Rochester Institute of Technology

About Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester Institute of Technology (also known as RIT is a private university in Rochester, NY. In addition to undergraduate programs, they confer research and professional graduate degrees up to and including doctorate. Founded in 1829, they offer liberal arts, creative, business, and technical degree programs through nine discipline-specific schools. They’re also one of the only engineering schools in New York State.

Type of Institution

4 yr

Private not-for-profit

Tuition Range

Over $35K

Student-to-Faculty Ratio

13:1

Financial Aid Percent

86%

Graduation Rate

67%

Accreditation Status

Accredited

Tuition

Range shown below is based on In-state tuition and does not include any external costs such as housing, books, etc.

Estimate Tuition Range

$$$$.................................. $0 - $15,000
$$$$.................................. $15,001 - $25,000
$$$$.................................. $25,001 - $35,000
$$$$.................................. $35,001 or above

Financial Aid Percent

Includes students receiving Federal work study aid as well as aid from pell grants,federal grants, scholarships, and other sources of financial aid.

Why Consider Rochester?

From RIT’s long history in higher education, to their reputation, to the dynamic educational experiences they offer, students might have tons of reasons for choosing to study here.Rochester boasts a 13:1 student to faculty ratio, and an 87% retention rate for first-time students attending full time. And while students and faculty at Rochester may be involved with cutting-edge research, the instructors’ primary focus is on just that—instruction, using their research and professional experience to help their students progress.

Join A Diverse Community

Rochester Institute of Technology is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community. Students come from all over the world—more than 100 countries—to study here. More than that, they maintain international campuses across the globe, in places like China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. RIT is also the home of The National Technical Institute for the Deaf. It’s designed specifically to help deaf and hard-of-hearing students access the higher education they need, with career-focused programs and an emphasis on accessibility and support.

Get Involved with Research & Innovation

RIT believes in enabling students and faculty not just to learn, but also to innovate and overcome problems. Research areas include cyber security, healthcare technology, computational relativity and gravitation, and more. In 2017, they earned more than $60 million in new sponsored research awards, including ones from the National Science Foundation. Of course, science and technology aren’t the only ways that the RIT community push boundaries and create new things. For example, the Imagine RIT Innovation & Creativity Festival celebrates many of the creative accomplishments of the RIT community. This includes writing, performing arts, visual art, and technological accomplishments.

Hands-On Learning

Rochester Institute of Technology knows that learning doesn’t only happen in the classroom, but throughout life. Not only that, but each student learns a little differently. That’s why RIT emphasizes diverse, hands-on learning opportunities. Examples include:

Cooperative Education: Also known as a co-op, this is generally a full-time, paid experience in your field of choice.
Internships: Like co-ops, internships offer students opportunities to gain work experience in their fields of choice. However, not all of them may be paid or full-time. Sometimes, these credits could apply toward required courses in your program.
Research: Students at RIT may be able to get involved with research in their field. This could include working on a research team under or alongside a faculty member or funded by an organization or industry.
Global Learning & Study Abroad: RIT is a global community—and your education could be a global one, too. RIT maintains several campuses abroad, with additional potential study abroad opportunities elsewhere.

RIT Rankings

Over the years, Rochester Institute of Technology has worked hard to provide students with the education and experiences they need to chase their dreams. And they’ve been recognized for it. For example, US News & World Report 2018 recognized them in the following categories.

#97 National Universities
#58 Best Colleges for Veterans
#41 Best Value Schools
#64 Business Programs
#33 Fine Arts
#4 Photography
#70 Physics
#81 Best Engineering Schools
#36 Best Online MBA Programs
#60 Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs

Request Information

Mission, Vision, and Values

Rochester Institute of Technology is dedicated to fostering a student-centric culture, through curriculum, experiential learning and research. They also aim to prepare their students to pursue careers in a global society.

Rochester Institute of Technology Grad Programs

Admissions

The process or applying to graduate programs at the Rochester Institute of Technology may also vary, depending on which program you’re applying to. That’s because different disciplines and degree levels may have unique requirements beyond the standard. However, the basic graduate application requirements are as follows.

Academic Transcripts: RIT asks that applicants submit academic transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. All graduate programs require applicants to have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school. More specific requirements, like GPA or area of study, may vary.
Resume or CV: This should include education and employment experience, internships, and research experience, as it relates to your program of choice. Different programs may have different minimum experience requirements.
Graduate Admissions Test: Some programs might ask for test scores. This typically would be either the GRE or GMAT. Follow up with your program of choice to find out if this is required, and if so, if there are any score requirements or recommendations.

Portfolio: Some programs (particularly MFA and MST programs) may ask for a portfolio of creative or professional work (such as creative projects, art, lessons you’ve taught, etc.) alongside the rest of your application requirements. Some programs may also ask for writing samples.

Enrollment, Attendance, Retention Rates and Graduation

Rochester Institute of Technology has a total graduate enrollment of 3069

Graduate attendance rate of 19% part-time and 81% full-time

For the years 2017-2018 Rochester Institute of Technology awarded: 123 associates, 2422 bachelor's degrees, 1176 master's degrees, 25 doctor's degrees - research/scholarship

Financial Aid

Graduate students at Rochester Institute of Technology may pursue several sources of funding to help cover their RIT tuition, if they choose to apply, qualify, and are selected. These may include: Gradate Scholarships, Graduate Assistantships, Co-ops, Military or Veteran’s Benefits and Campus Employment. Follow up with your admissions advisor to find out more about what options may be available that you may qualify for.

Rochester Institute of Technology holds regional accreditation through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Program-specific accreditation includes but is not limited to:

Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Commission on English Language Program Accreditation

For more information about accreditation and to find out about the status of your selected program, reach out to RIT.

Student Reviews

The school is full of many supportive people who genuinely care for each other. You just really need to join something that interests you and then you'll be able to find some great friends. People seem very chill for it being considered a top university. Definitely a calmer atmosphere compared to schools like Stanford and Berkeley.
The university provides the best of both academics opportunities as well as extracurricular activities in order to help their students explore and/or grow their skills on a specific or variety of fields. Their goal is to get their students involved in what they love in order to grow and expand the students knowledge.
Overall, I love being a student at USC. On campus, I am a research assistant, a newspaper writer, and a dancer on the competitive hip-hop team. I've met a wide variety of students at USC, some who astound me with their intelligence and hobbies. I love talking to my professors during their office hours. The downsides to being a USC student is that a lot of things are inordinately expensive, the tuition keeps rising (unnecessarily), and the area around it is not super nice.

Campus Locations

Rochester Institute of Technology: Online
Rochester Institute of Technology: Rochester, NY
One Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY, 14623

Rochester Institute of Technology offers 82 different graduate degree programs, with an additional nineteen graduate certificate programs. Many of these programs are career-focused, designed to help students hone career skills and build expertise they might need in their industry. This could include potential co-ops, internships, or even opportunities to purse research.

Program Spotlight: MS in Electrical Engineering>

Rochester Institute of Technology offers a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, offered through the Kate Gleason College of Engineering (KGCOE). This program combines rigorous academics with hands-on experience and applied research. Students may choose between six focus areas:

Communication
Control
Digital Systems
Integrated Electronics
MEMs
Signal and Image Processing

While specific course requirements may vary by area of focus, the program requires at least 30 credits to be completed, as well as a Graduate Thesis or similar paper requirement. To apply to the Electrical Engineering MS Program at RIT, you’d need a 3.0 GPA or higher in your undergrad, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and a bachelor’s in a related field.