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Graduate Study

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International Student Admission

All non-U.S. citizen 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.

Online Applications

Through our online application system, you can:

If you choose to pay the application fee online, please pay the fee ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR APPLICATION (online or in paper) so that your payment more easily can be matched to your application.

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

All materials must be sent to:

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

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. You can apply online or download all or parts of the PDF application 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 for free if you do not have it on your computer.


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Nonrefundable Application Fee

We require a $50 US application fee for all applicants other than RIT alumni. Send a check or money order (or submit credit card information) with the application for admission. Please do not send cash or foreign currency. Your check or money order should be made payable to Rochester Institute of Technology and drawn on a U.S. bank. Without this application fee, your application will not be processed. RIT Alumni are not required to pay the application fee.

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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.

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Degree Certificates

For 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.

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Letters of Recommendation

Two 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.

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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 part 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.

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:

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Declaration of Finances & Official Bank Statement

The Declaration of Financial Support Form and an official bank statement is required for international students who plan to apply for student F-1 visa status. Bank statements issued within the past six (6) months must be submitted before an I20 can be issued. Bank statements must be marked with the official stamp and/or seal of the issuing bank - notarized copies cannot be accepted. Bank statements must show the equivalent of at least $40,114 USD minus any assistantship and/ or scholarship monies you are awarded.

In order to apply for a student visa, U.S. government regulations require international students to demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to meet the costs of tuition, fees, supplies, and living expenses for at least nine months of full-time study. International students who need to apply for a student visa must submit to RIT an original bank statement showing the amount available for their education.

In addition, if the funds are not in the student's name, a letter of support from the person owning the assets is also required. In the case of support by a government agency or other organization, an original letter indicating the amount of funding and the period of time it is available is required. The applicant should request two original copies of these documents--one for RIT and the other set to take with them to the Visa interview. Once the student is admitted and these documents have been declared acceptable the appropriate form (I-20 or DS-2019) can be issued by RIT.

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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.

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Admission Deadlines & Requirements

RIT maintains a rolling admissions policy for most of its graduate programs. Generally, students may begin a program of study during any of four quarters: fall (September), winter (December), spring (March), or summer (June). However, some graduate departments establish their own admission deadlines, and some programs offer admission for fall quarter entry only. Further information on deadlines for specific academic programs can be found by contacting the department.

Note to International Applicants

Please provide all educational records and admission materials to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services no later than 10 weeks before your desired entrance date to allow appropriate processing time for your application.

If you currently hold an F-2 Visa, please note the following: Applicants for a change of status from F-2 to F-1 may not attend RIT until their change of status is approved by USCIS. You will find change of status information on the International Student Services website. RIT's ISS staff will assist you in applying for a change of status. Please contact the ISS office at 475-6943 as soon as possible to begin the process of changing your visa status.

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.

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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.

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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

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Application Checklist

Find out how to get started—enroll in a program, register for a class, find out which classes are opened or closed, review the academic calendar.

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

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