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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a private research university located in Troy, New York, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer. RPI is known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace. RPI consistently ranks among the top 50 national universities in the nation according to US News & World Report. The institute offers a wide variety of degrees and programs in diverse areas of study. RPI is organized into the following academic schools:

  • Lally School of Management & Technology
  • School of Architecture
  • School of Engineering
  • School of Humanities and Social Science
  • School of Science

RPI offers more than 20 varsity teams. It features a competitive Division I ice hockey team, which won NCAA national titles in 1954 and 1985. Their official mascot is the Pukeman.

Overview of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The campus of RPI is in Troy, NY, which is a small city. The school is a private, not-for-profit institution. Degrees at RPI include, at the school's highest level, the Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

The school has a greater breadth of degree programs (majors) than most colleges of its size. RPI is known for its programs in science, mathematics, engineering, computer science and engineering, and architecture and planning.

RPI Selectivity

Admission at the school is selective, not open to all who apply. Getting into RPI is challenging; it only admitted 49% of those who applied in 2007. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 600. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 650 and 730.

Faculty

RPI has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at the school is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

In 2007, RPI had 6,566 students enrolled (6,352 full-time equivalent). A very high share of students at the school are male.

Student Life

Full-time students are the norm at RPI. The school offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. RPI values student athletics, and belongs to the Eastern College Athletic Conference and Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association.

The school reports its educational mission is:
"Rensselaer educates the leaders of tomorrow for technologically based careers. We celebrate discovery, and the responsible application of technology, to create knowledge and global prosperity."

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting RPI

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th St
Troy, NY 12180-3590
General Phone: (518) 276-6000
http://www.rpi.edu

RPI Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Engineering908electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering, industrial engineering, ...
Computer Science And Engineering224computer and info science, information technology
Business And Management217business management, business and related services
Science175physics, biology, chemistry, biochem/biophysics/molecular biology, science and society, bioinformatics, geology, natural sciences, ...
Media64digital communications, communication studies, media studies
Architecture And Planning63architecture, architectural services
Mathematics48mathematics, applied mathematics
Liberal Arts25interdisciplinary studies, historic preservation and conservation, economics courses, economics, social studies, social services
Medicine15pre-med, pre-dentistry
Therapy And Counseling11psychology, cognitive science
Music11various music studies
Conservation And Resource Management2environmental science
Law1pre-law
Religion And Philosophy1philosophy

Number of programs and degrees for RPI in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree1,24441
Master's degree35844
Doctor's degree16333

RPI Student Body

In 2007, RPI had a total enrollment of 6,566 students (6,352 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men70%
Women30%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate77%
Graduate23%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White67%
Black4%
Hispanic5%
Asian10%
American Indian0%
Unknown3%
(Foreign Students)11%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 182%
18-1936%
20-2131%
22-2414%
25-2910%
30-344%
35-391%
40-491%
50-640%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
New York36%
Massachusetts13%
New Jersey8%
Connecticut6%
Pennsylvania5%
New Hampshire4%
Maryland2%
California2%
Texas2%
Vermont2%
(International Students)2%
Maine2%
Virginia2%
Florida2%
Rhode Island1%
Ohio1%
Minnesota1%
Michigan1%
Washington1%
Oregon1%
Colorado1%
Illinois1%
Delaware1%

RPI Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time92 %

RPI Room and Board (2007)

RPI offers campus housing for 2,850 of its 6,352 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Troy, New York for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other New York Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

RPI Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total10,1625,02149%1,28826%
Men7,5143,49246%90026%
Women2,6481,52958%38825%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal600690
SAT Math650730
SAT Writing580670
ACT Composite2529

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencerequired
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT81%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT20%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

RPI Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 35,878
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 35,878
Room and board$ 10,420
Room charge$ 5,852
Board (meal plan) charge$ 4,568
Books and supplies$ 1,000
Other expenses$ 802

Financial Aid:
RPI participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 280300)

RPI Faculty

RPI has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured21842
Non-tenured, but on tenure track6232
Non-tenured and not on tenure track4511

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year2*0*
Associate professorcalendar year2*0*
Assistant professorcalendar year1*0*
All faculty totalcalendar year5$112,1980*

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year151$118,22422$114,762
Associate professoracademic year86$86,32123$76,027
Assistant professoracademic year73$76,08338$75,988
Lectureracademic year2*0*
All faculty totalacademic year312$99,10083$86,277

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

RPI Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballEastern College Athletic Conference
BasketballUpstate Collegiate Athletic Association
BaseballUpstate Collegiate Athletic Association
TrackUpstate Collegiate Athletic Association

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total19019
All Other Sports19019

RPI Degree Programs (2007)

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
Architecture (BArch, BA/BS, MArch, MA/MS, PhD)
Architecture and Related Services, Other

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Business Administration and Management, General
Business, Management, Marketing & Related Support Services, Other

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Information Technology

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Science

ENGINEERING
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering, General
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
Engineering Mechanics
Engineering Physics
Engineering Science
Engineering, General
Engineering, Other
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering
Materials Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Operations Research
Transportation and Highway Engineering

LAW
Pre-Law Studies

LIBERAL ARTS
Economics, General
Economics, Other
Historic Preservation and Conservation
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Social Sciences, General
Social Sciences, Other

MATHEMATICS
Applied Mathematics
Mathematics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Communication and Media Studies, Other
Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia

MEDICINE
Pre-Dentistry Studies
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies

MUSIC
Music, Other

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy

SCIENCE
Biochemistry/Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Bioinformatics
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Hydrology and Water Resources Science
Natural Sciences
Physical Sciences, Other
Physics, General
Science, Technology and Society

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Cognitive Science
Psychology, General

RPI Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets RPI Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%RPI Salaries of full-time faculty
% of degrees in engineering
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%RPI % of degrees in engineering
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%RPI Student SAT scores
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%RPI Number of degree programs
Male % of student body
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%RPI Male % of student body
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%RPI % of degrees in mathematics
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 11%RPI Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%RPI Number of students
% of degrees in computer science and engineering
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%RPI % of degrees in computer science and engineering
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%RPI Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%RPI % of degrees in science
Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 17%RPI Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
% of degrees in architecture and planning
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%RPI % of degrees in architecture and planning
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army, navy, air force)
Offers athletic scholarships
NCAA athletic conference member

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