Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

About Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Rose-Hulman traces its establishment to 1874, when Chauncey Rose and nine associates organized the Terre Haute School of Industrial Science. It soon became Rose Polytechnic Institute, began instruction in 1883, and later adopted its present name. The institution now operates from 5500 Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute and is independently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Its current degree portfolio and 2026 commencement activity establish that it remains an operating degree-granting college rather than a training center or constituent department. The institution’s defining feature is concentration. Rose-Hulman is built around engineering, science, and mathematics rather than a broad liberal-arts or professional-school portfolio. Official fast facts report 22 undergraduate majors, 16 graduate programs, 12 academic departments, and more than 50 minors and certificates. The same source describes a community of more than 2,100 students, with undergraduates comprising 99% of enrollment. These figures convey the practical character of the institution: it is small, overwhelmingly undergraduate, and academically specialized. Prospective students should view Rose-Hulman as a focused technical college with a residential campus, not as a conventional comprehensive university. That creates opportunities for close interaction among students pursuing related disciplines, but it also means that applicants wanting extensive choices in fields such as business, arts, social sciences, education, or health professions should examine the actual catalog rather than relying on broad database program labels. The official program list, not the supplied metadata taxonomy, should guide academic fit decisions.

For first-year admission, Rose-Hulman’s currently posted process requires an application, high-school transcript, recommendation from a teacher, counselor, or principal, and a $65 nonrefundable fee or qualifying waiver. The admissions page lists August 1 as the application opening date, November 1 for nonbinding Early Action, February 1 for Regular Decision, and May 1 for the enrollment deposit. Because the page does not label these dates with a specific entering class, applicants for 2026–27 or later should confirm them directly before relying on them. International first-year applicants must additionally provide an affidavit of financial support and official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo results. Rose-Hulman also accepts an optional InitialView interview from international students and domestic applicants attending high school abroad; the institution states that applicants are not disadvantaged if they omit it. The official page does not support applying the same language-testing rule to every domestic applicant. Rose-Hulman’s specialized curriculum makes secondary-school preparation important, although applicants should consult the current admissions guidance for expected coursework rather than infer requirements from historical score averages. The stored SAT and ACT figures are not repeated here because the official admissions sources reviewed did not establish their cycle or confirm that they represent current policy. Students should also distinguish Early Action from Early Decision: Rose-Hulman identifies its Early Action option as nonbinding. An official final transcript showing graduation is required before registration for admitted students.

Rose-Hulman’s academic model centers on engineering, science, mathematics, and closely related computing fields. Its official degree pages separate undergraduate majors from graduate study and also identify minors, certificates, multidisciplinary opportunities, and the Rose² concurrent-degree pathway. In Rose², eligible students take graduate coursework during their undergraduate engineering, mathematics, or science education and work toward both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree on an accelerated schedule. Students should verify department-specific eligibility and sequencing before treating that pathway as guaranteed. Hands-on work is integral to the institution’s presentation of its curriculum. Official academic material describes access to laboratories, project spaces, research facilities, multidisciplinary teams, and applied research. This environment will likely appeal most to students who prefer structured technical problem-solving, design, experimentation, and collaboration. The official fast-facts page reports an average class size of 20 and a faculty-student ratio of 1:11, though actual course sizes will vary by level and subject. Graduate offerings remain much smaller than the undergraduate operation. The graduate catalog lists Master of Science and other master’s-level programs, while some Engineering Management classes are available online for working professionals. Rose-Hulman does not list doctoral degrees, so students seeking a PhD-granting research environment should look elsewhere. Applicants should also consult the current catalog for exact degree titles and accreditation status by program. The broad program labels stored in the database include many fields that are not supported as standalone Rose-Hulman majors and should not be interpreted as an official degree inventory.

Key Highlights

• Founded in Terre Haute in 1874 and currently accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
• Operating institution awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2026
• Official fast facts list 22 undergraduate majors, 16 graduate programs, and 12 academic departments
• More than 2,100 students, with undergraduates representing 99% of enrollment

Student Life & Environment

Rose-Hulman is predominantly residential at the beginning of college: the institution states that all first-year students must live on campus. Its housing portfolio includes traditional halls, apartment-style accommodation, and a residence hall opened in fall 2025 for approximately 160 first-year students. Upper-level students may continue in campus housing, subject to availability and the applicable housing process. Residence options and prices differ, so students should compare room types rather than assume one standard housing charge. Outside class, the official student-activities office reports more than 90 clubs and organizations. Examples include technical competition teams, drama, gardening, and residence-hall organizations. The Mussallem Student Union houses student-facing offices and functions as a central gathering point. Students can also pursue varsity, club, and intramural athletics; official fast facts list 20 NCAA Division III teams, while the recreation center describes more than two dozen club sports. Greek-letter organizations are another visible part of campus life. The concentration of students in demanding STEM programs can make academic work a central feature of the social environment. That may suit applicants looking for peers with similar technical interests, collaborative projects, and a compact community. Students seeking a larger university’s breadth of arts programming, spectator sports, or urban nightlife should compare Rose-Hulman’s scale and Terre Haute setting with their preferences. Campus visits can be especially useful for assessing residence halls, weekend activity, community atmosphere, and transportation needs.

Location & Surroundings

Rose-Hulman’s campus is at 5500 Wabash Avenue on the eastern side of Terre Haute, Indiana. Official fast facts describe a 1,300-acre campus approximately 77 miles southwest of Indianapolis. Terre Haute is a regional city rather than a major metropolitan center, so students can expect a more self-contained campus experience and should evaluate how they will handle shopping, entertainment, internships, airport travel, and trips home. Indianapolis is the nearest major metropolitan area and provides the principal large-city and air-travel connection; Rose-Hulman notes that Indianapolis International Airport has nonstop service to numerous metropolitan areas. Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati are each within roughly 200 miles, but they are not everyday destinations. A car may make regional travel easier, although students should confirm current campus parking and transportation arrangements before planning around one. The large campus and residential first-year policy keep much of daily academic and social life in one place. For some students, that supports focus and community; for others, Terre Haute’s distance from a major technology hub may feel limiting. Prospective students should consider both campus resources and access to off-campus opportunities when judging the location.

Costs & Career Outcomes

The newest detailed official price schedule located during this review is for 2025–26, not 2026–27. It lists undergraduate tuition and fees of $58,200. Housing varies by hall and occupancy, and the institution lists a one-time $2,650 laptop expense. These figures should be treated only as the applicable 2025–26 published prices; students entering in 2026–27 should obtain the newer cost-of-attendance budget and housing schedule before making a decision. They should also budget for food, books, transportation, personal spending, and any applicable health-insurance charges. Financial aid can materially change the net cost. Admitted students are automatically considered for the Rose-Hulman Merit Scholarship. Institutional need-based aid requires the FAFSA, while some state and federal programs have separate eligibility rules. For 2026–27, Rose-Hulman introduced competition-team and visual-and-performing-arts scholarships worth $1,000 to $2,500 annually for four years, with a February 1 application deadline. International applicants should not assume access to FAFSA-based aid and should request an individualized aid explanation. Career outcomes are strong but should be read with their methodology. Rose-Hulman reports that 95% of the Class of 2025 was employed, enrolled in graduate school, or in military service within six months, based on status information for the entire class. The reported average accepted starting salary was $82,005. These are class-level outcomes, not guarantees for an individual major or student. Applicants should compare likely net price, borrowing, major-specific placement, internship access, and alternative offers rather than using headline salary alone.