Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Narrative Description

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RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE K-25

110 8th St.
Troy, NY 12180-3590
Tel: (518)276-6000
Free: 800-448-6562
Admissions: (518)276-6216
Fax: (518)276-4072
E-mail: admissions@rpi.edu
Web Site: http://www.rpi.edu/

Description:

Independent, university, coed. Awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Founded 1824. Setting: 260-acre suburban campus with easy access to Albany. Endowment: $570.2 million. Research spending 2003-04: $67.5 million. Educational spending 2003-04: $17,890 per student. Total enrollment: 7,521. Faculty: 492 (405 full-time, 87 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 14:1. 5,406 applied, 75% were admitted. 63% from top 10% of their high school class, 94% from top quarter, 99% from top half. 25 National Merit Scholars, 56 valedictorians. Full-time: 4,894 students, 25% women, 75% men. Part-time: 35 students, 63% women, 37% men. Students come from 51 states and territories, 37 other countries, 49% from out-of-state, 0.4% Native American, 5% Hispanic, 4% black, 12% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 4% international, 3% 25 or older, 55% live on campus, 3% transferred in. Retention: 93% of full-time freshmen returned the following year. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: engineering/engineering technologies; computer/information sciences; business/marketing. Core. Calendar: semesters. ESL program, services for LD students, advanced placement, accelerated degree program, self-designed majors, honors program, independent study, distance learning, double major, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs and internships, graduate courses open to undergrads. Off campus study at Williams College, Harvey Mudd College. Study abroad program. ROTC: Army, Naval, Air Force.

Entrance Requirements:

Options: Common Application, electronic application, early admission, early decision, deferred admission. Required: essay, high school transcript, 1 recommendation, SAT or ACT. Required for some: portfolio for Electronic Arts is required; portfolio for Architecture highly recommended. Entrance: very difficult. Application deadlines: 1/1, 11/15 for early decision. Notification: 3/31, 12/31 for early decision.

Costs Per Year:

Application fee: $70. Comprehensive fee: $38,869 includes full-time tuition ($28,950), mandatory fees ($836), and college room and board ($9083). College room only: $5101. Room and board charges vary according to board plan, housing facility, and location. Part-time tuition: $905 per credit hour.

Collegiate Environment:

Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 130 open to all; national fraternities, national sororities, local fraternities, local sororities; 39% of eligible men and 18% of eligible women are members. Most popular organizations: Ski Club, musical organizations, weightlifting, ballroom dance, campus radio station. Major annual events: Grand Marshal Week, Communiversity, Big Red Freakout. Student services: legal services, health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, late night transport-escort service, controlled dormitory access, campus foot patrols at night. 2,878 college housing spaces available; 2,700 were occupied in 2003-04. Freshmen guaranteed college housing. On-campus residence required in freshman year. Option: coed housing available. Folsom Library plus 1 other with 309,171 books, 10,210 serials, 91,435 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2003-04: $4.4 million. 5,588 computers available on campus for general student use. Computer purchase/lease plans available. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment:

Troy, a city of 55,000, located at the head of navigation on the Hudson River, is an important industrial city and the eastern terminus of the New York State Barge Canal. The city, within 15 miles of Albany and Schenectady, is served by air, bus, and rail lines, houses of worship, 3 hospitals, and various civic, fraternal, and veteran's organizations. There are numerous opportunities for part-time student employment.

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