Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Academics

Back to Profile

How strong are the academics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

15:1
Student to faculty ratio
34
Average class size
71%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Rensselaer has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
118
10-19
203
20-29
140
30-39
83
40-49
52
50-99
93
100+
62

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute:

89%
First-year retention rate
71%
4-year grad rate
83%
6-year grad rate

The average base annual salary of students who were employed within six months of graduation is $85,953. This is higher than the national average of $48,300.

$85,953
$48,300 (National Average)

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Computer Science
Mechanical Engineering
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General
Mathematics, General
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
32.8
76.24
119.68
163.12
206.56
250

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architecture 56
  • Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology 1
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 28
  • Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other 20
  • Bioinformatics 7
  • Neuroscience 3
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 0
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 58
  • Business Statistics 7
Communication
  • Communication and Media Studies 3
  • Communication, General 3
  • Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia 2
  • Speech Communication and Rhetoric 0
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 250
  • Information Technology 35
  • Computer and Information Sciences, General 0
Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering 162
  • Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General 117
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 69
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 65
  • Chemical Engineering 61
  • Civil Engineering, General 53
  • Industrial Engineering 29
  • Nuclear Engineering 18
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 14
  • Materials Engineering 14
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics 0
  • Engineering Science 0
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
  • Computer/Computer Systems Technology/Technician 62
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies 15
Legal Professions And Studies
  • Pre-Law Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 75
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Cognitive Science, General 7
  • Science, Technology and Society 7
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 4
  • Sustainability Studies 3
  • MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 0
  • Business Analytics 0
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General 0
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Science 6
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 2
Physical Sciences
  • Physics, General 35
  • Chemistry, General 22
  • Physics, Other 7
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 2
  • Hydrology and Water Resources Science 0
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 13
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 8
  • Economics, General 0
  • Social Sciences, General 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Game and Interactive Media Design 34
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General 4
  • Music Theory and Composition 1

Mistakes were made

(But not by you!)

These are the top 10 mistakes people make when searching for colleges

Top Ten Mistakes

CollegeIQ relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

© 2025 Whittier Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service