Resident Advisors

The Center for Residence Life is looking for individuals who are serious about the Resident Advisor (RA) position and can define and articulate their motivation, expectations and desire for learning. The RA position is one of the most important and sought-after student leadership positions on our campus, and it requires a high degree of responsibility and commitment.

General Requirements of the position include:

• Connect residential students’ needs and interests to community engagement opportunities
• Serve as a Liaison between Residential Students and The Center for Residence Life
• Crisis Management and Policy Enforcement, including an on-call “duty” rotation
• Administrative Tasks

An RA is a student staff member who resides within RIT housing with their residents and is employed by the Center for Residence Life. The RA is responsible for creating an engaging residential experience for members of their assigned community, as well as assisting their Residence Coordinator (RC) supervisor with administrative duties regarding the daily operations of the residence hall. Administrative tasks include, but are not limited to, ensuring necessary forms and reports are completed accurately and submitted on time.

RAs act as role models who are there to assist and develop community amongst their residents. RAs are student leaders who foster a community of respect and civility and show concern for the development of all residents. RAs will recognize opportunities to connect with their residents and support that aligns with advancing a positive experience for residents. In addition, RAs ensure accurate and timely communication occurs, disseminating pertinent information, and collecting feedback from residents.

RAs will participate in collaborative efforts within their assigned staff, as well as center-wide initiatives, to promote an engaging environment conducive to upholding and honoring the individual rights and responsibilities of all students. RAs are expected to demonstrate integrity and uphold the core values and policies of RIT and the Center for Residence Life to be effective liaisons and support for students living on campus.

Given the high standards of this position, RAs must possess compassion for others, inspire respect, and set a good example in attitude and general role modeling. RAs are expected to articulate others' strengths and use solution-oriented feedback when interacting with students. They are expected to conduct themselves professionally both on campus and in the community. RAs will think critically in order to assist residents with problems or behaviors of concern and connect students to appropriate university resources. RAs will provide opportunities to reflect on the outcome of situations with residents when appropriate.

In addition, this role has set time commitments including a training period prior to each academic semester, a weekly staff meeting and 1:1 meeting with their RC supervisor, and planned in-service training opportunities. All known dates will be provided in the Resident Advisor agreement, given upon hire.

The following criteria must be met in order for a student to be given initial consideration as a candidate for the RA position:

• Meet all Rochester Institute of Technology student employment eligibility requirements
• Enrolled as a full-time student at RIT
  • Undergraduate students: 2.40 cumulative and semester 
  • Graduate students: 3.0 cumulative and semester 
• Must be available for staff meetings on Monday nights between 7-10 p.m.
• Must be enrolled in the RIT emergency alert system
• Cannot hold a status of Probation or higher through the RIT conduct process
• Must complete all required training sessions prior to the start of employment, including in-person and online training.

• RAs will be credited 100% of a single room and 100% of a predetermined meal plan while they remain in the position.
• Compensation is reported to the Office of Financial Aid and may impact eligibility for and/or financial aid awards.

The RA application for the 2026-27 school year will be open Monday, November 2nd 2026 at 9 a.m. EDT, and will close on Sunday January 3rd at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Exceptions for these dates are unable to be made. Applicants will receive an update in mid-January informing them whether they are invited to continue in the application process or are not being considered for the RA role. The entire application and interview process will conclude in late February 2027.

In order to be eligible to apply and be hired, all of the steps below must be completed. Further details are below.

• A completed RA application in the MyLife portal (select Employment, then Resident Advisor). Please see above for application open and close dates
• Attendance at 1 of 5 required RA Information Sessions
• Submission of two, 250 word responses to the application questions
• Attendance and completion of an RA Interview, composing of an interview with Residence Life Staff and a role-playing activity
• Attendance of the candidate receptions, which is an opportunity to meet our RCs
• Regular and prompt communication, including responding to emails and/or outreach from Residence Life

Interview Sessions

In order to be eligible to apply, you must attend a mandatory information session. Failure to attend an information session will result in an incomplete application. Info sessions are being offered both in person and over Zoom to allow for students to be able to attend. Please see below for dates, times, and locations. Interpreters have been requested for each session. If you cannot attend any of these sessions, please reach out to ritraselection@rit.edu as soon as possible. Flexibility may be offered if communication is timely.

• Tuesday, October 13 2026 (Fall Break) at 3 p.m. EST 
  • Zoom (link here)
• Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. EST
  • Sklarsky Glass Box Theater
• Tuesday,  November 10 at 6 p.m. EST  
  • Student Development Center 1300/1310 (across from the College Grind)
• Thursday, December 3 at 8 p.m. EST
  • Booth Hall, Webb Auditorium 1350 
• Monday, December 21 at 2 p.m. EST 
  • Zoom (link here)

Application Written Responses

Please write two separate 250 word responses to the following questions. Please utilize your own specific experiences in your responses.   

• Besides room and board, why are you interested in being a Resident Advisor for 2027-2028?  
   
• How do you establish a relationship with someone who is different from you?  

Interviews

Select applicants will be invited to take part in the RA interview process. Interviews will likely take place in late January 2027, and the candidate reception will take place the following week.

The interview process will include interviews with Residence Life staff, as well as a role-play activity to demonstrate your ability to work hands-on with other students.

Select applicants will then be invited to the candidate reception, where they can meet different Residence Life Staff to support the RA placement process. 

RIT Offers a number of services and resources available to support you in crafting a resume and cover letter that will capture the attention of a potential employer. The RA application does not utilize a traditional cover letter and resume, but Career Services and Co-Op is a great place to start for support. View the Cover Letters and Resume Guide developed by Career Services and Co-Op. If you're in need of additional writing assistance, contact the University Writing Program.