School of Information New Student Information
Freshmen Welcome
Welcome to RIT and the School of Information! You are joining an exciting and demanding program that will provide an education to help you meet the expectations and opportunities you will encounter in your career and throughout your life. Our goal is for your academic career at RIT to be fruitful and challenging.
We are sure you are anxious to know what your first year will look like. You won’t have to wait much longer. In mid-July, we will enroll you into your fall term courses. Keep reading to find out how you can view your schedule.
Before you arrive on campus for New Student Orientation, please:
- Review the Orientation checklist.
- Review your tentative fall semester schedule online at https://www.rit.edu/infocenter/. You will need to use your RIT computer account to access your schedule. Instructions for setting up your password can be found at https://start.rit.edu/.
- Follow our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages (@iSchoolatRIT) to start connecting with the iSchool and find out about great events that you can be a part of during your time with us.
We are excited to meet you on Wednesday August 21, 2024, during Academic Day! This is a mandatory event where you will have an opportunity to:
- Meet fellow and upper-class students, faculty, staff and our Ambassadors.
- Meet your academic advisor who will be available to you throughout your entire RIT career. Find the advisor for our program here: https://www.rit.edu/gccis/advising-people.
- Review curriculum requirements.
- Discuss your schedule with your advisor.
- Learn about studying abroad!
The iSchool will offer you the support, challenges, and rewards expected from a high-quality academic program. If we can be of assistance to you, please contact us by telephone at 585-425-2700 or visit the office at GOL-2100. Congratulations on your accomplishments thus far and we look forward to meeting you this fall.
Transfer Welcome
Welcome to RIT and the School of Information! You are joining an exciting and demanding program that will provide an education to help you meet the expectations and opportunities you will encounter in your career and throughout your life. Our goal is for your academic career at RIT to be fruitful and challenging.
We are sure you are anxious to start! Transfer students are enrolled in their classes on a rolling basis. Keep reading to find out how you can view your schedule.
Before you arrive on campus for New Student Orientation, please:
- Review the Orientation checklist.
- Review your tentative fall semester schedule online at https://www.rit.edu/infocenter/. You will need to use your RIT computer account to access your schedule. Instructions for setting up your password can be found at https://start.rit.edu/.
- Let us know if you anticipate sending in any additional transfer credits.
- Complete the Math Placement Exam (MPE), which will be offered from May 15th – June 30th.
- Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages (@iSchoolatRIT) to start connecting with the department and find out about great events that you can be a part of during your time with us.
We are excited to meet you on Tuesday, August 20th of Orientation week, during Transfer Day! Additionally, all transfer students are invited to Academic Day on Wednesday, August 21st. This is a highly recommended event where you will have an opportunity to
- Meet fellow and upper-class students, faculty, and staff.
- Meet your academic advisor who will be available to you throughout your entire RIT career. Find the advisor for our program here: https://www.rit.edu/gccis/advising-people
- Review curriculum requirements.
- Discuss your schedule with your advisor.
- Learn about studying abroad!
The iSchool will offer you the support, challenges, and rewards expected from a high-quality academic program. If we can assist you as you prepare for college, please contact us by telephone at 585-425-2700. Congratulations on your accomplishments thus far and we look forward to meeting you this fall.
Graduate Students
Graduate Orientation Events
The iSchool Graduate Orientation session will take place virtually on Friday, August 23rd at 9:00am. Professor Qi Yu, Graduate Program Director, will welcome students, review program requirements, and answer any questions. Students will have a myCourses shell to assist in their introduction to the iSchool. The iSchool Graduate Orientation Modules are mandatory and should be completed as soon as possible.
A mandatory Academic Integrity Workshop will be held early on in the semester. The date and time are to be determined.
Graduate Course Enrollment and Bridge Course Placement Exams
All incoming graduate students will be enrolled in their fall courses. Course placements are determined by your previously documented academic studies. The majority of incoming students are placed in "bridge" courses. Bridge courses prepare you for your new program, introduce important concepts, and "bridge" any gaps between undergraduate and graduate study. They have also required prerequisite courses that students must take before they are able to move on to core program courses.
Students that are placed in bridge courses have the opportunity to test out of the course by taking a placement exam. Any incoming student enrolled in a bridge course may elect to take an offered bridge course exam. If a student passes the placement exam, the corresponding bridge course requirement is considered fulfilled, and the student will not be required to take the bridge course. Students may only take each exam once. No make-up or repeat placement exams will be given.
A full list of offered placement exams is listed below, along with PDF study guides for each exam. Students must register for each exam at least three days before the scheduled exam. All exam dates, times, and locations are subject to change. All exams will be given virtually.
- Statistics
Study Guide
Wednesday, August 21st from 10am - 12pm - Database
Study Guide
TBD - Programming (Java)
Study Guide
Thursday, August 22nd from 10am - 11am
*Practical exams are only offered to those students that pass the written portion. Students will be notified by the examining professor of their written scores. If it is a pass, the student will then be informed of the date and time of the practical portion of the exam. (Practical exams will be held that same week).
International Student Services
Please click here on International Student Services to visit their website.
Housing
If you have any questions regarding housing, please visit the Housing Operations website at housing@rit.edu, or call them at 585-475-2572 (voice) or 585-475-2113 (TTY).
FAQ
Please visit our academic advising website to find out about academic advising. https://www.rit.edu/gccis/academic-advising.
The preferred method to schedule an appointment with your academic advisor is to use Starfish. Visit this link for instructions https://wiki.rit.edu/display/earlyalert/Student+f.+Make+An+Appointment. You may also visit the iSchool office or call 585-475-2700.
RIT offers numerous support services available to all students during their time at RIT. From academically related resources, like the Academic Support Center, to Personal Development Resources like the Center for Campus Life. A solid list of available resources can be found on the Student Affairs website. If something that you're looking for is not on this list, you can always connect with your academic advisor.
We do not require students to bring their own computers. The iSchool has computer labs available for student use. However, we do recommend that students bring a computer with them. Laptops are more popular among our students, mostly because of the convenience they offer over desktops. In addition, our professors teach using open source software as much as they can, which allows our students to download the software themselves and use it on a machine they are most comfortable with.
If you are thinking about purchasing a computer specifically for school use, the RIT Information & Technology Services Office has recommended hardware and software specs available on their website.
To find out if you need to take the writing placement exam, please visit: https://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/writing/writing-placement-exam
Waiver exams are only available to graduate students. These exams are offered by the department during orientation week.
Undergraduate Admissions Office
60 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623-5603
Office hours for Financial Aid are 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. You can reach them by telephone at 585-475-2186 (585-475-6909 TTY).
You can also find useful information on their website.
Visit the Student Employment Office (SEO). More info about jobs, including listings, can be found on their website.