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.
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
More selective than 72% · #50 most selective of 137 in New York
Higher than 93%
Higher than 91% · #14 of 159 in New York
Higher than 87%
Higher than 98% · #6 of 133 in New York
Cheaper than 8% · #136 cheapest of 153 in New York
Lower than 46%
Lower than 42%
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
- Undergraduate5,71481%
- Graduate1,29919%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Troy L&D, NY US station (1.5 mi from campus).
What Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates study — and earn
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 →
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey · Large suburb · 2 mi to New York
- Students
- 4,222
- Admission
- 48%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1446
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $109k
Fordham University
Bronx, New York · Large city · 12 mi to New York
- Students
- 10,512
- Admission
- 59%
- Net price
- $44k
- SAT
- 1418
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $86k
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Terre Haute, Indiana · Small city · 65 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 2,309
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $43k
- SAT
- 1427
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $101k
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California · Midsize city · 3 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 6,552
- Admission
- 48%
- Net price
- $50k
- SAT
- 1426
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $109k
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia · Large city · 1 mi to Washington
- Students
- 11,182
- Admission
- 47%
- Net price
- $37k
- SAT
- 1433
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $91k
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas · Large suburb · 5 mi to Dallas
- Students
- 7,277
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1428
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $78k
Colleges near Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Russell Sage College
Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,244 students
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing
Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 129 students
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NY · Public · Associate · 6,499 students
Siena University
Loudonville, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,409 students
Aesthetic Science Institute
Latham, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 164 students
Mildred Elley School-Albany Campus
Albany, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 369 students
Orlo School of Hair Design and Cosmetology
Albany, NY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 56 students
Bryant & Stratton College-Albany
Albany, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 240 students
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.















