Private nonprofit · Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, New York · Small city

63.5%
Admit rate
$36,228
Avg net price
84%
Graduation rate
$102,051
Median earnings

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Troy, New York (small city setting), enrolling 5,714 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 5,714 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 63% admitNCAA Division III with football · Upstate Collegiate Athletic AssociationCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's admitted students.

Admit rate
63.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1375–1510
Avg GPA (est.)
3.93

Enter a test score to see where you land against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Troy, New York

Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Mohican Indians had a number of settlements along the Hudson River near its confluence with the Mohawk River. Troy is known as the "Collar City" due to its history in shirt, collar, and other textile production. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
7 miles to Albany, NY
To the ocean
99 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Albany (ALB) · major hub

How Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute compares

Selectivity63.5%

More selective than 72% · #50 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1456

Higher than 93%

Graduation rate84%

Higher than 91% · #14 of 159 in New York

First-year retention91%

Higher than 87%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$102,051

Higher than 98% · #6 of 133 in New York

Average net price$36,228

Cheaper than 8% · #136 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$23,750

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment5,714

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

7,013students
  • Undergraduate5,71481%
  • Graduate1,29919%

Undergraduates by gender

5,714undergrads
  • Women1,96734%
  • Men3,74766%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White45%
  • Black5.0%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian22%
  • Other or multiracial18%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,714
Graduate enrollment
1,299
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
14%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$96,976
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$124,380
Endowment
$1,000,295,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
63.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1375–1510
SAT average
1456
SAT reading
670–740
SAT math
705–770
ACT composite
30–34
Average GPA (estimated)
3.93

Cost

In-state tuition
$64,081
Room & board
$18,120
Books & supplies
$1,350
Total cost of attendance
$82,404
Average net price
$36,228

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
84%
Graduated on time (4 years)
72%
First-year retention
91%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$83,054
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$102,051
Median debt at graduation
$23,750
Students with federal loans
51%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
89%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
72%
Low-income (Pell)
80%
First-generation
78%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,899
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
68%
Housing charge (year)
$9,460
Meal plan (year)
$8,070
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
854 (536 men · 318 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)320
Football114
Lacrosse83
Soccer66
Ice Hockey57
Swimming and Diving (combined)51
Baseball40
Basketball38
Tennis26
Field Hockey25
Softball21
Golf13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
17
Property offenses (2022–2024)
21

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (7,040 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

13reported offenses a year
5.7 violent a year7.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.3
Rape
4.3
Fondling
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$24,078
$30–48k
$26,289
$48–75k
$28,212
$75–110k
$36,230
$110k+
$42,541

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$118,885

$28,212/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

96%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$41,926
average award, among those who get one

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute discounts heavily: 96% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $41,926. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,002 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$102,051
Typical debt at graduation
$23,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad
88%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$96,821
Men
$103,538

Men out-earn women by $6,717 (7%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
42.1″
Annual snow
59.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Troy L&D, NY US station (1.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute side by side →

Colleges near Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.