RPI Troy vs Clarkson University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Clarkson University, both located in upstate New York, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. RPI, a private research university, boasts a lower acceptance rate (29%) compared to Clarkson's (67%), indicating a more selective admissions process. RPI's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of over 4,000 students, while Clarkson's undergraduate enrollment is around 3,000. Both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors at RPI including engineering, computer science, and business, while Clarkson is known for its strengths in engineering, business, and health sciences. RPI's graduation rate is slightly higher at 86% compared to Clarkson's 83%, suggesting a strong commitment to student success. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you
Clarkson University logo

Clarkson University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute logo

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Overview

Location Potsdam, New York Troy, New York
Campus setting Town: Remote City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 80.0% 89.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 74.6% 53.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $50
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1180 - 1380 1360 - 1520
ACT range 25 - 32 32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 51.0% 43.0%
Students submitting ACT score 11.0% 15.0%
Total number of applicants 7,011 17,498
Total number of admissions given out 5,229 9,277
Admitted students who chose to enroll 740 1,322
Yield rate 14.2% 14.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Required Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $74,716 $77,763
Average net price $31,413 $40,070
Tuition $53,100 $57,100
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,726

Meal plan: $7,518
Room/dormitory: $9,119

Meal plan: $7,260
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $38,981
97.0%
Average amount $35,754
Students receiving federal student loan 71.0%
Average amount $5,323
52.0%
Average amount $5,116
Students taking out private loans 16.0%
Average amount $16,547
10.0%
Average amount $24,172

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,852
Men 69.3% Women 30.7%
5,614
Men 69.0% Women 31.0%
Graduate students 1,101
Men 55.4% Women 44.6%
1,160
Men 69.1% Women 30.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 34.8% N/A
International students 8.6% 19.5%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote City: Small
Dormitory capacity 2,482 3,930
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York Mississippi Connecticut Vermont New Hampshire N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Engineering
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Business
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 13:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 75.6% 84.2%
Dropout rate 7.1% 14.9%
Transferred out 17.1% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $114,346
  • Year 2: $107,376
  • Year 3: $116,722
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $96,757
  • Year 2: $95,295
  • Year 3: $105,649
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,495
  • Year 2: $78,074
  • Year 3: $94,384
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,482
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $85,200
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,827
  • Year 2: $77,715
  • Year 3: $83,602
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,898
  • Year 2: $68,858
  • Year 3: $78,529
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,862
  • Year 2: $71,575
  • Year 3: $76,752
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,118
  • Year 2: $70,009
  • Year 3: $76,112
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $51,273
  • Year 3: $75,843
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,036
  • Year 2: $67,748
  • Year 3: $73,468
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $112,746
  • Year 2: $119,061
  • Year 3: $127,865
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,880
  • Year 2: $92,277
  • Year 3: $111,450
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,042
  • Year 2: $88,933
  • Year 3: $99,954
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,265
  • Year 2: $87,973
  • Year 3: $94,503
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,333
  • Year 2: $79,284
  • Year 3: $93,665
Applied Mathematics (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $81,333
  • Year 3: $90,716
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,826
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $88,913
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,471
  • Year 2: $81,702
  • Year 3: $85,953
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,066
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $84,973
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,458
  • Year 2: $77,213
  • Year 3: $84,039

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Chapman University Chapman University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs United States Air Force Academy United States Air Force Academy
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of Connecticut University of Connecticut
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Florida Institute of Technology Florida Institute of Technology
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of Maine University of Maine
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Kettering University Kettering University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Lawrence Technological University Lawrence Technological University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Michigan State University Michigan State University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of New Hampshire-Main Campus University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Rowan University Rowan University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Binghamton University Binghamton University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University at Buffalo University at Buffalo
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Stony Brook University Stony Brook University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Miami University-Oxford Miami University-Oxford
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio University-Main Campus
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of Toledo University of Toledo
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Drexel University Drexel University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Lafayette College Lafayette College
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Villanova University Villanova University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of Rhode Island University of Rhode Island
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Roger Williams University Roger Williams University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Tennessee State University Tennessee State University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Norwich University Norwich University
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs
Clarkson University Clarkson University vs Florida Polytechnic University Florida Polytechnic University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Florida Institute of Technology Florida Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Emory University Emory University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Harvard University Harvard University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Tufts University Tufts University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Wentworth Institute of Technology Wentworth Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Kettering University Kettering University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Lawrence Technological University Lawrence Technological University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Clarkson University Clarkson University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Cornell University Cornell University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Manhattan College Manhattan College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Duke University Duke University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Brown University Brown University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Roger Williams University Roger Williams University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Champlain College Champlain College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Norwich University Norwich University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs Stanford University Stanford University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI Troy vs University of Advancing Technology University of Advancing Technology