RPI Troy vs NorthWestern

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Northwestern University (NU) stand out as two prestigious institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. RPI, located in Troy, New York, is renowned for its strength in STEM fields, while NU, situated in Evanston, Illinois, boasts a diverse range of academic programs. With acceptance rates of 32% and 9%, respectively, both universities are highly selective, attracting top students from across the globe. RPI's student body is predominantly male (63%), while NU's is more evenly balanced (52% male, 48% female). In terms of popular majors, RPI excels in engineering, computer science, and architecture, while NU is known for its strong programs in business, engineering, and communication. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with RPI's at 86% and NU's at 91%. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey

	Northwestern University	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	Troy, New York
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.0%	53.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1470 - 1570	1360 - 1520
ACT range	34 - 35	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	15.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	17,498
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	9,277
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	1,322
Yield rate	62.8%	14.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$83,838	$77,763
Average net price	$29,999	$40,070
Tuition	$60,276	$57,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	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)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	97.0% Average amount $35,754
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	52.0% Average amount $5,116
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	10.0% Average amount $24,172

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	5,614 Men 69.0% Women 31.0%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	1,160 Men 69.1% Women 30.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	17.8%	19.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,409	3,930
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	84.2%
Dropout rate	4.2%	14.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	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.

NorthWestern

University of California-Berkeley