Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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RPI at a Glance

Location:
Troy, NY
Setting:
Small city
Control:
Private Non-Profit
In-State Tuition:
$39,165
Out-of-State Tuition:
$39,165
Room & Board:
$11,465
Full-Time Undergrads:
5,520
Part-Time Undergrads:
5
More statistics . . .
School Website:
www.rpi.edu
Admissions Website:
www.rpi.edu/dept/admissions
Financial Aid Website:
www.rpi.edu/dept/admissions/aid
Application Deadline:
January 15
Acceptance Rate:
40 %
Admission Difficulty:
Hard
Average SAT Scores:
1860–2135
Average ACT Scores:
26–30

Best Things

Worst Things

Most Popular Majors

  • Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering and Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer and Information Sciences
  • More majors . . .

Overall ExperienceWhat's This?

RPI provides many advantages to its students—the most important of those are the prospects post-graduation. This is perhaps the most compelling reason to come to RPI—although the economy has been slow in the past few years, most graduates find their way into the workforce with decent entry-level jobs. The school itself is very challenging and provides an education and a name that few other universities can match (especially in the science and engineering fields). The social life isn’t what you can find at other schools, but there are still fun things to do if you’re willing to look for them; students who get into the social scene tend to remain friends with the people they meet, even after graduation.

Before deciding if RPI is where you want to spend your college years, be sure to take into account a few important points. The first is that this is not a party school—work comes first. Partying is fine, but not at the expense of schoolwork. If you can’t manage your time well, you won’t be staying in Troy for long. The second thing to remember is the male-to-female ratio is three to one. The third is the weather. This isn’t a pleasant place for most of the school year. If you’re from the Northeast, you should be fine, but if you haven’t seen snow before, you might be in for a shock. If you can handle these things and are serious about one of the courses of study that RPI offers, then RPI is your ticket to a good education and a promising post-college life.

RPI Student Reviews

Overall Experience at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Anonymous

RPI Student

I’m learning a lot at RPI, having...

I’m learning a lot at RPI, having RPI on my resume has helped me and others out a lot with finding jobs and scholarships. RPI engineer grads make money after they graduate; that’s why I’m sticking it out. The social scene isn’t great, but usually, I’m too busy with tons of work in all my classes to notice. The thing that kills most is the ratio of guys to girls; if it were 55, things would be much better.

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Overall Experience at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Anonymous

RPI Student

So far, I love being at RPI. I’m...

So far, I love being at RPI. I’m very glad I didn’t choose another school closer to home. (I live about two and a half hours away from Troy.) The people I have met have been really great, and it’s definitely been an awesome experience. With four classes a semester, the workload doesn’t turn everyone into mindless robot students, but there’s definitely enough schoolwork to keep most people occupied. I certainly don’t wish I was somewhere else. Although the school is definitely a tech school (humanities are rather lacking in some areas), that fits well with me, and I love being here.

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Overall Experience at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Anonymous

RPI Student

Although the social scene isn’t...

Although the social scene isn’t the greatest and there are a lot of cliques, I’ve found my niche among friends, and the education I’m getting is going to give me the opportunity to be a pioneer in my field.

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