![RIT students cheering in a crowd throwing colorful paper airplanes](/presidents-report/images/enrollment_mainbarphoto.jpg)
Enrollment
Enrollment
RIT’s student body is a diverse community of nearly 19,000 students enrolled in more than 200 programs of study across nine colleges and two degree-granting units.
![RIT students cheering in a crowd throwing colorful paper airplanes](/presidents-report/images/enrollment_mainbarphoto-mobile.jpg)
First-year students wrote one of their dreams on a piece of paper, folded it into an airplane, and launched it during New Student Convocation in August.
Pursuing their Dreams
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Dreams take flight at RIT
About 4,300 first-year, transfer, and graduate students began pursuing their dreams on RIT's main campus last fall. Students come here from all 50 states and more than 100 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
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Scholarship makes grad school possible
The Mark and Maureen Davitt Graduate Education Endowed Scholarship was established with a $500,000 gift to RIT by Mark and Maureen Davitt to help graduates from the Rochester City School District pursue advanced degrees.
Who’s Learning
RIT’s overall enrollment has remained steady over the past five years. RIT also enrolls deaf and hard-of-hearing students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf as well as throughout RIT’s other colleges. At the doctorate level, the university is growing its Ph.D. programs at a rapid pace.
![Bar chart showing the number of students enrolled in Fall 2015 (18,606); Fall 2016 (18,632); Fall 2017 (18,963); Fall 2018 (19,047) and Fall 2019 (18,897).](/presidents-report/images/enrollment/Enrollment-chart-RIT-campuses@2x.jpg)
![bar chart showing number of students taking mathematical modeling (17), color science (17), sustainability (20), astrophysical sciences and technology (28), microsystems engineering (39), engineering (70), imaging science (84), and computing and information sciences (98).](/presidents-report/images/enrollment/Enrollment-chart-phd@2x.jpg)
17
Mathematical Modeling
17
Color Science
20
Sustainability
28
Astrophysical Sciences and Technology
39
Microsystems Engineering
70
Engineering
84
Imaging Science
98
Computing and Information Science
953
Total deaf/hard-of-hearing students enrolled at RIT
412
Number of deaf/hard-of-hearing students enrolled in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
541
Number of deaf/hard-of-hearing students enrolled across RIT’s other colleges and degree-granting units
![Student giving a demo of a video game to two other students](/presidents-report/images/academics_amainbarphoto.jpg)
Academics
Academics
RIT continues to look for new opportunities to enhance the academic experience for its students.
![Student giving a demo of a video game to two other students](/presidents-report/images/academics_amainbarphoto-mobile.jpg)
MAGIC Spell Studios opened the doors to a new learning laboratory in 2018, complete with a sound stage, movie theater, audio mixing studio, color correction studio, and 2D and 3D animation classrooms.
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Enhancing Academic Experience
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Museum partnerships enhance education
RIT's endowed partnership with Genesee Country Village & Museum—which was established in September by a gift from RIT alumnus Philip Wehrheim ’66 (business) and his wife, Anne—is one of the ways students connect with the Rochester community.
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Fellowship helps students explore entrepreneurship
SOIS students to take time off of school to focus on personal business ventures while still working toward their degrees. Students in the fellowship also receive a $15,000 award to create the time and space needed to build their businesses.
Areas of Study
RIT students are enrolled in more than 200 programs of study across nine colleges and two degree-granting units. And the number of online offerings is growing at RIT, which means many learners can gain an RIT education from anywhere in the world.
RIT has 36 credit-bearing online programs and a partnership with massive open online course provider edX, called “RITx.” Each online learning experience is driven by employer demand—from cybersecurity to mechatronics engineering.
1M+
RIT has more than 1 million total enrollments and growing in RITx offerings on edX. (RITx offerings launched in 2016.)
585
RIT offers more than 585 online course sections for on-campus and online programs.
196
RIT has enrolled learners from more than 196 countries and regions in multiple runs of 26 RITx offerings.
19
Nineteen master’s degree programs are offered fully online, including human-computer interaction and imaging science.
![Bar chart showing the number of students enrolled in software engineering bachelor’s program (551); electrical engineering bachelor’s program (564); mechanical engineering bachelor’s program (770); game design and development bachelor’s program (772); and computer science bachelor’s program (984).](/presidents-report/images/academics/Academics-chart-highest-enrollment@2x.jpg)
551
Software Engineering (BS)
564
Electrical Engineering (BS)
770
Mechanical Engineering (BS)
772
Game Design and Development (BS)
984
Computer Science (BS)
![Three members of an RIT esports team sitting at computers with headphones and their RIT uniforms on](/presidents-report/images/experiential_mainbar.jpg)
Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning
RIT’s cooperative education program is one type of experiential learning. There are many other opportunities, including membership in a club, exploring a project in a lab, or performing in a musical ensemble.
![Three members of an RIT esports team sitting at computers with headphones and their RIT uniforms on](/presidents-report/images/experiential_mainbar-mobile.jpg)
RIT students are competing at the highest level of collegiate esports. RIT became one of the top four teams in the country at the first-ever ESPN Collegiate Esports Championship.
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Learning Outside the Classroom
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RIT places third at national cyber defense competition
RIT’s cyber defense team took home third place at the 2019 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, held April 23-25 in Orlando.
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Grit Happens: Baja SAE Rochester crowns season race champion at RIT and Hogback Hill
The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor took first place overall at the 2019 Baja SAE Rochester challenge, an international student-design competition that challenges students to apply classroom knowledge with real-world applications. RIT placed 10th overall among 100 collegiate race teams that took on a daunting motor cross field and four challenging days of competition.
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Field trip to Nigeria gives RIT students a new perspective on global health
Three students from the biomedical sciences program traveled with RIT Professor Bolaji Thomas to his native Nigeria to understand the impact tropical diseases such as malaria have on the population and the medical protocols used in treatment.
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RIT helps visitors to Bethel Woods museum mark Woodstock's iconic moment in music history
Six recently graduated motion picture science students from RIT’s College of Art and Design wove together the captivating videos for a museum exhibit at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the nonprofit cultural center located at the National Register Historic Site of the Woodstock festival in Bethel, N.Y.
Cooperative Education
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In 2019, nearly 5,000 students completed co-ops at more than 2,000 companies. Here are a few of their stories.
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Facebook
Konce Quispe, from Queens, N.Y., says her dream is to “connect the world and give all people equal access to technology.” Doing a co-op at Facebook, a company built with the intention of connecting people, was the perfect opportunity for her.
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Tesla
Kristina Klishko, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student from San Diego, spent her summer in Fremont, Calif., working for Tesla.
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Google
Jarod Farchione, a fourth-year management information systems student, applied his knowledge of business to the technological sector for his co-op at Google.
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Tiffany & Co.
Instead of having breakfast at Tiffany’s, Kibaek Sung ’19 MFA (metals and jewelry design) got to work with the chefs in the jewelry-crafting kitchen during his co-op with the world-renowned luxury jewelry company.
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Honda Aircraft Co.
Whether it’s planes, trains, or automobiles, Allison Fink is fascinated by how machines work.
Around the World
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First class graduates from RIT China
RIT’s campus in Weihai, China, held its first commencement ceremony in 2019, recognizing the initial class of students to earn BS degrees in management information systems.
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RIT Dubai builds $136 million new campus
RIT Dubai aspires to be the region’s university of choice for engineering, computing, and business students.
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RIT Croatia a leader in global experiential education
Nearly 900 students are enrolled in the RIT campuses located in Dubrovnik and Zagreb, and RIT Croatia also continues to be a leader in global experiential education for students from the Rochester campus.
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RIT Kosovo establishes Research Center for Human Rights
This year, RIT Kosovo established the Research Center for Human Rights to promote and advance interdisciplinary research in the field of human rights.
Going Global
Last year, 464 students participated in study abroad programs—up from 304 students five years ago.
Includes campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo
![Bar chart showing enrollment at RIT’s global campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai and Kosovo in 2015 (1,819); 2016 (2,054); 2017 (2,237); 2018 (2,419); and 2019 (2,557).](/presidents-report/images/global/Global-chart-global-campuses@2x-v2.jpg)
![Bar chart showing number of students studying abroad in 2013-2014 (304); 2014-2015 (319); 2015-2016 (323); 2016-2017 (393); 2017-2018 (380); 2018-2019 (464).](/presidents-report/images/global/Global-chart-study-abroad@2x.jpg)
![Circular graphic of croatia's flag](/presidents-report/images/global/croatia.png)
![Circular graphic of germany's flag](/presidents-report/images/global/germany.png)
![Circular graphic of italy's flag](/presidents-report/images/global/italy.png)
![Circular graphic of china's flag](/presidents-report/images/global/china.png)
(including Taiwan)
![Circular graphic of united-kingdom's flag](/presidents-report/images/global/united-kingdom.png)
![Two people in clean suits looking at a piece of equipment](/presidents-report/images/research_mainbarphoto.jpg)
Research
Research
RIT had its second-best year ever in sponsored research funding and a record year for research expenditures in fiscal year 2019.
![Two people in clean suits looking at a piece of equipment](/presidents-report/images/research_mainbarphoto-mobile.jpg)
Assistant Professor Michael Zemcov and Ph.D. student Chi Nguyen work on an observational cosmology project called the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment-2 (CIBER-2).
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Forward Thinking
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Studying the role of cultural and linguistic diversity
Peter Hauser has spent the past two decades studying how deaf people develop, learn, grow and live. Today, he is at the helm of a new project—a research-based incubator—where junior faculty at NTID can work together to understand the role of cultural and linguistic diversity in deaf people’s lives
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Researching food waste
Tourism has surged in Croatia in recent years, bringing with it direct economic benefits but also challenging the preservation of the natural systems that make the Adriatic Coast region so attractive to visitors. Callie Babbitt, an associate professor in RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability, is using a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to study sustainable solutions addressing the growing challenge of food waste management along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast.
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Helping heart surgeons see more clearly
Associate professor Linwei Wang is leading an international group of researchers and clinicians developing computational systems for creating individualized 3D imaging of a patient’s heart. With these 3D heart models, clinicians now have a noninvasive way to study their patients.
Research Portfolio
RIT is now listed as a “high research activity institution” or “R2” under the updated Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning.
In millions of dollars
![Bar chart showing research expenditures in millions of dollars for fiscal year 2015 ($40.4 million); fiscal year 2016 ($45.5 million); fiscal year 2017 ($51.3 million); fiscal year 2018 ($49.4 million); fiscal year 2019 (estimated $58 million).](/presidents-report/images/research/Research-chart-expenditures@2x.jpg)
![Bar chart showing number of research proposals for fiscal year 2015 664); fiscal year 2016 (702); fiscal year 2017 (722); fiscal year 2018 (740); fiscal year 2019 (731).](/presidents-report/images/research/Research-chart-proposals@2x.jpg)
In millions of dollars
![Bar chart showing sponsored research awards in millions of dollars for fiscal year 2015 ($63 million); fiscal year 2016 ($73 million); fiscal year 2017 ($61 million); fiscal year 2018 ($78 million); fiscal year 2019 ($74 million).](/presidents-report/images/research/Research-chart-sponsored@2x.jpg)
Degree years
![Bar chart showing the number of RIT graduates by graduation year ranges: 1926-1950 had 6,460 graduates; 1951-1960 had 4,968 graduates; 1961-1970 had 8,367 graduates; 1971-1980 had 18,834 graduates; 1981-1990 had 25,855 graduates; 1991-2000 had 24,508 graduates; 2001-2010 had 30,188 graduates; and 2011 and later had 31,765 graduates.](/presidents-report/images/alumni/Alumni-chart-decade@2x.jpg)
Total philanthropic giving in fiscal year 2019: $34,622,206
![Pie chart showing percentage of total philanthropic giving in fiscal year 2019: 27% from trustees; 26% from alumni; 23% from students, friends, faculty/staff, former faculty/staff, and students; 17% from corporate; 7% from private foundations.](/presidents-report/images/alumni/Alumni-chart-giving@2x.jpg)
Top 15 locations
![Bar chart showing number of alumni living in cities through the United States, from 597 in Cincinnati/Dayton to 1,562 in Los Angeles to 38,470 in Rochester, New York.](/presidents-report/images/alumni/Alumni-chart-chapter@2x-v2.jpg)
Top 15 locations
![Bar chart showing where RIT alumni live in the top 20 locations outside of the United States, from 58 in Germany to 111 in Japan to 1,670 in Croatia.](/presidents-report/images/alumni/Alumni-chart-global@2x-v2.jpg)
![CGI rendering of students sitting in a computer lab](/presidents-report/images/future_mainbarphoto.jpg)
What’s Next
What’s Next:
Transforming RIT
Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness has raised a total of $685 million, more than two-thirds of the $1 billion campaign goal. The blended campaign impacts every area of the university.
![CGI rendering of students sitting in a computer lab](/presidents-report/images/future_mainbarphoto-mobile.jpg)
RIT’s new Global Cybersecurity Institute aims to increase enrollment in cybersecurity, advance research, and create more opportunities for industry and government collaboration.
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Transforming RIT
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New makerspace will bring creativity to campus center
An ambitious initiative along the Quarter Mile will transform RIT into a maker’s heaven, where the arts and technology converge and ideas percolate freely.
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Enhancing student experiences
Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness impacts every area of the university. The four pillars are: attracting exceptional talent, enhancing the student experience, improving the world through research and discovery, and leading future special initiatives.
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Gift will help fund business expansion
At an Oct. 29 celebration at RIT, E. Philip Saunders announced a $7.5 million gift to the business college that bears his name. This transformational gift will be used to help fund a major renovation and expansion of the facilities in Max Lowenthal Hall, home of Saunders College of Business.
Financially Sound and Growing
RIT’s future success depends upon strong financial results and a growing endowment.
Fiscal Year 2019: Total operating revenues: $602,171,000
![Bar chart showing sources of revenue: $3.3 million from private contributions; $22.9 million from other sources; $25.3 million from investment returns; $25.6 million from net assets released from restrictions; $75 million from National Technical Institute for the Deaf; $87.2 million from sales and services of auxiliaries; $313.4 million from tuition and fees.](/presidents-report/images/whats-next/Whats-next-chart-revenues@2x.jpg)
Fiscal Year 2019: Total operating expenses: $582,791,000
![Bar chart showing expenses from public service ($18.8 million); research ($47.5 million); institutional support ($49.3 million); student services ($50.7 million); academic support ($62 million); auxiliary enterprises ($87.5 million); and instruction ($267 million).](/presidents-report/images/whats-next/Whats-next-chart-expenses@2x-v2.jpg)
(as of June 30 each year)
![Bar chart showing total endowment by fiscal year 2015 ($761.9 million), fiscal year 2016 ($750.9 million); fiscal year 2017 ($847.2 million); fiscal year 2018 ($938.2 million); and fiscal year 2019 ($957.2 million).](/presidents-report/images/whats-next/Whats-next-chart-total-endowment@2x.jpg)