Graduate Study

Graduate Application Instructions

For the Fall 2013 term and beyond, program content and names have changed for many of our graduate programs. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Before you begin the application process, please take a moment to read about the specific application deadline and requirements for your desired program. Click here for this information.

All applicants to RIT's graduate programs must hold—or currently be completing—a four year baccalaureate degree, or the U.S. equivalent, granted by an accredited college or university. Decisions on graduate selection are made by the college offering the program.

Application Options

APPLY ONLINE

Our online application is the easiest and fastest way to submit your application for graduate study. In order to apply for admission, you are required to create an RIT portal account. Your myRIT will provide you access to our online application. Your account also will allow you to track the status of your application credentials, receive your admission decision, and more.

Once you are logged into your myRIT account and at your personalized graduate study portal page, look for the pagelet titled “Your Next Steps” - the link to our graduate study application is located in that pagelet.

Already have an account?

Log into your existing myRIT account. Forgot Password?

Need an account?

In order to apply, you will need to complete our multi-step Request Information / Create an Account process.

If you experience a TECHNICAL problem with our online application for admission, please report it to us using this form.

If you have NON-TECHNICAL or other questions regarding your application, please email us.

PDF PAPER APPLICATION

If you cannot submit your application online, you do have the option of downloading a PDF of our application, completing it, and scanning and emailing it to us or sending by regular postal mail. See http://www.rit.edu/emcs/ptgrad/grad_admission.html#gradapp for downloadable PDFs of our application and related forms.

International Students

View the non-U.S. citizen admission information.

U.S. Students

U.S. citizen applicants for admission must complete and submit the following:

Application Requirements
Admission Deadlines & Requirements
Graduate Department Contacts
Verifying Application Status
Application Checklist

All materials must be sent to:

Rochester Institute of Technology
Bausch & Lomb Center, Bldg. 77, Room A-130
58 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, New York 14623-5604
Attention: Office of Graduate Enrollment Services

NOTE: Please be sure to use the same name and same spelling of your name on all forms, records and correspondence. Please include your U.S. Social Security number on all forms and correspondence to assist processing.

Application Requirements

Graduate Application Form

Our Graduate Application form consists of seven parts. Download all or parts of the PDF application below as needed and mail a copy to RIT's Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. You must have Adobe Acrobat to apply online and to download the PDF application sections. You may download Acrobat viewer for free if you do not have it on your computer.

Non refundable Application Fee

RIT requires a $60 application fee for applicants other than RIT alumni and current students within one school year of completing another RIT program. When you are in the online application , you can pay the application fee at anytime (Section 6 - Step 14 in the application) up until the point at which you complete the final submission of the application (step number 15 with the box titled Admission Application Confirmation & Final Submit). Once you submit your application at that point, the application then becomes non-editable and the Pay Application Fee button is disabled. If you do not pay your application fee before the final submission, you must then pay the fee at the web site: https://futurestudent.rit.edu/grad/pay_app_fee.cfm.

TO PAY BY PERSONAL CHECK, MONEY ORDER OR BANK DRAFT, follow the instructions below:

Your document should be made payable to Rochester Institute of Technology in the amount of $60 [US]. Mail this along with your full name to:

Rochester Institute of Technology
Office of Graduate Enrollment Services
Bausch & Lomb Center
58 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester NY 14623-5604

Official Transcripts

Official transcripts of all previous post-secondary education are required. You must provide official transcripts or certified copies, not photocopies. All transcripts should be sent to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services with the rest of your application. The admission of a student who has not yet completed undergraduate work depends on the filing of a final transcript showing all course work, the degree granted and the date of the degree.

U.S. colleges and universities: To obtain transcripts from colleges and universities in the United States, send a self-addressed envelope to the undergraduate and graduate institutions you attended and ask the registrar to use the envelope to send your academic transcripts to you. Instruct the registrar to
1. seal the transcripts inside your self-addressed envelope;
2. sign and put the school stamp across the sealed envelope flap to ensure the contents' authenticity; and
3. return the envelope to you. Note: Transcripts must carry the college seal (stamp) or signature of a college official to be considered official. Colleges unwilling to provide an official transcript directly to the applicant may mail the transcript directly to RIT's Office of Graduate Enrollment Services.

Colleges and universities outside the U.S.: A final official degree certificate is also required. You should arrange to have this transcript or degree certificate forwarded directly to RIT's Office of Graduate Enrollment Services as soon as you have completed your undergraduate study.
Academic documents must be marked with a seal, stamp or ink signature of an academic official of the institution. RIT will not accept photocopies, faxes, notarized copies or notorial certificates. Each transcript should indicate years of attendance, subjects studied and the grade earned in each subject. A key to the grading system also should be included.
Personal statement of educational objectives

Please provide a personal statement describing your educational objectives. You may wish to address: (1) why you are applying for the program, (2) how your degree program will relate to your long-range career objectives, (3) what personal or “non-academic” qualities you will contribute to the learning environment in your program, (4) what prior experience you have with respect to your chosen program, and (5) specifically why you want to attend RIT. Attach a separate typed sheet to this form.

Resume or other Summary of Work Experience

You can attach a resume to your paper or online application, or write a summary of your work experience directly on your application forms.

Letters of Recommendation

Two or more letters of recommendation are required for admission to all RIT graduate programs except those offered by the College of Business. Recommendations should come from members of the academic community and/or workplace professionals who know your qualifications for graduate study. All recommendations should be sent to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services with the rest of your application materials.

Graduate Admission Tests

Applicants may also be required to submit scores from graduate admission tests. The official results of graduate admission tests — results that must be verified by the testing agency — are the only parts of your application that you do not mail to RIT. Instead, you must arrange for the testing agency to send your test results directly to RIT’s Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. RIT’s code for ETS reporting is 2760. Please do not include a department code.

Check the admission requirements page to determine which admission test, if any, is required by the program to which you seek admission.

Required tests may include:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
If the department to which you seek admission requires the GRE, your application will not be processed without your GRE score(s). For information about testing dates and sites, contact:

Educational Testing Service
CN 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
www.ets.org
Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
In a limited number of programs, the MAT may be substituted for the GRE (see page 5). For information, write to:

Psychological Testing Corp.
555 Academic Court
San Antonio, TX 78204
Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
The GMAT is required for admission to graduate study in the College of Business. To register for the GMAT exam, go to www.mba.com.

Portfolio

Graduate students applying for admission to the School of Art, School of Design, School for American Crafts, School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, Imaging Arts, or Photography must submit a portfolio of original work to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. View the portfolio requirements and follow the guidelines for submitting your portfolio.

Admission Deadlines & Requirements

RIT maintains a rolling admissions policy for many of its graduate programs. Generally, students may begin a program of study fall, spring, or summer semester. However, some graduate departments establish their own admission deadlines and requirements, and some programs offer admission for fall semester entry only. Further information on deadlines for specific academic programs can be found by contacting the department.

Acknowledgment and Verification

Once the application is received and reviewed, the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services will contact you to acknowledge receipt of your application, and tell you if any necessary items are missing from your file. Each graduate department makes its own admission decisions on its own schedule. You will be notified of your admission status as soon as possible.

Graduate Department Contacts

Need to talk to someone about the program to which you seek admission? Find the program contact's name, phone number and e-mail address on the department contact list.

Verifying Application Status

You will receive written acknowledgment that RIT has received your application. This notice also will tell you if any necessary items are missing from your file. Each graduate department makes its own admission decisions on its own schedule. You will be notified of your admission status as soon as possible. For information concerning the decision status of your completed application, or for further information about application procedures, contact:

Rochester Institute of Technology
Bausch & Lomb Center, Bldg. 77, Room 1241
58 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, New York 14623-5604
Attention: Office of Graduate Enrollment Services

phone: 585-475-2229
e-mail: gradinfo@rit.edu

Application Checklist

Print the application checklist to guide you through the RIT application process.

Admissions Portal