Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

At Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), we shape the future and improve the world through creativity and innovation. As an engaged, intellectually curious, and socially conscious community, we leverage the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good.

Founded in 1829, RIT welcomes more than 20,000 students to its main campus in Rochester, New York every year for studies in undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programs. RIT's diverse and collaborative community also includes our global campus communities in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. We provide exceptional individuals with a wide range of academic opportunities, including a leading research program and an internationally recognized college emphasizing education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. With over 20,000 students and more than 145,000 graduates from 50 states and over 100 nations, RIT is driving progress in industries and communities around the world.

A hallmark of an RIT education is cooperative education, or co-op. Nationally ranked (#5), our co-op program is designed to provide students with career experience—early and often—in a variety of industries and environments. With co-ops and internships built into most programs, and available and encouraged in all majors, these opportunities are designed for students to deploy their skills and knowledge in authentic, real-world settings. The co-op experience jumpstarts students' careers before they graduate.

RIT attracts students looking for a dynamic educational experience that combines technology, the arts, and design. This means creative, innovative degree programs that prepare students today for the challenges of tomorrow, including career paths not yet mapped out; harnessing diverse ways of thinking, exploring, and making across world-class makerspaces and performing arts venues; and advancing knowledge and addressing complex problems across a range of research initiatives.

RIT's faculty researchers are collaborative thinkers who seek to solve problems with innovative, game-changing solutions. They explore galaxies, help set the pace for a future in photonics, and are the creativity behind discoveries to sustain the planet. They provide medical technologies that help individuals overcome obstacles and are solving some of the most pressing challenges in cybersecurity and imaging to protect people, data, and organizations.

At RIT, you'll find more than 300 research labs, centers, and institutes. Within RIT, there are plenty of opportunities for undergraduates to conduct compelling, hands-on research. Whether it's presenting at a conference, working with faculty, or participating in our Undergraduate Research Symposium, undergraduates are a key part of the outstanding research being conducted at RIT. In addition to nearly $100 million in annual sponsored research funding, 91 researchers have achieved $1 million or more in funding since 2000, 16 faculty members have received prestigious CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation since 2014, and dozens of RIT researchers are included on Stanford University's list of the worlds' top 2% of scientists.

Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival showcases the university's creative and innovative spirit through more than 300 interactive presentations, hands-on demonstrations, exhibitions, performing arts, and research projects set up throughout campus.

RIT students have a wide variety of activities to engage in outside the classroom. There are more than 300 clubs and student organizations spanning sports, culture, the arts, fitness and wellness, health, service and leadership, and more.

RIT has 12 men's and 12 women's NCAA Division III athletic teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Our men's and women's hockey teams are NCAA Division I programs.

RIT is a place "where diversity is highlighted [and] academics are prominent," and the population is "as unique and diverse as they come." This environment "allows for a good [facsimile] of the real world." The school's internationally recognized National Technical Institute for the Deaf means there are "amazing accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing students that attend the university," including "note-taking, interpreters, [and C Print(r) technology]," and a vibrant LGBT+ community also exists on campus. "Video games are a way of life" and students tend to have a nerdy streak ("We are geeky and we love it"). Large groups and clubs for "anime, World of Warcraft, [and] chain mail" happily thrive among students that are all "very accepting of each other's interests." "This is where students are able to create what their minds generate. It's like teenager's dream," says one.

While schoolwork takes up the majority of students' time, outside the classroom they "are constantly doing something to keep busy," whether that's joining one of the 300-plus clubs or chilling at the lab. "RIT has a culture for everybody," so if you are interested in a broad topic like computing, "there are a dozen different clubs/societies that you can join to learn more about whatever niche topic interests you."

Students cop to their being "a large gamer population" at RIT, and both electronic and tabletop gaming clubs and tournaments are wildly popular, as is anime. Hockey is a huge part of RIT and "it is very common to see a large number of students at the games." People also "go to the free on-campus movies, see guest speakers, listen to comedians, and attend events hosted by the College Activities Board."

The atmosphere and layout of the campus are beautifully balanced in that "it is not very spread out but not very small at the same time." More than half of the growing population of students live in on-campus, meaning housing "is not always available for everyone who applies" and dorms can be crowded. While one student notes that "the existing infrastructure is okay at best," the school recently added a new 120,000-square-foot maker space, a performing arts center, and is upgrading its athletic facilities.

RIT students are incredibly successful on the job market. After all, the university’s “mandatory co-op/internship program almost guarantees graduates a job in an area they love.” Students are also able to easily capitalize on RIT’s “amazing connections with companies throughout the world.” And they can no doubt turn to the school’s stellar Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education as well. Beyond helping undergrads land their co-ops, the office holds networking events with companies like Apple, Nike, and Bristol Meyers Squibb. They also host career fairs every semester. Best of all, the office maintains drop-in hours Monday–Friday allowing students to get all of their questions answered and their resumes tweaked.