Students throwing airplanes in the Gordon Field House

Message from the President

Relentlessly creative and innovative

Portrait of Dr. David C Muson

David C. Munson Jr.
RIT President

When we drafted a new vision statement for RIT’s strategic plan in 2018, we anticipated the world would continue to evolve at a rapid pace. And oh, did the world change. A global pandemic, conflicts and war, and severe weather patterns brought despair. Yet, we’ve also witnessed amazing medical advancements and achievements in space exploration, artificial intelligence, and more.

I wish to reassure you that we have future creators, innovators, and leaders in our midst. They are fueled by curiosity, discovery, and goodness. Our students’ dreams reflect a broad spectrum of aspirations focused on academic success, career advancement, personal growth, and social impact.

As we reach the milestone of a successfully completed 2025 Strategic Plan and a $1 billion Transforming RIT campaign to bring the plan’s initiatives to life, RIT is on a firm path to realize all we set out to accomplish.

Read more

A group of students wearing masks using a cordless drill.

People and Programs

People and Programs

At our top 100 nationally ranked university, our faculty are dedicated to discovering something new—and mentoring our multi-talented students along the way. RIT students push the boundaries of science on research teams, while exploring their love of the arts. They study internationally, build real-world skills, and leave college passionate about their careers.

A group of students wearing masks using a cordless drill.
  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Work experiences give students an edge

    RIT’s co-op program is one of the largest and oldest in the nation. In addition, RIT was recognized in the 2025 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges, which ranked its co-op and internship program sixth in the nation.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Expanding global awareness

    RIT has nearly doubled global opportunities in the past eight years, with 701 students participating in international experiences in the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Concepts turn into companies

    With more than 2,500 students exploring entrepreneurship in some way each year, the university is committed to establishing RIT as a world-recognized leader in the field.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Endowed professors strengthen university

    Today, there are 51 endowed professorships at RIT. Thirteen of those have been established since 2017. These named professorships help provide both the recognition and the resources that the highest caliber faculty and experts in their field deserve.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Ph.D. programs point the way forward

    RIT has 13 Ph.D. programs currently enrolling 492 students. RIT President David Munson’s time at RIT has seen the addition of seven Ph.D. programs, including cognitive science and physics this past fall.

Two students working in a lab, one polishing copper pipes and the other has their hands in a hood.

Places

Places

Unprecedented access to makerspaces, world-class labs that rival those found in industry, and studios and stages designed to inspire creativity and innovation. At RIT, we have intentionally created spaces for students to have free rein to create, imagine, and build through inspired learning, making, and performing— all to bring out the best in our dynamic student body.

A group of students wearing masks using a cordless drill.
  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    SHED showcases technology, the arts, and design

    The SHED complex covers 209,000 gross-square feet of combined new construction and an extensive renovation of Wallace Library. The $120 million complex represents RIT’s biggest capital project since the campus moved to Henrietta, N.Y., from downtown Rochester in 1968.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    New theater to open next year

    The curtain is set to rise in 2026 for RIT’s new music performance theater, a 750-seat, 40,000-square-foot complex that will be the first major theater to open in the Rochester area in decades.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    RIT’s campus in Dubai flourishes

    RIT Dubai, one of the university’s five global campuses, opened phase one of its new campus in 2021 and is now on to phase two, set to be complete in 2027. The new construction will be done in two stages and will help boost the campus enrollment to 4,000 students.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Upgrades modernize business education

    The college completed more than $25 million of upgrades and renovations to Max Lowenthal Hall. Designed by LaBella Associates, the space nearly doubled the size of RIT’s business college, adding more than 35,000 square feet.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Making digital media

    The 52,000-square-foot living laboratory engages students and faculty using the latest technologies, while allowing for real-life experiences in publishing new media projects and incubating new businesses.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Fighting cyber crime

    The need to build cybersecurity resilience and enable public-private collaboration is more critical than ever. RIT’s ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute is bringing that together as a nexus of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence research and education.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    New research building comes online in 2025

    Research awards as well as national funding sources for economic development have increased to record levels at RIT, prompting the need for more research laboratory space on campus.

Gloved hands working in a hydroponic farm

Partnerships

Partnerships

Connections to industry. Mentorships with artisans. Networking with national business leaders. At RIT, our learning extends beyond classrooms to global, national, state, and local partnerships that help our students turn knowledge into know-how

A group of students wearing masks using a cordless drill.
  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Battery ecosystem energized

    The new Battery Development Center will help launch startup businesses, support research and development in established companies, and prepare a workforce to build and apply battery technology in today’s interconnected environment.

  • college e sports player laughing while sitting in a gamer chair and wearing a headset.

    Bridges connect RIT and the community

    The RIT-Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCV&M) Partnership, which is supported by the Philip K. and Anne Wehrheim Endowment, is just one example of how these collaborations provide a two-way bridge of benefits.

by-the-numbers

By the Numbers


Enrollment from all RIT campuses

Last fall, RIT enrolled a record number of students for the fourth straight year. Figures include global campuses.

Fall 2018
Fall 2019
Fall 2020
Fall 2021
Fall 2022
Fall 2023
Fall 2024
19,047
18,897
18,668
19,718
19,772
20,570
21,316
Students studying at RIT’s global campuses

RIT has campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. Enrollment abroad continues to grow.

Fall 2018
Fall 2019
Fall 2020
Fall 2021
Fall 2022
Fall 2023
Fall 2024
2,419
2,566
2,758
2,971
3,181
3,622
4,164
Enrollment for students from under-represented races/ethnicities (AALANA)

AALANA = African American, Latino American, and Native American students. Excludes global campuses.

Fall 2018
Fall 2019
Fall 2020
Fall 2021
Fall 2022
Fall 2023
Fall 2024
2,006
2,006
2,207
2,321
2,386
2,478
2,739
International student enrollment at RIT’s main campus

Last fall, RIT enrolled students at its main campus from more than 100 countries. These are the top countries outside the U.S. that RIT students come from.

Nepal
Bangladesh
Canada
China
India
39
51
85
227
979
Annual Fund Gifts

Gifts to the Annual Fund support the most urgent needs of RIT’s colleges and key programs. Through significant growth in the number of Sentinel Society memberships, the Annual Fund has more than doubled in the last 10 years.

FY18
FY19
FY20
FY21
FY22
FY23
FY24
$777,406
$793,264
$859,291
$1,081,543
$1,765,328
$1,942,037
$2,125,238
Ph.D. degrees awarded in 2023-2024

Last academic year, 65 Ph.D. degrees were awarded.

Computing and Information Sciences
Imaging Science
Microsystems Engineering
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Astrophysical Sciences and Technology
Color Science
Electrical and Computer Enginnering
Engineering
Mathematical Modeling
Biomedical and Chemical Engineering
Sustainability
14
12
9
8
6
3
3
3
3
2
2
Applications

The number of applications from prospective first-year students seeking bachelor’s degrees at RIT’s main campus has skyrocketed.

2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
19,167
19,494
21,672
21,683
23,762
25,128
27,698
Degree programs with the highest enrollment at RIT’s main campus

RIT’s main campus enrolled 14,307 undergraduate students and 2,859 graduate students last fall across nine colleges and two degree-granting institutes.

Undergraduate

Computer Science (BS)
Mechanical Engineering (BS)
Game Design and Development (BS)
Software Engineering (BS)
Mechanical Engineering Technology (BS)
1,204
1,058
754
667
559

Graduate

Computer Science (MS)
Data Science (MS)
Computing and Information Sciences (Ph.D.)
Business Administration (MBA)
Human-Computer Interaction (MS)
317
172
130
119
99
Stronger student body

The average grade-point average and test scores for first-year students at RIT’s main campus have consistently stayed high.
*RIT made submitting test scores optional for the class entering in fall 2021

Average GPA

2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
91.4
92.1
92.2
93.2
93
94
93.4

Average SAT score

2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
1294
1303
1288
1348
1351
1360
1372

Average ACT score

2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
27.5
27.9
28.1
30.9
30
30
30.5
Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness

RIT exceeded its $1 billion campaign goal. Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness garnered support from an array of investors including alumni, parents, friends, government and corporate partners, research foundations, and agencies.

Percent of dollars raised by donor type

Trustees - 29.08% Foundations - 13.01% Other - 13.97% Alumni - 20.69% Corporations - 23.25%

Percent of dollars raised by research and government

Federal - 51.84% Other - 10% Research-Focused Gifts - 14.78% State - 23.38%