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🇺🇸Troy, NY, United States·Est. 1824Private

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Oldest technological research university in the US

Global rank#415
shortlist
Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
QS23 out of 100
THE41 out of 100
USC68 out of 100
USG41 out of 100
ARWU19 out of 100
CWUR49 out of 100
Niche0 out of 100
Leiden0 out of 100
59.9
aggregate score · 6 sources
QS World University Rankings
2024 edition
801–1000
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2024 edition
601–800
US News Best Colleges (National Universities)
2024 edition
#46
US News Best Global Universities
2023–24 edition
601–800
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)
2023 edition
601–700
Center for World University Rankings
2024 edition
501–550
Niche Best Colleges
2024 edition
Unranked
CWTS Leiden Ranking
2024 edition
Unranked

Ranking history

Real snapshots recorded each time this dataset is refreshed — never backfilled or estimated.

Ranking history over time
DateRankScore
August 3, 2026#39860.0
August 4, 2026#40060.0
August 5, 2026#40060.0
August 6, 2026#40060.0
August 7, 2026#40060.0
August 10, 2026#41260.0
August 15, 2026#41560.0
August 17, 2026#41560.0
August 20, 2026#41560.0

Admissions

Most recently published acceptance rate and enrolled-student score ranges. SAT/ACT and GPA are US-specific admissions measures, so they're only shown where applicable.

Applications / year
Acceptance rate
47%
SAT (25th–75th)
1330–1480
ACT (25th–75th)
29–34
Avg. GPA
3.80

Campus & outcomes

Class size, graduation and freshman retention rates, sticker tuition vs. what students actually pay after aid, how many receive it, post-graduation employment, research output, and a few real, commonly-cited top recruiters. Everything except ratio and enrollment is US-specific or approximate — papers/year and top employers in particular are rounded/illustrative, not exhaustive or precise database exports. Earnings figures and what they imply against cost are in their own section below.

Student : faculty
13:1
Undergrads
6,200
Grad rate (6-yr)
84%
Tuition
$59,650
Avg. net price
$40,000
Employed within 6mo
91%
Papers/year (approx.)
2,000
Classes under 20
50%
Freshman retention
92%
Receiving aid
45%
Where grads work
General ElectricIBMDeloitteLockheed Martin

Earnings after graduation

Median earnings for this institution's graduates (2024–25 published figures) and what they imply against its cost. US-reported figures — the concept doesn't translate for universities outside the US, which is why they show nothing here.

Early career
$80,000
Median, roughly 0–5 years out
Mid career
$150,000
Median, roughly 10 years out · +88% growth
Cost payback
2.0 yr
Years of early-career median equal to $160,000 of 4-year net cost
Value score 0.9× — one year of mid-career median covers 0.9× the full 4-year net cost+88% early-to-mid career growth

How to read these numbers

  • Medians, not averages, and not your salary. Half of graduates earn less. The spread within a single university is far wider than the gap between most universities.
  • Institution-wide, across all majors. Much of the difference between two universities' figures reflects what their students study — an engineering-heavy institute out-earns a liberal arts college largely through major mix, not teaching quality. Per-major earnings aren't in this dataset; the US federal College Scorecard publishes them for US federal-aid recipients.
  • Geography and selectivity are baked in. Graduates often work near where they studied, so regional cost of living inflates or deflates these figures, and selective intakes would earn well regardless of where they enrolled.
  • Payback is arithmetic, not a plan. It divides 4-year net price by early-career median and ignores aid you personally receive, loan interest, taxes and living costs.

Subject strengths

An Analects Proverbs editorial estimate — derived from this university's specialty and overall standing, not pulled from a named subject ranking.

Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
CS61 out of 100
Eng61 out of 100
Business64 out of 100
Medicine57 out of 100
Law57 out of 100
Sciences59 out of 100
Social58 out of 100
Arts60 out of 100
Strongest in
BusinessComputer ScienceEngineering
Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Medicine
Law & Policy
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Arts & Humanities

Similar universities

Close in overall rank, and weighted toward the same country and type — a starting point for students who like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute but want options to compare.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's ranking?

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks #415 on Analects Proverbs's combined score of 59.9/100, aggregated across 6 major published rankings.

What is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute known for?

Oldest technological research university in the US. Its strongest subject areas, by our editorial estimate, are Business, Computer Science, Engineering.

What is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's acceptance rate?

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's acceptance rate is approximately 47%, based on the most recently published admissions cycle.

What SAT or ACT scores does Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute expect?

Enrolled students typically score in the 1330–1480 range on the SAT, or 29–34 on the ACT (25th–75th percentile, most recent published cycle).

How much does it cost to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's published annual tuition is approximately $59,650, though the average net price after institutional aid is closer to $40,000 per year.

What is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's graduation rate?

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's published 6-year graduation rate is approximately 84%.

What do Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates typically earn?

Early-career graduates report a median starting salary of around $80,000, rising to roughly $150,000 at mid-career.