Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Featured Rankings
About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was founded in 1824. RPI is organized into six schools, which together comprise 37 departments. The majority of courses they offer have a STEM emphasis. RPI’s most popular courses are those in engineering, in computer and information sciences, and in physical sciences.
RPI is associated with one Nobel laureate—Ivar Giaever for physics.
Other distinguished RPI-connected individuals include the following:
- Mathematician, Lee Segel
- Computer scientists—Ray Tomlinson, David Korn, Curtis R. Priem, Christopher A. Welty, Bolesław Szymański, and Jon Hall
- Philosopher and educator, Myles Brand
- Literary critic and novelist, Granville Hicks
- Film director, Bobby Farrelly
- Physicists—Henry Augustus Rowland, Nimai Mukhopadhyay, Hermann A. Haus, Morton Gurtin, Robert Resnick, Vincent Meunier, and David Adler
- Astrophysicist, Heidi Jo Newberg
- Astronomers, Robert Kennicutt and Richard Klein
- Planetary scientist, Michael James Gaffey
- Geologists—George Hammell Cook, James Hall, and Douglass Houghton
- Microbial geneticists, Claire M. Fraser and Jeffrey M. Friedman
- Agricultural chemist and “Father of food science”, Eben Norton Horsford
- Stem cell researchers, Michael D. West and James Fallon
- Thoracic surgeon, Rosalyn Scott
- Cognitive scientists—Wayne D. Gray, Christopher Sims, and Sergei Nirenburg
- Sanskritist, Fitzedward Hall
- Linguist, Samuel Wells Williams
- Economist, Edward C. Harwood
- Sociologist, Sol Restivo
- Architects, Emil H. Praeger and Peter Q. Bohlin
- Chemical engineer, Robert H. Wentorf, Jr.
- Electrical engineers—Allen B. DuMont, Marcian “Ted” Hoff, Bimal Kumar Bose, B. Jayant Baliga, Sorab K. Ghandhi, David L. Noble, Michael Shur, David Ferrucci, and Steven J. Sasson
- Nanotechnology expert, Nikhil Koratkar
- Civil engineers—George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. – ferris wheel, Theodore Judah – transcontinental railroad, and Washington Roebling – Brooklyn Bridge
- Co-founder and former president of Texas Instruments, J. Erik Jonsson
- Inventor and entrepreneur, Joseph Gerber
- Former president and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Matthew Levatich
- Former US Representatives, John Hammond and John Walter Oliver
- Current US Senator, John Barrasso
RPI is regionally accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSACS).
According to Wikipedia, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut, closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer and Amos Eaton for the "application of science to the common purposes of life" and is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16,283 | 63% | 91% | 80% | 1442 | 32 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $66,032 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $25,140 |
| 30K - 48K | $25,313 |
| 48K - 75K | $31,222 |
| 75K - 110K | $33,659 |
| 110K+ | $35,346 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $113,011 a year, and 95% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 7,752 | 6,348 | 1,404 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is located at 110 8th St, Troy, NY 12180-3590.
How Safe is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
Relative to its enrollment, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has a violent crime rate of 0.03% and a property crime rate of 0.07%. Troy has a violent crime rate of 0.47% and a property crime rate of 2.80%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Known For?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Earth Sciences
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Business
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Communications
- Sociology
- Economics
- Medical
- Law
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #24 in the U.S. and #71 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #47 in the U.S. and #117 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #63 in the U.S. and #229 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #64 in the U.S. and #279 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #64 in the U.S. and #242 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #101 in the U.S. and #370 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #134 in the U.S. and #455 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #135 in the U.S. and #387 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #159 in the U.S. and #531 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #172 in the U.S. and #410 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #181 in the U.S. and #630 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #197 in the U.S. and #741 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #199 in the U.S. and #949 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #210 in the U.S. and #721 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #248 in the U.S. and #812 worldwide for influence in Law.
Who Are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Most Influential Alumni?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics. Here are some of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's most famous alumni:
- Marcian Hoff
- An American electrical engineer.
- Ivar Giaever
- A Norwegian physicist.
- Ray Tomlinson
- An American computer programmer .
- Peter van Inwagen
- An American philosopher.
- Mark Russinovich
- A Spanish software engineer.
- Kevin A. Lynch
- An American urban planner and author .
- Henry Augustus Rowland
- An American physicist.
- Bertram Raphael
- An American computer scientist.
- Daniel G. Bobrow
- An American computer scientist .
- Howard Wainer
- An American statistician.
- Bert Sutherland
- An American computer scientist.
- Meera Nanda
- An Indian philosopher and writer.
Who Are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Most Influential Faculty?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics. Here are some of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's most famous faculty:
- Deborah McGuinness
- An American computer scientist, professor.
- Murat Arcak
- A Turkish-American electrical engineer.
- Bhaskar Krishnamachari
- A Professor, University of Southern California, LA.
- Anthony J. DeMaria
- An American physicist.
- Vincent Meunier
- A Condensed matter physicist.
- Gaetano T. Montelione
- A Jerome and Lorraine Aresty Chair and Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University.
- Nick Bailen
- An American ice hockey defenceman.
