About
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a private research-university in Troy, New York, United States, is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and in the Western Hemisphere. Stephen Van Rensselaer and Amos Eaton established RPI in 1824 for the "application of science to the common purposes of life".
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 110 Title IV programs, 23 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 87 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing23 · 20.9%
- No Data87 · 79.1%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Action history · 1
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 1,331 students received $7.9M in Pell grants, alongside $29.6M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 1,143 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (0.5%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at RPI
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 13
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus18
- Non-campus3
- Public property1
Includes 10 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- BARH H2 firesCookingDamage $0-$99
- BARH H2 firesCookingDamage $0-$99
- Warren Hall1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Polytech Apts.2 firesMachinery/IndustrialDamage $0-$99
- Polytech Apts.2 firesCookingDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
RPI vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions RPI selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectRensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 84% | — | 7,040 | $33,139 | R1 Research |
Boston University | 89% | 11.1% | 37,737 | $26,996 | R1 Research |
Carnegie Mellon University | 94% | 11.7% | 15,888 | $31,671 | R1 Research |
Case Western Reserve University | 87% | 36.5% | 12,475 | $38,909 | R1 Research |
Cornell University | 95% | 8.8% | 26,793 | $32,337 | R1 Research |
Lehigh University | 88% | 25.9% | 7,692 | $33,549 | R2 Research |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 96% | 4.5% | 11,886 | $19,813 | R1 Research |
Northeastern University | 91% | 5.2% | 32,553 | $32,116 | R1 Research |
Rice University | 95% | 8.0% | 8,961 | $12,640 | R1 Research |
University of Pennsylvania | 97% | 5.4% | 29,109 | $31,229 | R1 Research |
University of Rochester | 85% | 40.1% | 11,946 | $30,248 | R1 Research |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 90% | 60.2% | 7,584 | $43,273 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 91% | 11.1% | 12,211 | $31,894 |
RPI Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) facilitates the systematic collection, analysis, and reporting of institutional information to external agencies and supports internal planning and decision-making, fostering a culture of assessment.
Visit IR office page- Mohua BoseAssociate Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness & Planning
- Phil BertorelliInstitutional Research Analyst, Sr.
- Claire GonyoInstitutional Research Analyst
- Hilke KayserInstitutional Research Analyst, Sr.
Common Data Set (1)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Fact Book2026The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Fact Book is a comprehensive source of verified aggregated data providing key institutional statistics. It includes metrics such as admissions, enrollment, retention, and completion, aimed at empowering stakeholders through data transparency for informed decision-making. The report is designed to aid data-driven analysis but is limited to aggregate descriptive data, not addressing course, instructor, or student-level research questions. Created by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, it supports planning and continuous quality improvement within the institute.provost.rpi.edu
- Strategic planRPI Forward: Our Vision and Roadmap for the Future2026RPI Forward is the strategic plan charting the future course of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as it enters its third century. This plan aims to redefine higher education by fostering inclusivity and innovation, promoting curiosity-driven research, and strengthening partnerships with New York's Capital Region. Successfully executing on the priorities outlined in the strategic plan will position RPI as a leading science and engineering university, drive impact through creativity and science, and attract and retain talent in the region.president.rpi.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of RPI (19)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Dan BuckleyBusiness
- Nicholas M. DonofrioBusiness
- J. Erik JonssonBusiness
- Curtis PriemBusiness
- Sean O’SullivanBusiness
- George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.Invention and engineering
- Marcian HoffInvention and engineering
- Raymond TomlinsonScience and technology
- Steven SassonInvention and engineering
- John L. Swigert Jr.Science and technology
- Dennis TitoScience and technology
- Reid WisemanScience and technology
Frequently asked questions about Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about RPI.
What is the graduation rate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
How many students attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
What is the average net price at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
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Where is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
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