While there is flexibility to change your major once you are here, you are encouraged to be as specific as you can when you choose a major (or school) on your application. If you are interested in the Architecture, Electronic Arts, Music, or Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences program, we recommend that you apply directly to that program. Students interested in the Accelerated Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program must apply directly to that program.

Options:

• Declare specific major
• Undeclared to a specific school (i.e., undeclared engineering)
• Undeclared general studies

No, we do not offer interviews as a part of the application process. 

However, applicants are welcome to record a GLIMPSE video. Glimpse is an opportunity to share a 60-90 second video helping us to get to know you better. For more information about Glimpse please visit the Glimpse website. Currently, Glimpse is only available for U.S. students attending high school in the United States. For consideration in Rensselaer’s admissions process, Glimpse videos must be submitted by 11/15 for Early Decision I, 12/15 for Early Action, 1/10 for Early Decision II, and 1/29 for Regular Decision.

For international applicants, Rensselaer will also consider interviews from InitialView. InitialView materials provide applicants with an opportunity to talk about their background, experience, and interests in the context of an unscripted, informal conversation. Applicants interested in an InitialView interview are encouraged to make a reservation.

There are plenty of ways to express demonstrated interest without leaving your house!

• Check out our Virtual Tour of campus, or join our Admissions Team and student ambassadors for a virtual Information Session for a chance to have your questions answered.
• Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay connected with the Office of Admission.
• We have regional counselors that represent all areas of the country and world. Find the contact information for your regional counselor here and reach out to us.
• If you’d like to submit questions to our student ambassadors, feel free to email their dedicated email address at admambassadors@rpi.edu.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Yes! We do allow students to defer their start at Rensselaer for one or two semesters. Please note that we only defer enrollment, not admission, so you will need to place your $500 enrollment deposit before your defer request will be reviewed. 

Students who wish to defer their enrollment may take courses on a non-matriculated basis at another institution. If you matriculate elsewhere, or take 12 or more transferrable credits, you will need to re-apply as a transfer student.

It is recommended that students studying the following majors NOT request a deferral to the spring semester due to the layout of the course curriculum:

• Architecture
• Design, Innovation, and Society
• Electronic Arts
• Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences
• Music

Please email us at admissions@rpi.edu with any questions about our deferral policy. 

You can major in almost anything at Rensselaer while preparing yourself for medical school, but most students who want to pursue medical school choose something in our School of Science (often biology or chemistry). Interested students may enlist the assistance of the Pre-Health Committee, a group of professors who will guide students interested in medical school (or other health professions) through their four years, making sure they are putting themselves in the best position possible when it comes time to apply to the professional school of their choice. Questions about the advising process may be addressed to prehealth@rpi.edu. 

Yes, the application process for the B.S./M.D. program is very different than for our general programs. Please be sure to review the FAQs specific to this program below, and the information for Physician-Scientist Program (B.S./M.D.) Applicants. 

In the past, a student’s race/ethnicity has been just one aspect of a holistic review process at Rensselaer. Moving forward, in accordance with the recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC (2023), Rensselaer will be suppressing all student race/ethnicity data (collected in the recruitment and application phases) during the application review process.

Yes, all first and second-year students are required to live on campus and participate in a meal plan. Living on campus is a critical component of the CLASS (Clustered Learning, Advocacy, and Support for Students) experience. It provides students with the opportunity to live, learn, and experience Rensselaer and the local Troy area with members of their cohort.

Students with extenuating financial or medical/health-related circumstances can request a housing waiver; however, waivers are only granted for extreme and extenuating circumstances. Signing a lease off-campus, living locally, or roommate concerns will not typically result in a housing waiver.  

Student Living & Learning Website

Dining Services at Rensselaer takes great pride in serving the needs of all of our students. We meet one-on-one with any student with individual dining needs to ensure their dining experience is safe, delicious, and social. For more information or to contact our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, visit the Dining Services website.

Rensselaer welcomes students of all identities, abilities, and backgrounds, and aims to provide an equitable and inclusive experience in higher education both in our campus community, and within the classrooms.  

We have a variety of support services on campus to help your transition to college life and to help maintain your long-term success as well. Some examples include Disability Student Services and the First Year Experience Office within the Office of Student Success. We also offer 1:1 and group tutoring, mentoring, and advising services in the Advising, Learning, and Assistance Center. If you want to receive accommodations of any kind due to a diagnosis that impacts your college experience, you will work directly with the Disabilities Student Services office to determine your eligibility for specific accommodations based on your needs. They assist with housing accommodations, classroom accommodations, and even connect students with various social support groups and organizations both at Rensselaer and off-campus. 

For more information and examples of the common types of accommodations that students on campus receive, please visit: 

Types of Accommodations | Student Health and Wellness (rpi.edu) 

Questions? Email one of our Accessibility and Neurodiversity Liaisons in the undergraduate admissions office:  

• Leslie LaBrecque (she/her/hers), Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions 
• Clare Piotrowski (she/her/hers), Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions 

Yes! The applicants who are best suited for Rensselaer will have completed:

• Four years of mathematics through pre-calculus* (calculus recommended)
• Three years of science (including chemistry and lab-based physics**); biology recommended & required for bio-focused majors
• Four years of English
• Three years of social studies and/or history

*IB Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation SL does NOT fulfill the precalculus requirement. 

**Physical Science or Conceptual Physics courses do NOT fulfill the lab-based physics requirement. 

Rensselaer does not have a foreign language requirement. 

Rensselaer has renewed the test-optional admissions policy for another year. Any student who applies to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an undergraduate in the fall of 2025 will be able to choose whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores.

This continues to be a temporary suspension of our standardized testing requirement, and it will be re-evaluated for the fall 2026 application cycle. Test-Optional FAQs

Please note: Students applying to the Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program will be required to send official SAT or ACT scores in order for their application to be reviewed.

In general, yes. However, it is important to note the following:

• Transfer credit will not be given for any college courses taken while in high school if these courses were used in obtaining the high school diploma. 
• Rensselaer does not grant credit for courses not offered here (i.e., Rensselaer does not offer any math courses below Calculus I; so college credits for a course such as precalculus would not be granted). 

An official transcript of grade(s) from the other college(s) must be sent to the Office of the Registrar to be considered for credit.

Transfer Student Course Guide

We do have students choose to take a course on a non-matriculated basis. Please note that no more than twelve credit hours of work taken on a non-matriculated basis may be credited toward a Rensselaer degree, should you later decide to apply as a matriculated student. 

• If you do not currently hold a B.S/B.A. degree in any field, but are interested in taking courses on a non-matriculated basis, you should complete the Non-Matriculated Undergraduate Student Application.
• If you hold a B.S./B.A. degree, please visit the Graduate Admissions site for additional information. 

There is no application fee for non-matriculated applicants. Please have most recent transcript(s) sent to the address shown in the sidebar. Transcripts being sent electronically may be addressed to adm_updates@rpi.edu. Please note that the Rensselaer computer store is not able to sell laptop computers to non-matriculated students.

Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Scholarships

If you are interested in using a CTY scholarship to take courses at Rensselaer, you should complete the Non-Matriculated Undergraduate Student Application (including an indication of the class desired) along with an uploaded copy of the CTY award letter. We will also require an official copy of your high school transcript.

Please have your transcripts sent to the address shown in the sidebar, attention Center for Talented Youth. Transcripts being sent electronically may be addressed to adm_updates@rpi.edu.

If you have any questions, please contact Ulysses deArmas.