
    • Photocopies of official immigration/visa documents
    • Proof of English proficiency, TOEFL score of 230 CBT/88 iBT/570 PBT (IELTS 6.5)
  • Applicants for online programs are required to submit Official Transcripts, Personal Statement, Curriculum Vitae, Two Letters of Recommendation and Non-refundable Application Processing Fee of 75 USD.

Application deadlines for UG students are presented in the table below:

Admission Plan Application Due Date Binding Notification Date
Early Decision I November 1 Yes December 14
Early Decision II December 15 Yes January 18
Regular Decision January 15 No March 7
Law/Medical Programs November 1 No Early April
  • Fall Application Deadlines for Lally MBA/MS Programs are March 15, for round 3 admission and May 15, for round 4. Other graduate programs' application deadline for the fall semester is January 1.
  • Education for Working Professionals programs accepts applications at any time.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Cost of Attendance

The estimated cost of attendance is presented in the table below:

Types of Expenses Amount (USD) Amount (USD)
Tuition Fees 54,000 54,000
Fees 1,378 2,694
Rooms and Boards 15,580 14,662
Books, Personal, and Supplies 2,858 2,950
Total 73,816 74,306
  • All students are required to own a laptop which may be purchased at Rensselaer for 1,350 USD.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Financial Aid

  • For Admission and financial aid, graduate applicants with a valid green card are considered as domestic students
  • The scholarships available to international students include:
    • The Rensselaer Medal for outstanding math and science students worth 120,000 USD
    • Rensselaer Leadership Award for students with an exceptional record of academic and personal achievements
  • Rensselaer also accepts students on external scholarships offered to international students in the USA .

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alumni

  • Members of the Alumni network organize career and networking meetups, reunion and homecoming, volunteer and financial aid to students of the institution
  • Members of the Greek life community have the opportunity to remain active after graduation from college.
  • The Alumni Inter-Greek Council (AIGC) also foster the Rensselaer Greek community and to enhance the welfare of our society.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Placement

  • The school authority in collaboration with the alumni network provides tools for career and job placement searches.
  • Rensselaer has been named among the top ten schools in the United States where students go to earn more money.
  • According to PayScale, the average salary of a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate is 71,300 USD