RPI We went to visit this university and did a tour. It was early April and it snowed lightly the day we were there. It's a pretty campus with red brick buildings. We were really impressed by the students and staff. The students we met seemed happy to be there. The faculty seems to care about the students along with their success and well-being. That's the impression I got. The campus is small and walkable. Lots of kids walking around or hanging out together. read more

See all

Great institution right in the middle of Troy. Loads to do around the school and tons of activities on campus.

Rensselaer was my lifeline in the 1980's. Full disclosure, I received one of their national high school medals and the funds to attend four years to attain my bachelor's degree. I attended their summer program in 1983 and enrolled in the following fall. It was an intense experience challenging me socially and academically. The administration, faculty, and support staff were accessible. Even the food service workers were there on difficult days to assist with a listening ear and some advice. The Chaplain's Center provided for transitional counseling and the Learning Center provided qualified peer tutors to assist students. It stressed independence but offered structure to mature safely. Troy, Albany, Saratoga, Lake George, and the ski spots were among some of my favorite distractions in the Capital District. Having a bowling alley in the Student Union provided a great stress relief nearby. Focused undergraduate research was highly valued, flexibility in fusing disciplines, and focused balancing long and short-term objectives prepared me for my unanticipated career and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge and thoroughness, responsibility toward facilitating for our community's interest, and reflecting the RPI initiative. "Why not change the world?" read more

Beautiful University --Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is an atmospheric, pragmatic, professional comprehensive university. The campus is very beautiful, quiet and elegant. read more

See all

Best university in this area by far, beautiful campus with very competitive students. Students were all very kind and each took time to lead us in the right direction. read more

I have mixed feelings about this place overall as a visitor and as a friend of a person who went here. Architecturally, the place is pretty cool set on a hill side with a nice view of downtown Troy. The buildings are neat and the campus is pretty and looks it's age. There are definitely some underlying issues though that can't be ignored. This is one of the most expensive colleges ever, and there are some things on campus that are head scratching. Buildings with crumbling foundations and destroyed roads and infrastructure (cement shattered stairs, broken benches, missing bricks etc.) and most of the buildings have ancient heating systems and most don't have air conditioning. The giant obscenely expensive theater that according to my friend gets used practically never, And people come here and pay how much??? Where's the money gone to?, and joking about the absurd amount of money the president makes (won't go there...) I guess I just sort of expected better. I've been to Ivy League schools, and they're amazing and live up to the hype. This place is just old, and expensive, and while I'm sure their academics and degrees are fantastic, it doesn't cover the underlying toxicity that permeates throughout the infrastructure of the college and those who run it. Just saying... read more

I WAS a proud graduate of RPI until I had to work with the registrar to get a copy of my transcripts. It turns out, the registrar only accepts paper transcript requests. Then it turns out some of the transcripts have never been digitized (from the 1980s) and they have to manually get them. This takes literally months. Not very helpful. Then I had the gall to complain to the President's office. Four emails to the President's office went unanswered. Expect this kind of indifference if you go to RPI. Rumors about the imperious President of RPI appear to be true. read more

So...I just discovered that RPI does not offer any foreign language courses. An engineering school that does not offer foreign languages is like a a restaurant that does not offer food. Think about it. Name the top countries with progressive needs for engineers: India and China come to mind. Name some top countries with stellar engineers: Finland, Germany, Japan. I want my son to do work in water de-salination methodology. Name top countries with that need: Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Mexico. How is it possible that RPI only prepares students to work in English speaking countries? This is a travesty. Considering the cost per semester (higher than just about any other school in the nation), and the salary of the RPI President (published as the highest in the nation at $1.7million per annum with another $6million from service on boards), shouldn't one of the top engineering schools in the world offer at least ONE foreign language? Weirdly, Yelp is asking me if RPI has gender neutral bathrooms...I DON'T CARE!! This is not an actual issue for students of engineering being trained to solve the problems of the planet. Having a foreign language option makes more sense than worrying about my toilet habits. read more

I love RPI! I admit that when I first moved here, I was somewhat taken aback that there is little to do in the area. However, after having gone to school there the area certainly grows on you. It's centrally located between NYC, Boston, Montreal, and Buffalo/Rochester. The winters are cold, and the summers are humid thanks to the Hudson River Valley. The IT program is amazing and cutting-edge. RPI has been making strides in improving the school with the new EMPAC (Electronic Media and Performing Arts Center), Sports Complex, and BioTech center. It's also one of the "new ivies." It makes me nostalgic just thinking about it. "Here's to old R.P.I. Her fame may never die, Here's to old Rensselaer, she stands today without a peer, Here's to those olden days, Here's to those golden days, Here's to the friends, we made at dear old R.P.I." read more

Where do I even begin? The atmosphere here is freezing! Even in doors, you would expect an engineering school that costs $240,000 per student to have any decent heating or ventilation. It's called HVAC! There is no diversity in the student population, even though they try their best to promote it. The catalogues and brochures are filled with blacks and hispanics even though I literally ran into like 2 in a sea of white students. The school is heavily all male, so yea you can expect a lot of dry spell here. The staff are extremely rude. There is an air of assumption from the faculty and administers that the nonwhites like asians and hispanics are international or illegals.... I can't go anywhere or even apply to an on campus job where the employer would say to be: "Sorry Americans only." Like is it my fault that I'm not white? Is it my fault that you are ignorant and that my color doesn't determine my American citizenship? They are extremely racist towards Asians, as I observed. They are automatically labeled as math geeks or bio-premed majors to be doctors... Like Asians can be engineers too.... This is afterall an engineering school. The math at this school isn't as intensive. The school labs are lackluster and dull. I wonder where all the tuition dollar is going towards. Also I have researched on the school website and admissions office that this school is need aware. So they look at your income to see if you can afford this school, before even looking at your grades or leadership experience. That's not surprising that this school is taking all this tuition money and giving it to Shirley Jackson, the university president who makes $7 million dollars..... No joke. This school isn't investing in tuition dollars on upgrading curricula or facilities. They are going to the administers. RPI is a total and stupid joke! read more

Always exciting. Went for an award ceremony, left a proud parent. Its overwhelmingly large, and impressively accomplished!

What's green on top and sucks? If you can answer that question, then you went here a while ago. I received a GREAT engineering education. BS and MS. Class of 1970. Accessible professors. Challenging classes. Lots of nerds. I loved it here. read more

The people that work at RPI Folsom Library have an excellent work ehtic, are very well organized and very personable. They respond very quickly to requests and the work that they do is thorough and of high quality. They manage multiple priorities well and can effectively communicate issues and solutions . read more

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - #rpi #folsomlibrary #rensselaerpolytechnicinstitute - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Troy, New York

The diversity at this school can be blamed on marketing, this is a small school and it was surprising to me when I would mention I was going to RPI to someone of my age and they actually knew of it. The things I often heard from people who have heard of RPI were mostly their turnoffs and how it's a 70:30 (M:F), the cost is high, the lack in diversity in students, and the outlying area. The main thing is RPI is not advertised, everyone knows the Ivy schools even if they didn't have a higher education, RPI is almost just as prestigious as Ivy schools but gets no recognition socially. Socially, if someone enjoys exuberant parties and nightlife RPI is not the place for them. There is almost no way to get passed the rigor of the courses and still have a popping night life. Collectively EVERY SINGLE STUDENT experiences rigorous homework, studying, exams, and classes no matter what discipline (Business, Engineering, etc.) But there is a reason 6,000 people sacrifice partying for an RPI education As for the cost, the ROI coming out of RPI is insane! Companies like General Dynamics, Deloitte, and Microsoft and these are just companies that hired people I graduated and associated with. I haven't heard yet of a starting salary out of RPI less than $65,000 so the problem with RPI is short term cost, long term there should be no worries for a grad. I would say 9/10 students would recommend this school and the worries of cost, diversity, bad neighborhood, and social life are all diminished once someone actually experiences RPI. read more

I have studied at MIT and find RPI competitive but nicely distinct. RPI's high quality and reputation will serve you well when you leave. This is a result of the highly challenging nature of the program and the quality of interactions with faculty and peers here, of course. The outstanding nature of the faculty that I knew seems well maintained. Some housing nearby seems at first glance a little rough, but good possibilities exist for reasonable student living situations. Troy is unusual in that some extremely old, by US standards, dilapidated-appearing housing is separated from very relaxed almost rural suburban areas by only a few minutes of easy travel. Early housing searches may be especially important here, as parts of the housing stock will only appeal on a very idiosyncratic basis if at all, but students do tend to find what they want in the end. For some, the whole experience can seem excessively overwhelming at times, but for those who navigate through challenges, an important skill to practice in any case, RPI provides highly positive results in the end. read more

I would give RPI a 4 (possibly a 5) if it weren't for the current administration. President Shirley Ann Jackson and the Board of Directors have made some widely unpopular decisions in the recent years to greatly harm the institute's image and take away from the previous success Dr. Jackson has had during her tenure at RPI. RPI is the oldest technological university in the United States and is steeped in history. In recent years, it has risen to national prominence as one of the best engineering schools in the nation thanks to President Shirley Ann Jackson and her Rensselaer Plan. She has played a key role in reviving Troy, building a world-class performing arts center (EMPAC), creating a state of the art athletics facility (ECAV), building a technologically advanced biotechnology research center, and bringing RPI into the spotlight once again. However, she has failed to recognize the needs and requirements of many alumni, faculty, and students and has frequently acted against the best interest of the institute. For instance, she dissolved the faculty senate, laid off close to 90 employees last year (right before this holidays) in the most offensive manner, dropped all foreign languages at the institute, and severely limited study abroad options for undergraduates. RPI is still a top tier undergraduate and graduate research institute, but it needs a few good years of corrective action (including the removal of a few members of the Board of Directors) and some careful and strategic publicity campaigns in an attempt to gain the support the institute once had. Oh, and the hockey team isn't too bad this year! read more

Visited a friend's niece on campus. I was expecting a nicer campus. From pictures it looked beautiful. But in person it was old and not kept up. Visited the student union on 15th Street. Insiste it's a nice space. Large areas to study. In the basement many options for food. From sandwiches to fresh sushi. Students seemed very focused on whatever they were working on. Therefore not very approachable. Walked with her around campus. The performance theater is a new building and it was gorgeous. The freshman dorms are old and in need of a renovation. read more

This is a great school with people who consider themselves scientists and engineers. Professors are knowledgeable, nice and always willing to help. read more

I've gone to four schools around the capital district - HVCC, SCCC, Sage in Albany and RPI. This may seem obvious but RPI is the best school out of the four and the one I've spent the most time at. The faculty is great but it's the students that really make the school stand out. In some of my classes I learn more from the students than I do the Professor, and that's not to say the Professors are bad, my fellow students are just that good! In addition, the campus is beautiful, the food here is great and the student union even has a pub! What's not to love? read more