RIT scholarship for city residents expands to include students enrolled in Urban-Suburban program

Rochester Institute of Technology’s scholarship program that provides City of Rochester graduates full-tuition scholarships and academic support is expanding its eligibility. The Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars program will now be open to students participating in the Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Transfer Program.

The Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars program offers full-tuition scholarships for entering full-time, first-year students from public and charter schools within the Rochester City School District. Admitted students are eligible for full tuition covered through a combination of RIT scholarships and state and federal need-based grants.

“On behalf of the RIT Enrollment Management Division, we are excited to include Urban Suburban students into the well-established Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars program,” said Sally Douglas, senior associate director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. “We feel the families of the Urban-Suburban students have shown great bravery in their pursuit of enhanced educational opportunities. This move supports the Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars program’s objective of providing students within the Rochester City School District with an unparalleled educational experience. The addition of Urban-Suburban students further enriches the cultural diversity of RIT.”

Recognizing the financial challenges that prevent many City of Rochester students from attending college, former RIT President Bill Destler and his spouse, Rebecca Johnson, founded the program in 2010. The program has since provided approximately 270 graduates of the Rochester City School District and Rochester charter schools with the opportunity to attend RIT tuition-free. In addition to scholarship support, students receive academic and social support as they transition into the college experience.

“We are delighted to make this program available to even more families from the City of Rochester,” said Keith Jenkins, RIT’s vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion. “We are tremendously proud of the success the program has had since its inception and the positive impact that the program’s alumni are making both here in Rochester and across the globe.”

Last year, RIT welcomed 22 new Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars to pursue degrees from majors ranging from computer science to physics to international business. They came from eight public and charter schools located in the City of Rochester.

To learn more about the Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars program, go to the RIT Division of Diversity and Inclusion website.