RIT again ranked among the best universities in the nation by U.S. News

Rochester Institute of Technology has again been recognized as one of the best national universities by U.S. News & World Report, which also cited the university as among the most innovative, with strong undergraduate research opportunities and a highly regarded cooperative learning program.

The report also ranked several of RIT’s colleges as among the best, and gave the university overall high marks for affordability, career outcomes, and social mobility for its graduates, as well as being among the “best schools for veterans.”

In the 2021 edition of U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges, RIT was tied for 112 out of 389 schools in the prestigious “national universities” category, which includes the nation’s best-known research universities. These top universities “offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and Ph.D. programs, and emphasize faculty research,” according to U.S. News.

“This year’s rankings reflect the emphasis RIT places on being a top research university, while also providing many unique experiential learning opportunities in the classroom, around the campus and in the real world, including our widely recognized co-operative learning program,” said RIT President David Munson. “We are focused on our strengths – a university working at the intersection of technology, the arts, and design, preparing our students to thrive and help define the future.” 

In this year’s publication, RIT was:

• Tied for 11th among top schools co-op or internship programs and 44th for undergraduate research opportunities under a new category entitled “Academic Programs to Look For;”
• Tied for 50th among “Most Innovative Schools,” a new category chosen from nominations by university presidents, provosts, and admissions deans for “cutting edge changes the colleges are making on their campuses;”
• Ranked 33rd as “best value schools,” based on ratio of price to quality of education provided and percentage of students receiving need-based aid;
• Ranked 103 for social mobility, which measured how well schools graduate students receiving federal Pell grants;
• Tied for 76th among national universities cited as “Best Colleges for Veterans.”

Among academic programs, RIT was:

• Tied for 52nd out of 481 undergraduate computer science programs, a new category in this year’s rankings;
• Tied for 59th out of more than 200 engineering colleges programs where the highest degree is doctorate for its Kate Gleason College of Engineering;
• Tied for 67th place out of more than 500 undergraduate business programs with its Saunders College of Business.

Other U.S. News rankings include:

• RIT’s online programs Best MBA (tied for 26th), Best Graduate Engineering (tied for 63rd), Best Graduate Business Program, excluding MBA (114th) and Best Graduate Computer Information Technology program (41st)

• RIT graduate programs in business (tied at 89th), engineering (tied at 72nd), computer science (tied at 68th), fine arts (23rd), photography (6th), physician assistant, (108th) and physics (tied at 69th).