Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The oldest technological university in the English-speaking world, on a hill above Troy, New York.
- Acceptance rate
- 67%
- Fall 2025 entering class (Common Data Set 2025-26); applying now for fall 2027
- Students
- 7,042
- 5,833 undergraduates
- International
- 5%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 15:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $67,976
- 2026-27
About RPI
Stephen Van Rensselaer founded the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824, and RPI describes itself as the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world. Its hillside campus overlooks the city of Troy and the Hudson River, and its Common Data Set counts 7,042 students in fall 2025: 5,833 undergraduates and 1,209 graduate students.
RPI has five schools: Engineering (the largest), Science, the Lally School of Management, Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and Architecture, plus interdisciplinary programs such as Information Technology and Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences. Its alumni built the Brooklyn Bridge and the first Ferris wheel and later invented the microprocessor and email, and every student is required to have a laptop. Research strengths include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, computational science with IBM, and the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).
RPI admitted 9,655 of 14,356 first-year applicants for fall 2025 (about 67%), but enrolled students are strong in math and science: their middle-50% SAT Math was 690-770. It suits students who want a focused STEM school with room for arts, games and architecture, Division I hockey culture, and a small-city setting on the Hudson.
Knowledge and Thoroughness
University motto
Why students choose RPI
Five application options for fall 2027 (Early Decision I and II, Early Action, Regular Decision and the B.S./M.D. program), with no application fee if you apply by December 1.
Graduates earn a College Scorecard median of $102,051 ten years after entry.
Distinctive interdisciplinary majors such as Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences, Design, Innovation and Society, and Product Design and Innovation sit alongside core engineering.
The Rensselaer Medal, first awarded in 1916, is a merit scholarship for high school juniors who excel in math and science.
Admissions
Fall 2025 entering class (Common Data Set 2025-26); applying now for fall 2027
9,655 admitted from 14,356 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
For fall 2025, RPI admitted 9,655 of 14,356 first-year applicants and enrolled 1,394; Early Decision admitted 219 of 317 applicants. For fall 2024, IPEDS reported 17,175 applicants with 63% admitted. The Accelerated Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) and Architecture programs are far more selective than the institute as a whole.
Typical entry requirements
| Application by program | Choose a specific major or an undeclared school; apply directly to Architecture (portfolio required) or Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences if interested |
|---|---|
| Accelerated Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program | Separate application by November 1 with official SAT/ACT scores and a medicine essay |
| English language | IELTS 7 · TOEFL iBT 88 Expected minimums: TOEFL iBT 88 (4.5 on the new scale), IELTS 7.0 overall, Duolingo 115, PTE 59; official scores only. Applicants with three or more years of US secondary school can request an exemption. An InitialView, Duolingo or Vericant interview is encouraged for international applicants. |
Deadlines
- Early Decision I Binding Next deadline · In 25 daysNovember 1, 2026
Decision by December 12. FAFSA and CSS Profile priority date November 15.
- Accelerated Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program Non-binding In 25 daysNovember 1, 2026
Decisions in early April; official test scores required.
- Early Action Non-binding In 55 daysDecember 1, 2026
Decision by January 30. Application fee waived for applications submitted by December 1.
- Early Decision II Binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 6, 2027
Decision by January 16.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 15, 2027
Decision by March 6. FAFSA and CSS Profile priority date January 31.
Dates are from RPI's published Application Options for fall 2027. Supporting materials should ideally arrive within two weeks after the deadline; Architecture portfolios are due within 10 days of your round's deadline.
How to apply
Common App or the RPI Application; official high school transcript; one letter of recommendation from a counselor or teacher (preferably math or science); the Common App personal essay (extra essays only for B.S./M.D. and Architecture); optional SAT/ACT; $70 fee, waived for applications submitted by December 1. Architecture needs a portfolio. RPI does not interview, but U.S. students may add an optional 60-90 second GLIMPSE video.
What admissions looks for
- Unique strengths, leadership and talents that will add to the RPI community, according to the admissions committee.
- A strong academic record, ideally with a recommendation from a math or science teacher who knows you well.
- A clear academic direction: RPI asks you to be as specific as possible about your major or school.
- For Architecture, a creative portfolio; for the B.S./M.D. program, test scores and a statement of why you want a career in medicine.
Tips for applying to RPI
- 1 Apply by December 1 (Early Action or ED I) to have the $70 application fee waived.
- 2 Ask a math or science teacher for your one recommendation letter.
- 3 Apply directly to Architecture or Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences if those are your goals, rather than changing major later.
- 4 U.S. applicants can add a short GLIMPSE video; international applicants are encouraged to book an InitialView, Duolingo or Vericant interview.
- 5 International students should plan to pay the full cost: RPI offers only limited merit scholarships of up to $20,000 a year and requires proof of about $80,000 in first-year funding.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Need-based aid requires the FAFSA and CSS Profile by the priority date for your round. Merit awards include the Rensselaer Medal, first presented in 1916 to promising high school juniors in math and science; students eligible for several merit scholarships receive the single highest. International students can receive only limited merit scholarships of up to $20,000 a year and must document funding.
- $90,076, plus a required laptop (about $2,000 through RPI)
- Cost of attendance 2026-27 (tuition, fees, food and housing, books, personal, transport)
- Limited, up to $20,000 per year
- International merit scholarships
- $102,051
- Median earnings 10 years after entry (College Scorecard)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Engineering
RPI's largest school, with a lineage running from Brooklyn Bridge engineer Washington Roebling to microprocessor inventor Ted Hoff.
Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS)
An interdisciplinary major that RPI recommends applying to directly.
Architecture (B.Arch)
Requires a creative portfolio and a short essay on why you chose architecture.
Accelerated Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program
A separate application track for students aiming at medicine, with its own November 1 deadline.
Computer science and information technology
Alumni include email pioneer Ray Tomlinson and NVIDIA co-founder Curtis Priem; RPI unveiled an IBM quantum computer on campus in 2024.
Research
- The Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies is a 218,000-square-foot research facility for biotechnology.
- The Center for Computational Innovations grew out of a $100 million collaboration between RPI, IBM and New York State, and in 2024 RPI and IBM unveiled a quantum computer on campus.
- The $220 million Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) opened in 2008.
- Nobel Prize in Physics winner Ivar Giaever earned his PhD at RPI in 1964.
Schools & faculties
- School of Engineering
- School of Science
- Lally School of Management
- School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
- School of Architecture
College Scorecard reports median earnings of $102,051 for RPI students 10 years after entry.
Student life
RPI's campus sits on a hill above Troy, with Colonial Revival 'Green Rooftop' buildings from the Palmer Ricketts era next to modern landmarks like EMPAC. Students elect a Grand Marshal and a President of the Union, and the student-run Rensselaer Union manages its own budget. Ice hockey is the big sport: the Division I team draws thousands of fans to the Houston Field House, while most of RPI's 23 sports compete in NCAA Division III in the Liberty League.
- Division I men's and women's ice hockey at the Houston Field House.
- 21 of 23 varsity sports compete in NCAA Division III's Liberty League.
- Student-elected Grand Marshal and President of the Union lead student government.
- The Alma Mater is played daily at noon by the quadrangle bell.
Housing. RPI's cost of attendance includes an $18,870 food and housing allowance for 2026-27, the same for on-campus and independent off-campus students.
Location
Troy is a small historic city on the Hudson River in upstate New York. RPI's 265-acre campus sits on the hill above downtown, surrounded mostly by residential neighbourhoods, with the city at the base of the hill. RPI also operates the 1,250-acre Rensselaer Technology Park and an on-campus business incubator.
Nearest airport: Albany International Airport (ALB)
Notable alumni
- WR Washington RoeblingEngineer of the Brooklyn Bridge
- GW George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.Designed and built the original Ferris wheel
- TH Ted HoffFather of the microprocessor; class of 1958
- RT Ray TomlinsonOften credited with inventing email; class of 1963
- CP Curtis PriemCo-founder of NVIDIA and designer of the first PC graphics processor; class of 1982
- IG Ivar Giaever1973 Nobel Prize in Physics; PhD 1964
- RW Reid WisemanNASA astronaut and commander of the Artemis II Moon mission
- BF Bobby FarrellyFilm director; class of 1981
Frequently asked questions
Is RPI test-optional for fall 2027?
Yes. Fall 2027 applicants can choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores, and RPI will stay test-optional through the fall 2030 cycle. The B.S./M.D. program still requires official scores.
What are RPI's application deadlines for 2027?
Early Decision I and B.S./M.D. November 1, 2026; Early Action December 1, 2026; Early Decision II January 6, 2027; Regular Decision January 15, 2027.
What is RPI's acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, RPI admitted 9,655 of 14,356 first-year applicants, about 67% (Common Data Set 2025-26). Early Decision applicants were admitted at a similar rate: 219 of 317.
Does RPI do interviews?
No. RPI does not conduct admissions interviews, but U.S. applicants can submit an optional GLIMPSE video and international applicants are encouraged to submit an InitialView, Duolingo or Vericant interview.
How much does RPI cost?
The 2026-27 undergraduate cost of attendance is $90,076, including $66,300 tuition, $1,676 fees and $18,870 for food and housing, plus a required laptop.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- QS World University Rankings 2027 (topuniversities.com)
- THE World University Rankings 2026
- ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026
- US News Best Colleges 2027: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- US News Best Global Universities 2026-2027: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- RPI Office of Institutional Research and Assessment: Common Data Set archive
Explore nearby in the world top 100
Universities ranked close to RPI in the QS World University Rankings 2027.