Admission to RIT is competitive, but our admission process is a personal one. We are interested in learning about your interests, abilities, and goals in order to provide the best information and guidance we can as you select the college that is right for you.

What we look for
There really is no typical RIT student in terms of background, beliefs, or interests. RIT has a very diverse student body. However, that is not to say that RIT is for everybody. The most successful RIT students have a positive attitude toward learning, the desire to get involved in campus life, and a significant interest in developing professional potential. All students should have followed a strong college preparatory program in their post secondary education.

Factors considered in our admission decisions include, but are not limited to:
–Overall GPA & rank in class
–Rigor of course work
–Grades in content courses
–Appropriateness of courses for academic major
–Competitiveness of High School
–Standardized Test(s)
–Recommendation from your school counselor
–Recommendations from those familiar with your academic performance
–Essay
-Portfolio (required for Art, Design, and American Crafts)

Differential Admissions
Students applying to RIT choose a specific academic program as part of the admission process. This is important because we offer a variety of academic programs, and admission requirements may differ from one program to another. We would expect, for example, that a student applying for admission to our computer science program would present a strong academic record with particular strength in mathematics, while a student applying for a fine arts major would need to show artistic talent through a required portfolio. Learn more about college profiles and admission requirements.

Apply to more than one major
We also encourage applicants to indicate a second and third program choice when applying for admission. If RIT is unable to offer you admission to your first choice program, you may be qualified for admission to one of your alternative choices.

Undecided about a major?
It’s natural to be uncertain of your future. Like many prospective college students, you may have several
different personal interests and career aspirations right now. Perhaps you see yourself as a lawyer, an
electrical engineer, a CPA, a psychologist, a chemist, or an entrepreneur running a web-based business.
From arts and sciences to business and technology, RIT’s academic programs can prepare you for all of these possibilities and more. The RIT Exploration program in our College of Liberal Arts provides the time and the support you need to find the right degree program. There are also exploration programs within most of the colleges (for example, Undeclared Business or Engineering Exploration).  These majors allow students to explore the options for up to one full year before declaring a major.

Attending RIT may be one of the best choices you can make if you have not decided on your career. You can explore, investigate, and sample academic programs and career paths before making a final decision on
your major. As soon as you enter our Exploration program, you’ll be assigned a faculty adviser who will help you identify a suitable program of study, select courses, and provide encouragement and guidance
throughout the process.

Standardized Test Requirements (mid 50% range)

• Applicants will be expected to take the SAT Reasoning test or the ACT. The ACT (with or without the writing component) may be submitted.
• International applicants -Additional testing information may be required

Note: Please include RIT's institutional code of 2760 for the SAT, TOEFL and ACT exams. This will ensure that your scores are sent directly to RIT.

Portfolio Guidelines - Required for the following departments: Art, Design, American Crafts. Photography and Film & Animation portfolios are not required for freshman admission.

Guidelines can be found at:
Digital Portfolio Guidelines - Windows OS
Digital Portfolio Guidelines - Macintosh OS
Portfolio Guidelines Using Slides

Send your slide or digital portfolio and completed application to: Office of Admissions, Rochester Institute of Technology, 60 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623-5604