Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) vs Lafayette College

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Lafayette College stand out as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique educational experiences. RIT, a private research university in Rochester, New York, is renowned for its focus on career-oriented programs, while Lafayette College, a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania, emphasizes a well-rounded education in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. With RIT's acceptance rate of 78% and Lafayette's 33%, prospective students may find varying levels of competitiveness in the admissions process. RIT's student body is more diverse, with 20% international students compared to Lafayette's 10%. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with RIT at 83% and Lafayette at 89%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these two esteemed institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lafayette College	Rochester Institute of Technology
Overview
Location	Easton, Pennsylvania	Rochester, New York
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	40.7%	71.4%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1300 - 1460	1270 - 1450
ACT range	30 - 33	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	8,262	21,923
Total number of admissions given out	3,366	15,645
Admitted students who chose to enroll	782	3,355
Yield rate	23.2%	21.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,934	$69,232
Average net price	$38,754	$35,012
Tuition	$55,874	$52,030
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362	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)	61.0% Average amount $34,668	100.0% Average amount $31,960
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,491	62.0% Average amount $5,197
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,831	16.0% Average amount $19,624

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	14,000 Men 66.5% Women 33.5%
Graduate students	N/A	2,790 Men 62.1% Women 37.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	82.6%	53.2%
International students	7.8%	11.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,510	6,543
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut	New York Pennsylvania New Jersey Connecticut Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts	Computer and Information Science Engineering Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Business
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.9%	69.0%
Dropout rate	2.5%	29.1%
Transferred out	9.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201	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

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.

Lafayette College

Colorado College