The RIT Master Plan


The RIT
Master Plan
Breadcrumb
- RIT/
- The RIT Master Plan
45% Tuition Scholarship for Graduate Study
Your RIT undergraduate degree is a mark of distinction that celebrates and recognizes your journey and hard work.
Whether you’re a recent grad of RIT or you’re about to complete your bachelor’s degree,
now’s the time to continue your education and apply for an RIT master’s degree.
Master’s degrees advance your career, increase your earning potential, and make you a competitive candidate for top-tier positions. And now is the perfect time to apply. The RIT Master Plan is an opportunity for you to pursue a master’s degree and receive a scholarship covering 45% of your graduate tuition.
With outstanding credentials from RIT, you’re on to the next big thing.
Explore Graduate Programs
Now is the Perfect Time to Earn
Your Master’s Degree
Special Tuition Discount
Students admitted through The RIT Master Plan will receive a special scholarship covering 45% of tuition for qualifying master’s degrees. RIT graduates from Dec. 2019 through Dec. 2023 who begin a master’s degree program by January 2024 are eligible.
Broaden Your Job Prospects
With a less than optimal job market, use this time to earn a graduate degree, a highly marketable credential that refines your knowledge, adds specialized skills, and distinguishes you as an outstanding applicant.
One-Step Expedited Application
One form, no GMAT or GRE required, no application fee, and an admission decision in a week.
65+ Graduate Degrees
With master’s degrees in everything from the arts and design, business, computing, engineering, science, health sciences, and the liberal arts, you have your choice of exciting programs.
A Smart Investment that Pays
Graduate degrees lead to higher lifelong earnings. Invest now, get hired later, and make your future more profitable.
Expand Your Network
Graduate degrees expose you to a new set of professional connections that can provide career guidance and advice, and open the door to exciting job opportunities.
An Affordable Plan
With 45% of your graduate tuition covered, there’s no better time to earn an advanced degree at an affordable price. A graduate degree is the perfect investment in your plan for the future.
Boost Your Experience
Many graduate programs offer co-op. Enhance your resume with additional hands-on experience that will get you in the door at amazing companies and can help pave the way to full-time employment.
Explore Graduate Programs
Choose from 65+ dynamic degree programs
- Accounting MS
- Business Analytics MS
- Communication MS
- Computational Finance MS
- Construction Management MS
- Environmental, Health and Safety Management MS
- Finance MS
- Global Supply Chain Management MS
- Health and Well-being Management MS
- Hospitality and Tourism Management MS
- Integrative Design MS
- Media Arts and Technology MS
- Print Media MS
- Professional Studies MS
- Sustainable Systems MS
- Technology Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MS
- Communication Networks MS
- Visual Arts - All Grades (Art Education) MST
- Accounting MBA
- Applied and Computational Mathematics MS
- Applied Statistics MS
- Architecture M.Arch. (on-campus program only, 24 – 36 month program)
- Artificial Intelligence MS
- Astrophysical Sciences and Technology MS
- Bioinformatics MS
- Business Administration MBA
- Ceramics MFA
- Chemistry MS
- Color Science MS
- Computer Engineering MS
- Computer Science MS
- Computing Security MS
- Criminal Justice MS
- Data Science MS
- Electrical Engineering MS
- Engineering Management ME
- Environmental Science MS
- Experimental Psychology MS
- Film and Animation MFA
- Fine Arts Studio MFA
- Furniture Design MFA
- Game Design and Development MS
- Glass MFA
- Health Informatics MS
- Health Systems Management MS
- Human-Computer Interaction MS
- Imaging Science MS
- Industrial and Systems Engineering MS
- Industrial Design MFA
- Information Sciences and Technologies MS
- Manufacturing and Mechanical Systems Integration MS
- Materials Science and Engineering MS
- Mechanical Engineering ME
- Mechanical Engineering MS
- Medical Illustration
- Metals and Jewelry Design MFA
- Microelectronic Engineering MS
- Packaging Science MS
- Physics MS
- School Psychology MS
- Science, Technology and Public Policy MS
- Secondary Education of Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing MS
- Software Engineering MS
- Sustainable Engineering MS
- Visual Communication Design MFA
Contact
Paul Keller
Graduate Admissions
pdkges@rit.edu
585-475-7223
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A one-step application and you’re on your way.
FAQs
Complete and submit the one-step application.
No, GRE and GMAT scores are waived for applicants applying for The RIT Master Plan.
Requirements vary by program, and admission decisions are made by the faculty committee in the academic departments. In general, faculty are looking for a cumulative 3.0 or higher GPA, with a strong background in related course work. In the programs that require a portfolio, the work submitted in the portfolio plays a significant role in the decision process.
Students with a GPA below 3.0 may apply and will be considered. The admissions committee will review your application and may request additional supporting documents in order to make an admission decision. Contact your graduate admissions counselor to discuss your situation and options.
Required prerequisite courses are outlined under the Admission Requirements section on each graduate program page. Students who do not meet all prerequisites may be considered for admission on a contingent basis upon completing additional bridge courses. Contact your graduate admissions counselor for more information.
You should receive an admission decision within one week of submitting your application. You will receive an email directing you to the application portal to view the admission decision. Your graduate admissions counselor will communicate with you directly if there are unforeseen delays in the admission review process.
Students must be certified for their RIT undergraduate degree in December 2019 or later to be eligible to apply. Students must begin graduate study in the spring 2023, summer 2023, fall 2023, or spring 2024 semesters. This scholarship is available for eligible on campus programs or programs offered through RIT Online. The scholarship is not available for Ph.D. programs, accelerated dual degree programs (commonly referred to as BS/MS programs), advanced certificates, RIT Architecture Online M.Arch, edX and RITx courses or MicroMasters, or executive education programs (Executive MBA, Online Executive MBA, Product Development MS, Manufacturing Leadership MS).
Yes, if you meet the qualifications for The RIT Master Plan, and have already been admitted to a qualifying master’s degree program for the spring 2023, summer 2023, fall 2023, or spring 2024 semesters, we will honor your current award or the Master Plan scholarship, whichever is higher. Contact your graduate admissions counselor for details.
The RIT Master Plan scholarship is only available for students who begin their master’s degrees in spring 2023, summer 2023, fall 2023, or spring 2024.
Yes, you may enroll as a full- or part-time student.
The timeline to complete a master’s degree varies by program. A number of programs may be completed in one calendar year, others may take an additional semester or more to complete. Check curriculum requirements on the graduate program pages.
RIT graduates who apply for The Master Plan, and are admitted to a qualifying graduate program, will automatically be awarded a scholarship covering 45% of their tuition. The scholarship will be pre-credited to your account, and will pay to the account shortly after the Add/Drop period of each semester, based on 45% of the number of credits you are registered for at that time.
The scholarship amount will be determined based on when you begin your graduate study:
- Spring 2023: 50% scholarship for the duration of your master’s program
- Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024: 45% scholarship for the duration of your master’s program
As long as you are in good academic standing and return within 12 months from your last date of enrollment, you would be eligible to continue to receive the scholarship.
Yes, the scholarship will apply to prerequisite courses as long as you are admitted to the graduate program contingent on your completing those courses, and are matriculated as a graduate student when taking prerequisite courses.
These requests will be considered on an individual basis.
Students awarded The RIT Master Plan scholarship will receive 45% off the standard RIT tuition rate. The scholarship will apply only to courses required to complete your graduate degree, and will continue for up to 36 months, provided you make satisfactory academic progress toward your degree.
Students who meet the program criteria and are admitted to qualifying master’s degree programs will receive the scholarship. The scholarship is not available for Ph.D. programs, accelerated dual degree programs (commonly referred to as BS/MS programs), advanced certificates, RIT Architecture Online M.Arch, edX or RITx courses or MicroMasters, or executive education programs (Executive MBA, Online Executive MBA, Product Development MS, and Manufacturing Leadership MS).
Some ways that graduate students cover the remaining cost of tuition, as well as living expenses, are as follows:
- RIT Graduate Assistantships - RIT Graduate Assistantships are offered by academic departments to full-time, on-campus, matriculated graduate students to serve as teaching, research, or administrative assistants. Graduate Assistants receive wages (determined by the department making the appointment) in exchange for work performed. Positions that qualify to receive any tuition support in addition to wages CANNOT be combined with The RIT Master Plan scholarship. Students seeking more information about a possible appointment should contact their graduate department coordinator.
- Federal Loans
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan for Graduate Students is a federal loan program with an annual maximum amount of $20,500. To qualify for the unsubsidized loan, a student must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.studentaid.gov. You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen in order to file the FAFSA. As a graduate student, you are not required to include your parents’ financial information on the FAFSA.
- Federal Direct PLUS Loan for Graduate Students is a federal loan program provided to assist with remaining educational costs after the maximum federal Unsubsidized loans have been applied. Applicants must first file a FAFSA and must not have an adverse credit history. Otherwise, you must obtain a co-signer who does not have an adverse credit history.
- Alternative Educational Loans - Alternative educational loans are private loans (non-federal) offered through banks to supplement financial aid awards. You may borrow through any lender of your choice as RIT does not maintain a preferred lender list. Please review our Alternative Educational Loans section for more details to assist you with the process of selecting a lender.
- International students who are seeking educational loan sources may want to consider reviewing the information here to start your search for various student loan options.
Please contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships with questions regarding financial aid. They can guide you through the process of filing a FAFSA as well as address your student loan questions.
The RIT Master Plan scholarship cannot be combined with any other RIT discounts, scholarships, or programs that provide tuition support. Students who receive the scholarship can apply for on-campus jobs through student employment, and earn hourly wages for work performed.
If you borrowed federal student loans as an undergraduate student, you can request for an In-School Deferment through your federal loan servicer as long as you are enrolled at least half-time while attending graduate school. A deferment is a temporary postponement of payment of your federal student loans due to a qualifying reason such as enrollment in graduate school. Your servicer will need to verify that you are enrolled at least half-time through the National Student Clearinghouse. If you are unaware of how to contact your federal student loan servicer to request for a deferment, you can locate information about your servicer by logging on to the National Student Loan Data System using your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. This is the same FSA ID you use to file a FAFSA. The National Student Loan Data System will have the contact information for your federal student loan servicer.
If you borrowed alternative educational loans as an undergraduate student, you will need to contact the lender(s) directly to inquire if these loans can be deferred of payment while you pursue a graduate degree. Lenders may have policies that differ from the federal loan programs.
Your graduate admissions counselor will work with you to process your updated I-20 after admission. It’s a very easy process, and you do not need to leave the country or arrange a new visa appointment. Your Sevis ID will remain the same. Contact your graduate admissions counselor with any questions.
Yes, the 45% scholarship is available to students admitted to qualifying RIT Online MS programs. Students awarded The RIT Master Plan scholarship will receive 45% off the RIT standard graduate tuition rate (on-campus rate) not the RIT Online graduate tuition rate. The scholarship is not available for edX and RITX courses and MicroMasters, or the following online programs: Architecture M.Arch., Executive MBA, Product Development MS, and Manufacturing Leadership MS.
Yes. RIT students who are certified for their master’s degree after December 2019 are welcome to apply to another master’s degree program and will receive the scholarship, if eligible.
Yes. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who qualify for NTID support are eligible for 45% off the NTID graduate tuition rate for any Master Plan eligible graduate program they select. Students who enroll in the secondary education for the deaf and hard of hearing MS degree, offered through NTID, are also eligible for 45% off the NTID graduate tuition rate.
Yes, students who graduate from RIT China, RIT Croatia, RIT Dubai, or RIT Kosovo after December 2019 are eligible to apply for The RIT Master Plan.