Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

All of RIT's campuses have well-equipped, state-of-the-art facilities that are rarely matched on other campuses. Our campuses are sophisticated and high tech with the latest equipment, software, studios, laboratories, and conveniences? the tools you need to explore and excel. We help you utilize the latest technology and understand its impact on the world. The university?s main campus offers more than 50 research centers and laboratories dedicated to research pursuits. 

Our main campus offers an environmentally friendly, sustainable environment. The physical beauty of our main campus comes from an interplay of natural and park-like settings with modern buildings, architectural features, and artwork prominently on display. Comfortable spaces throughout campus offer places to relax or work on projects and team assignments. Our community of more than 24,000 students, faculty, and staff has made a commitment to advance sustainability in all areas?in academic programs and research initiatives, in our campus operations and consumption practices.  

RIT's suburban campus is designed with all the residence halls clustered together on the eastern side of campus; perfect for when you want to work on a project with classmates living in other halls. The halls are joined to the academic side of campus by the Quarter Mile walkway, meaning no place on campus is more than a 15-minute walk. The residence halls are connected by tunnels, which are like an underground city with free laundry facilities; Ritchies, a Residence Life-run game room; post office; and the Corner Store and Sols Underground: two convenience stores which are a real benefit in the winter. The residence halls consist of double, triple, and quadruple rooms for you to choose from. All rooms and suites are furnished and carpeted*, and have Tiger TV (live streaming TV that includes HBO, HBO GO, Cinemax, and MAX GO), wireless access, and high-speed Ethernet connections. Even though all floors have similar characteristics, each has distinct benefits for the students living there. Each building, each floor, even each room has been designed with an emphasis on comfort, safety, and easy access to technology.

The emphasis on safety includes residence halls being locked 24/7 with card access on the exterior doors or elevators leading to student rooms, smoke-free buildings, and RIT's alcohol and drug policy, which prohibits possession, consumption, or evidence of alcohol and drugs in all residence halls. Mobility-challenged students find the RIT campus one of the most accessible in the nation. RIT makes all efforts to meet your needs based on the availability of resources.

RIT Libraries advance knowledge, spark creativity, and connect communities. Search collections; access services such as borrowing book, laptops, and other equipment; get help with research writing and publishing; and more. The library provides access to 200 electronic databases, more than 30,000 electronic journals, and more than 55,000 e-books. Resource materials include 11,000 audio, film, and video titles and more than 498,000 books and print journals.  The library provides a variety of study spaces. The first and second floors are noisier floors meant for group work, and the third and fourth floors are for quiet study. Individual and group study rooms are available for up to 4 hours using the online reservation system. Librarians frequently host workshops to help students learn how to find and access library resources, conduct online research, and identify credible sources, among other topics. During finals week each semester, the library hosts DeStress Fest, a series of events to help students relax at the end of the semester.

An abundance of recreational facilities are available on RIT's main campus.  These include the Gordon Field House and Activities Center that is a 160,000 square foot facility that houses a Multi-Purpose Arena, fitness center, and aquatics center.  The Hale-Andrews Student Life Center consists of five multi-purpose courts, seven racquetball courts, Squash court, two dance studios/fitness rooms, mini-gym (basketball, volleyball, multi-purpose court), elevated 200-meter jogging track, equipment cage (loan-out and towel service), equipment rental service, cycling room, boxing/kick bag room, locker rooms with saunas, classrooms, and a CPR training room. The Aquatics Center offers a stretch 25-yard, eight-lane competition pool with moveable bulkhead, a four-board diving well, and four-team locker room. The recreation pool includes a current channel, vortex, bubble jets, water basketball and volleyball. A 20-person hot tub is also available in this area of the Center.  The Wiedman Fitness Center is a two-story 16,000 square foot area features a full range of selectorized machines, free weights, cardiovascular equipment, and a large stretching area.  In addition, the University has a competition ice arena and a recreational skating arena as well as main gymnasium, auxiliary gymnasium, wrestling room, weight room, training room and an equipment room.

Dining at RIT consists of 20+ operations including an all you care to eat dining hall, five retail restaurants, several retail and convenience stores, express dining shops and coffee houses, sports facility concessions, and 199+ food and beverage vending machines campus wide.

RIT offers unmatched resources for student support including academic support services such as academic advising and individual tutoring.  Other resources include a student health center staffed with licensed doctors and nurses, a mental health counseling center, a disability services office, addiction support services, study abroad department, career services, English language center, and an international student services office. Our International Student Services office works with our 2,000 international students to ensure their time at RIT is both successful and enjoyable. It is responsible for International Student Orientation and Advisement on immigration matters (e.g.,maintaining status, applying for CPT or OPT).

All classrooms are state-of-the-art, most with modern audio-visual equipment and smart-board technology.  Internet network connections are among the fastest available and include wireless and Ethernet options.

There are more than 50 research centers and laboratories on campus, each containing the most up-to-date laboratory equipment and supplies.

In addition to our main campus in Rochester, NY, RIT has international campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. 

RIT's main campus hosts nearly 2,000 international students from more than 100 countries, representing approximately 14% of our total student population.

More than 2,300 students of color have elected to study at RIT, embodying our commitment to diversity. Adding a social and educational dynamic not found at any other university are more than 900 deaf and hard-of-hearing students supported by RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Many of RIT's students live on campus in RIT residence halls, suites, studios, apartments, townhouses, and at the RIT Inn and Conference Center. RIT residence halls offer you a secure and supportive environment for living and learning and include a multitude of special-interest houses, living-learning communities, and themed options that were created to support students? interests in specific ways. In addition, there are free-standing Greek houses that accommodate six of our fraternities and sororities. Incoming freshmen are guaranteed RIT housing. There are also many off-campus housing options available close by.

RIT offers a wide variety of activities for students at all levels of ability. With over 300 student clubs and organizations at RIT supporting over 13,000 on-campus and off-campus events, you are sure to stay busy at RIT. Whether you are into art, gaming, music, politics, science, sports, or theatre you'll almost certainly find others at RIT who share your same passion.  There are 11 major student organizations, 20+ weekly events, 16 intramural sports and 23 athletic sports at RIT.  More than 50 percent of our undergraduate students participate in intramural sports ranging from flag football to golf and indoor soccer. The Center for Campus Life supports and provides inclusive programs, services, and environments that foster engagement and connection to the RIT community.

One of the many interesting and popular areas on campus is Global Village. Global Village is an internationally inspired, LEED-certified sustainable residential community and commercial complex located on RIT's campus. Open to both the public and RIT community, RIT's Global Village combines state-of-the-art student living with dining, shopping, learning, and event spaces to create a unified and modern upscale community. Each residential and commercial area represents different regions from around the world, giving visitors a global experience. Global Village is an area to enjoy year-round. Our retail spaces include four restaurants, two convenience stores, post office, banking, a unisex hair salon and Shop One, an RIT made art, craft and design shop. Our multi-use plaza offers year-round activities with heated outdoor seating, a small stage area for concerts and programming, a fire pit, and an elegant water feature.

While RIT offers a wide range of on-campus housing for students, a more interesting and unique location is the RIT Inn & Conference Center that offers upperclass students a premium living experience and combines hotel amenities with student living accommodations. The Inn used to be a four-star Marriott hotel and is located approximately 5 miles from campus.  Shuttles run between the Inn and campus regularly.

Admission to RIT is competitive, but our admission process is a personal one. Each application is reviewed holistically for strength of academic preparation, recommendations, and your personal career interests.  RIT is now "Test Optional" for all undergraduate programs. Applicants may choose whether to report test scores to be considered with their application. We seek applicants from a variety of geographic, social, cultural, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. RIT puts students first in the admissions process. We continue to use fair and ethical practices as we recruit, review applications and counsel our prospective students and their families. Our admissions officers support and promote ethical responsibility with our colleagues in the admission profession.

International applicants require a TOEFL or IELTS score to show their English proficiency unless qualified for a waiver through prior English instruction or US residency.  Minimum English test scores for direct admissions are as follows:

TOEFL (Internet-based)   79
TOEFL (paper-based)550
IELTS         6.5
PTE Academic          58

Highly qualified applicants whose English proficiency does not meet our requirements can be offered conditional admission that requires study in our English Language Center. RIT's English language center offers courses at all levels, designed to help students prepare for academic study at an American university. The center offers 5-week and 9-week summer programs, designed to help students prepare for academic study.

All international students are considered for merit-based scholarships.  Each year, RIT awards students more than $180 million in scholarships.

Undergraduate study applicants

For all bachelor's degree programs, a strong performance in a college preparatory program is expected. Generally, this includes 4 years of English, 3-4 years of mathematics, 2-3 years of science, and 3 years of social studies and/or history.  Specific math and science requirements can be referenced at this web page.

Application requirements include academic documents (transcripts, mark sheets, degree certificates) and application fee of $65. SAT or ACT scores are optional. Portfolios are required for applicants to the Schools of Art, Design or American Crafts.  International applicants require a TOEFL or IELTS score unless qualified for a waiver through prior English instruction or US residency.

In addition to the standard application deadline, Early Decision plans allow applicants to hear about admission and financial aid decisions much earlier than other applicants, offering an opportunity for earlier planning in the transition to RIT. The following are application plans and deadlines:

                Early Decision I          Early Decision II          Regular Decision

Application Deadline November 1st      January 1st    January 15th

Decision Notification Mid-December      Mid-January    Mid-March

Graduate study applicants

To be eligible to apply for any RIT graduate program you must hold (or be in anticipation of) a baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university or college. Application for all graduate programs requires submission of an online application and the following supporting documents: $65 application fee, personal statement, resume, and undergraduate transcripts. Most programs require letters of recommendation. Additional requirements vary by program and may include a writing sample, portfolio or an entrance exam (GRE or GMAT).International applicants require a TOEFL or IELTS score unless qualified for a waiver through prior English instruction or US residency.  Specific requirements for each graduate program can be referenced at this web page.  

Trending career outcome data suggest demand for RIT graduates remains very strong. Over the past three years the overall positive outcome rate for graduates in all degree programs averaged 95%.  For the RIT undergraduate Class of 2022, 92% were either employed, in graduate school, or pursuing alternate plans within six months and 93% of the graduate class was employed, in graduate school, or pursuing alternate plans within six months.  Detailed information on our outcomes can be found at this website. 

Because cooperative education has long been a hallmark of an RIT education, our Career Services Office is larger and offers more services than most you'll find at similar-sized universities.  Services available to students include:

• Job Search Advisement
• Career Counseling
• Job Opportunities
• Cooperative Education - watch this video to learn more about co-op
• Career Fairs
• Workshops/Info Sessions
• Office Drop-In Hours
• Interview Preparation
• Online Resources
• Going Global/International Co-ops
• Vault's Insider Guides
• Graduate School Information
• Social Media and Blog

RIT holds large career fairs in the Fall and Spring semesters.  These fairs have each historically attracted more than 250 employers and hundreds more recruiter representatives from throughout the US and other countries.  Additionally, employment recruiters are on campus recruiting for their companies most days of the school year.

With an RIT degree, you'll be in good company with more than 145,000 well-connected alumni who value the power of an RIT degree and look to hire our graduates.