More selective than 59% of New York colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $74,626. College Scorecard.
Higher than 66% of New York colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 81% of New York colleges we cover and 91% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
RIT acceptance rate & admissions
Of 24,269 applicants, Rochester Institute of Technology admitted 17,328 and 3,056 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1300–1460 on the SAT or 29–33 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
RIT tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: New York residents may qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP): up to $5,665 a year toward tuition at eligible New York colleges, for dependent students with New York net taxable family income up to $125,000. Not included in the prices above. New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)
What RIT costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Rochester Institute of Technology took 4.7 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New York. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $24,680 | $116,243 | 2.8 years |
| $30–48k | $24,820 | $116,902 | 2.8 years |
| $48–75k | $28,874 | $135,997 | 3.2 years |
| $75–110k | $34,510 | $162,542 | 3.9 years |
| $110k+ | $44,970 | $211,809 | 5.1 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.7 years, the average time graduates took (28% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($76,571) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $41,938 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
RIT majors, earnings & careers
Rochester Institute of Technology offers 74 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Engineering · 15
- Science & Math · 11
- Business & Finance · 10
- Humanities & Languages · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Communications & Media · 6
- Technology & Computing · 6
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at RIT
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | $138,679 | $27,000 |
| Computer Science | $135,702 | $27,000 |
| Computer Engineering | $123,027 | $28,500 |
| Computer Programming | $113,559 | $27,000 |
| Industrial Engineering | $105,313 | $30,750 |
| Electrical Engineering | $105,068 | $29,000 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $100,680 | $27,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $100,367 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 74 majors
- Accounting$72,830
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$100,680
- American Sign Language$45,330
- Applied Mathematics$76,069
- Applied Statistics—
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$68,862
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering$94,103
- Biotechnology$74,613
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$91,222
- Business Administration$68,524
- Chemical Engineering$94,641
- Chemistry$68,926
- Civil Engineering Technologies / Technicians$83,553
- Communications—
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer and Information Sciences$100,367
- Computer Engineering$123,027
- Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians$95,491
- Computer Programming$113,559
- Computer Science$135,702
- Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications$97,118
- Criminal Justice$52,704
- Digital Humanities and Textual Studies—
- Economics—
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians$96,361
- Electrical and Computer Engineering—
- Electrical Engineering$105,068
- Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians$82,116
- Engineering-Related Fields$92,780
- English—
- Environmental Control Technologies / Technicians$84,755
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$52,970
- Finance$72,313
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$63,750
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations$58,141
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$52,043
- Graphic Communications$55,122
- History—
- Hospitality Management$51,363
- Human Resources—
- Industrial Engineering$105,313
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Information Technology$138,679
- International / Global Studies—
- International Business—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$63,845
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems$94,827
- Marketing—
- Mechanical Engineering$93,065
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians$86,226
- Medical Illustration and Informatics—
- Museology / Museum Studies—
- Nutrition Science—
- Philosophy—
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics$75,281
- Political Science—
- Psychology$51,577
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Public Relations and Advertising$57,748
- Sociology—
- Sociology and Anthropology—
- Software and Media Applications$88,096
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Woodworking—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Engineering → Computer hardware engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 9.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Rochester
Overall prices in the Rochester, NY area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,416. Housing costs 13% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 35 inches of rain a year, 102 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Monroe County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Monroe County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare RIT with similar schools
Similar private colleges in New York by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 67% | $34,906 | 70% | $76,571 | This school |
| Hofstra University | 68% | $34,176 | 69% | $69,039 | |
| The New School | 63% | $58,741 | 69% | $52,901 | |
| Fordham University | 59% | $44,338 | 82% | $85,569 | |
| Adelphi University | 66% | $30,783 | 67% | $75,482 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Rochester Institute of Technology would cost you $730 more per year than Hofstra University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Rochester Institute of Technology, mostly from more Hofstra University students living at home, which lowers its average (+$4,842).
- Rochester Institute of Technology gives aided families $3,272 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New York resident | RIT | Hofstra University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $59,274 | $57,660 | +$1,614 |
| Books & supplies | $1,100 | $1,000 | +$100 |
| Housing & meals | $15,516 | $17,720 | −$2,204 |
| Personal & travel | $1,700 | $2,050 | −$350 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,964 | −$7,806 | +$4,842 |
| Sticker price | $74,626 | $70,624 | +$4,002 |
| Average grants | −$39,720 | −$36,448 | −$3,272 |
| You pay | $34,906 | $34,176 | +$730 |
“+” means RIT costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about RIT
What is the RIT acceptance rate?
Rochester Institute of Technology accepts 67% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 17,328 of 24,269 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1300–1460 on the SAT or 29–33 on the ACT.
How much does Rochester Institute of Technology cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $74,626 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $34,906 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $24,680 and families earning $110k+ pay $44,970.
How much do RIT graduates earn?
Former Rochester Institute of Technology students earn a median $76,571 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the RIT graduation rate?
70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 89% return for their second year.
How long does a RIT degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Rochester Institute of Technology costs about $135,997 after grants ($28,874 a year for 4.7 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $76,571 ten years after starting, $41,938 more than high school graduates in New York ($34,633), so the cost is repaid in 3.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Rochester Institute of Technology: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/rochester-institute-of-technology (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).