About Us Language

While our unique voice is infused into everything we communicate, for certain mediums, it’s more business than brand.

Please use the content below for things like press releases, the “about us” section of our website, and job descriptions. We want to be as straightforward as possible, so the reader knows exactly who we are, what we provide, and the things that make us distinctive.  

Use this official boilerplate language for a more direct approach.

Founded in 1829, Rochester Institute of Technology is a diverse and collaborative community of engaged, socially conscious, and intellectually curious minds. Through creativity and innovation, and an intentional blending of technology, the arts and design, we provide exceptional individuals with a wide range of academic opportunities, including a leading research program and an internationally recognized education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Beyond our main campus in Rochester, New York, RIT has international campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. And with more than 19,000 students and more than 135,000 graduates from all 50 states and over 100 nations, RIT is driving progress in industries and communities around the world. Find out more at rit.edu.

Our History

From its beginnings, RIT has been deeply connected to the educational and practical training needs of citizenry and industry. The university’s roots go back to 1829 when the city’s founder established the Rochester Athenaeum, a literary society that offered public lectures and debates and attracted such luminaries as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Oliver Wendell Holmes. In 1891, the Athenaeum merged with the Mechanics Institute, which had been created and funded by local business and community leaders to provide technical training to meet local industry’s growing demand for skilled workers. The merged institution—the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute—combined cultural education and practical technical training. In 1912, cooperative education was added to the programmatic mix and the core foundation was in place for Rochester Institute of Technology, as it has been named since 1944. In 1968, RIT left downtown Rochester for a sprawling 1,300-acre new campus in the suburban town of Henrietta. The new landscape also led to RIT being chosen as the home campus for the federally sponsored National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Since the original campus opened, the university has added 50 more buildings, 11 Ph.D. programs, and international locations in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo.

RIT Today

Today, RIT is one of the world’s leading innovative institutions—a vibrant, connected community that is home to diverse, ambitious, creative students, and faculty from around the world. RIT attracts top-flight research-active faculty who are passionate about their teaching mission. Over the past decade, the university has invested significant capital to improve its education, research, and technology infrastructure. RIT moved into the “National Universities” category of U.S. News & World Report rankings in 2016 due to its growing research portfolio, and now ranks number 112. The university is also among the top 50 choices of high school counselors, according to U.S. News. The 10th largest private university in the nation in terms of full-time undergraduate enrollment, RIT counts more than 135,000 alumni around the world. To view more of RIT’s rankings and recognition, visit www.rit.edu/overview/rankings-and-recognition.

As of fall 2020, the university enrolled 18,668 full- and part-time students (15,739 undergraduate and 2,929 graduate students) who represent all 50 states and over 100 nations. More than 3,900 students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are enrolled on the main campus along with nearly 2,000 international students. An additional 2,400 students are enrolled at RIT’s international campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo.

Through the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)—one of nine colleges and two degree-granting units on campus—RIT has achieved international prominence as a leader in preparing deaf and hard-of-hearing students for successful careers in professional and technical fields. NTID was created by federal law in 1965 under President Johnson and RIT was selected as its sponsoring institution in 1966. The university provides unparalleled access and support services for the more than 900 deaf and hard-of-hearing students who live, study, and work with hearing students on the RIT campus. RIT is well known for its commitment to undergraduate students and, increasingly, for offering a broad range of innovative graduate programs that combine the theoretical with practical applications and align with demonstrated needs in the marketplace.

RIT has steadily grown its doctoral programs; in 2016, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education reclassified the university from “Masters – Comprehensive” to “Doctoral University – Moderate Research Activity.” In May 2020, RIT awarded 48 doctoral degrees. It offers 11 Ph.D. programs and currently enrolls more than 350 Ph.D. students.

Situated between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes, Rochester is the third largest metro area in New York. As of the 2010 census, the region’s metropolitan statistical area had a population of 1.08 million. The region is rich in cultural and ethnic diversity (16 percent African and Latin American and 7 percent of international origin) and is known for its intellectual capital and innovation. Scientific Reports named Rochester 18^th among “the world’s leading science cities,” and the New Republic reports Rochester as one of the most innovation-intensive metro areas in the country. Atlantic Magazine listed Rochester as one of 35 innovation hubs in the country, based on start-up companies, patents, and entrepreneurs per capita. Rochester is a five-hour drive to New York City and a three-hour drive to Toronto and its airport includes non-stop flights to 18 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

The region has an exceptional quality of life, with cultural amenities and recreational activities; affordable healthcare and cost of living; excellent schools; and the arts, culture, sports, and nightlife of a big city with the ease and comfort of a small town. Rochester is one of the least-congested cities in the U.S., with an average commute of under 20 minutes. The region has been ranked 6th among 379 metro areas by Places Rated Almanac as one of the “Best Places to Live in America” and 1st by Expansion Management Magazine’s ranking of metro areas having the best quality of life in the nation.

The Rochester region is home to 19 colleges and universities, enrolling more than 83,000 students. Rochester is one of the most productive regions in the country, ranking third in college degrees per capita and first for degrees in STEM fields, according to the latest U.S. Department of Education reports.