Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) vs Harvard

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Harvard University stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and diverse opportunities. RIT, a private research university in Rochester, New York, is renowned for its exceptional programs in science, technology, engineering, and the arts. Harvard, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, holds a prestigious reputation for its unparalleled liberal arts education and groundbreaking research. While both institutions share a commitment to academic rigor and student success, they differ significantly in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Harvard University logo

Harvard University

Rochester Institute of Technology logo

Rochester Institute of Technology

Overview

Location Cambridge, Massachusetts Rochester, New York
Campus setting City: Midsize Suburb: Large
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 96.0% 88.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 4.0% 71.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $105
Undergraduate: $65

Graduate: $65
SAT range 1480 - 1580 1270 - 1450
ACT range 33 - 36 28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score 54.0% 39.0%
Students submitting ACT score 31.0% 12.0%
Total number of applicants 57,786 21,923
Total number of admissions given out 2,318 15,645
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,951 3,355
Yield rate 84.2% 21.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,028 $69,232
Average net price $13,910 $35,012
Tuition $51,143 $52,030
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $11,705

Meal plan: $7,236
Room/dormitory: $8,392

Meal plan: $7,000
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

56.0%
Average amount $59,840
100.0%
Average amount $31,960
Students receiving federal student loan 3.0%
Average amount $5,180
62.0%
Average amount $5,197
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $8,080
16.0%
Average amount $19,624

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 9,579
Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
14,000
Men 66.5% Women 33.5%
Graduate students 21,766
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
2,790
Men 62.1% Women 37.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 53.2%
International students 23.9% 11.4%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 12,874 6,543
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey New York Pennsylvania New Jersey Connecticut Maryland

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Legal Profession
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Engineering Technologies
  • Business
Students to faculty ratio 7:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 96.7% 69.0%
Dropout rate 2.0% 29.1%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,193
  • Year 2: $128,716
  • Year 3: $240,408
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $184,307
  • Year 2: $165,340
  • Year 3: $199,043
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $171,333
  • Year 2: $171,907
  • Year 3: $187,553
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $140,072
  • Year 2: $128,737
  • Year 3: $163,896
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $151,371
  • Year 2: $174,023
  • Year 3: $163,512
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,508
  • Year 2: $117,916
  • Year 3: $129,281
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $121,832
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,707
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $121,771
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,905
  • Year 2: $98,670
  • Year 3: $107,389
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,745
  • Year 2: $71,486
  • Year 3: $106,375
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,382
  • Year 2: $89,006
  • Year 3: $104,341
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,806
  • Year 2: $98,137
  • Year 3: $98,068
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,771
  • Year 2: $84,653
  • Year 3: $93,116
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $77,470
  • Year 2: $79,389
  • Year 3: $92,303
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,401
  • Year 2: $72,901
  • Year 3: $87,280
Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,111
  • Year 2: $74,576
  • Year 3: $85,564
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,226
  • Year 2: $71,015
  • Year 3: $82,398
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $79,931
  • Year 2: $75,623
  • Year 3: $81,980
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,306
  • Year 2: $68,219
  • Year 3: $79,663
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,256
  • Year 2: $71,351
  • Year 3: $79,347

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