Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Early Acceptance

RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees are highly selective and enable you to complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in as little as five years. Through the early acceptance option, outstanding first-year applicants are invited to enroll and receive conditional admission to a master’s degree program.

Learn more about benefits, details, and next steps of early acceptance to a Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree.

three students walk next to each other

Prepare for your future faster with a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree

A Highly Selective Offer

Students selected for admission to a Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree have demonstrated remarkable aptitude, capability, and potential to succeed. We recognize that they are ahead of their peers and ready to position themselves for a successful future.
 

Extraordinary Support

Receive highly personalized academic support and advising to guide in course selection, cooperative education and internships, research opportunities, and overall career planning.
 

Exceptional Value

Collapse what is normally a six- or seven-year academic journey into approximately five or six years of study and maximize your investment by saving time and money.
 

Maximize Your Earning Potential

A bachelor’s and a master’s—and the experience and knowledge that comes with both degrees—often means higher starting salaries and more earning potential over the course of your career.

A Guaranteed Graduate Scholarship

Along with conditional admission, students offered early acceptance to a Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree are awarded a guaranteed scholarship covering 40% of graduate tuition.

Learn More Details
View a list of all Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree options as well as curriculum details and course requirements. Those that offer conditional early acceptance are marked with a .

How are students selected for early acceptance to Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs?

  • All first-year applicants to qualifying programs are considered for early acceptance based on their admissions application credentials. No special supplemental application or information is required.
  • Exceptional students with excellent academic records are selected for early acceptance to a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree and will be notified per the timetable below after they receive the admission decision for their undergraduate program. Invitations are sent by email and postal mail.
  • Early acceptance students receive conditional acceptance to specific graduate degree program(s), in addition to full admission to their undergraduate degree program.
  • To accept the offer, students must log in to their admissions portal to confirm their intent to enroll in a specific Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree, and pay the enrollment deposit by the deadline date. 
  • Full admission to the graduate degree program is granted once students meet all conditional requirements. View the documents below that corresponds to student’s enrollment term at RIT:
  • No separate master’s degree application or admission materials are required (no GRE or GMAT).

Notification Timeline

Early Decision I Early Decision II Regular Decision
Application Deadline November 1st January 1st January 15th
Admission Decision Notification Mid-December Mid-January Mid-March
Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Early Acceptance Notifications Early January Early February Late March

 

How do Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees work?

  • Apply for admission; those selected for early acceptance will be invited to participate according to the timeline above.
  • If you are selected, enroll and begin your undergraduate degree program – same as other first-year students.
  • Work with your academic advisor to follow your study plan and select the required courses for your undergraduate degree program, as well as general education and elective classes based on your interests.
  • Begin conversations with your department faculty and advisor about co-op and research opportunities in your program.
  • Participate in activities and programs designed for Accelerated Scholars.
  • Continue to complete your required undergraduate and graduate-level courses, cooperative education experience, and any other undergraduate degree requirements.
  • Once you complete the undergraduate credit hour or degree requirements and have met the conditional requirements for graduate study, you will be enrolled with graduate student status.
  • Once enrolled with graduate student status, your undergraduate financial aid will no longer apply, and your financial aid offer will be amended to reflect the 40% graduate scholarship.
  • The bachelor’s degree will be awarded upon completion of your bachelor’s degree or credit threshold requirements, and the master’s degree once both bachelor’s and master’s degree requirements are met.

What are the requirements for conditional admission to the master’s degree?

  • Successfully complete two or three years of full-time study, depending on your undergraduate major, to continue in the accelerated degree program.
  • Maintain a minimum GPA requirement (3.0 – 3.4), based on your specific degree program.
  • Complete all of the undergraduate degree requirements and prerequisites for your accelerated degree program.
  • Make adequate progress toward graduation, as evidenced by no incidents of academic misconduct, no unresolved grades of D or F, no excessive course withdrawals, and successful completion of required cooperative education requirements.
  • Receive support and validation from the department head of your bachelor’s degree and the program director of the master’s degree program.
  • View or download additional requirements for those who are offered early acceptance to a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree based on enrollment term

You’re on to an amazing future. Let’s get started.

Next Steps

  1. Apply for admission. Your application credentials will be reviewed and outstanding applicants will be selected and invited to participate in Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees.
  2. If selected, login to your admissions portal to:
    • Confirm your intent to enroll in RIT: Complete the online “Reply to Offer of Admission”.
    • Confirm your intent to join a Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree by May 1: Reserve your place by completing the online “Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Offer” form.
    • Pay your enrollment deposit: Submit your enrollment deposit using the secure link found under “Payment Due.”

Contact Us with Questions

Karen Palmer headshot

Karen Palmer

Associate Director, Combined Accelerated Programs
admissions@rit.edu
585-475-5656

Frequently Asked Questions

All first-year applicants to qualifying programs are considered for early acceptance based on their application credentials. You do not need to indicate interest on your application and no supplemental application or information is required.

Students are selected for early acceptance based on their outstanding academic record and admissions credentials. Early acceptance to Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees is selective and competitive, and offered only to the most highly qualified first-year applicants.

Students will be selected for early acceptance to Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree programs shortly after they receive their admission decision from the undergraduate admissions office. Those selected will receive offer letters according to the timeline below:

Notification Timeline

Early Decision I Early Decision II Regular Decision
Application Deadline November 1st January 1st January 15th
Admission Decision Notification Mid-December Mid-January Mid-March
Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Early Acceptance Notifications Early January Early February Late March

To accept our offer and reserve your place in a Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree, log in to your admissions portal and complete the online "Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Offer" form.

Yes. Students who enroll at RIT may apply to a Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree through their academic department in their second or third year of study, depending on their degree program and if they meet requirements for admission.

You will need to pay your enrollment deposit and submit the Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees Offer form to confirm your intent to enroll in an accelerated program by May 1.

Yes. All of our Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees include opportunities for you to engage in a full educational experience. You will work with your academic advisor to create a plan of study to accommodate degree requirements and opportunities for you to complete co-ops and internships, research, study abroad, volunteering, and more.

For Dual-Degree Programs (BS/MS, BS/ME), visit Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees. Click on your undergraduate major and scroll down to the curriculum section of the page. After the typical course sequence for the bachelor’s degree, you’ll find additional chart/s with the typical course sequence for dual-degree programs.

For Accelerated Degree Programs, course equivalencies for potential waivers are outlined on the following websites:

If your career goals change, you may withdraw from the accelerated degree program and you would simply complete your bachelor’s degree.

When you are enrolled as an undergraduate student, you will be billed undergraduate tuition and fees, and receive undergraduate financial aid. Once you advance to graduate status, your tuition, fees, and financial aid switch to graduate tuition and your undergraduate financial aid will no longer apply. Part of your graduate financial aid offer will include a Combined Accelerated Scholarship that will cover 40% of your graduate level tuition. U.S. citizens and permanent residents may also file the FAFSA and be considered for graduate student financial aid (student loans).

You can view more details about the change in financial aid for your specific program:

Once you are enrolled as a graduate student, you will receive a 40% tuition scholarship for courses you take as a graduate student. Your undergraduate scholarship and financial aid will not apply once you are enrolled as a graduate student.

Three RIT students walking in Kodak Quad.

A Highly Selective Offer

Students selected for admission to a Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree have demonstrated remarkable aptitude, capability, and potential to succeed. We recognize that they are ahead of their peers and ready to position themselves for a successful future.
 

Extraordinary Support

Receive highly personalized academic support and advising to guide in course selection, cooperative education and internships, research opportunities, and overall career planning.
 

Exceptional Value

Collapse what is normally a six- or seven-year academic journey into approximately five or six years of study and maximize your investment by saving time and money.
 

Maximize Your Earning Potential

A bachelor’s and a master’s—and the experience and knowledge that comes with both degrees—often means higher starting salaries and more earning potential over the course of your career.

A Guaranteed Graduate Scholarship

Along with conditional admission, students offered early acceptance to a Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree are awarded a guaranteed scholarship covering 40% of graduate tuition.