How to Apply to Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology: Seven B.S. Programs in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Each With Required Paid Co-op, Applying Directly to a Major or Through Engineering Exploration, and How Admission and Prerequisites Work for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

At Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), engineering sits in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. This guide follows RIT’s website and is split into U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, with a section for transfer students. Computer science is not among the college’s listed programs, so it is not covered here.

1. Engineering degrees in the college

• The college homepage advertises seven ABET-accredited B.S. degrees. The program pages read are for Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Microelectronic Engineering and Industrial Engineering. The departments page lists biomedical, chemical, computer, electrical and microelectronic, industrial and systems, and mechanical engineering.
• Options: Mechanical Engineering offers aerospace, automotive, bioengineering, and energy and environment options; Electrical Engineering has five options: artificial intelligence, clean and renewable energy, computer engineering, robotics and microelectronics.
• Accelerated bachelor’s/master’s: all seven program pages read list accelerated bachelor’s/master’s pathways; the Mechanical Engineering page says qualified students can earn both degrees in as little as five years.
• Capstone: the college homepage describes Multidisciplinary Senior Design; the Mechanical Engineering page puts Senior Design I and II in the fifth year, and the Chemical Engineering page describes an Advanced Design Capstone.
• Engineering technology sits in a different college (Engineering Technology), whose admission page asks for less math. RIT has a separate page on engineering versus engineering technology, not covered here.

2. How admission works: apply to a major or to Engineering Exploration

• Differential admission: RIT’s FAQ says students apply directly to a specific major or college, and admission criteria and space vary by program, so there is no single acceptance rate.
• Direct to a major: the first-year page says applicants who know their major can apply directly to it and start relevant coursework right away. Admitted students who want to change majors before classes start email Admissions.
• Engineering Exploration: students who want more time to explore can apply to the college’s exploration option and choose a major any time during the first year. They take a one-credit Engineering Exploration Seminar in the first semester; first-year courses are similar across engineering programs, so the coursework transfers into every engineering major without losing time. Students are guaranteed admission into any engineering program in the college, provided they are in good academic standing and have completed Calculus I.
• Moving into engineering from another RIT major: apart from the Exploration page, the pages read do not give a GPA threshold, required course grades or capacity for students already in other majors. This is not published; ask the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs (contact on the Exploration page).

3. Prerequisites

• All engineering programs (first-year application page): four years of math that must include algebra, geometry, algebra 2/trigonometry and precalculus (calculus preferred); chemistry and physics are required; Biomedical Engineering also requires biology.
• General expectations: four years of English, three of social studies and/or history, two to three of science, and a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Math placement exam: not mentioned in the pages read; this is not published.
• AP credit: a 3 or higher is needed to be considered and many courses need a 4; departments decide the credit; official College Board reports are needed to enroll. IB: credit may be awarded for higher-level exams with a 5 or higher, course by course, decided by departments. A-levels are reviewed individually; email Admissions. The course-by-course lists are on the Registrar’s transfer and test credit page.

4. Rounds, materials and testing

• Rounds (first-year page): Early Decision I is due November 1 (decision mid-December, $500 deposit by January 15); Early Decision II January 1 (mid-January, deposit by February 15); Early Action November 1 (late January, decide by May 1); Regular Decision January 15 (mid-March, deposit by May 1). The college homepage says “Apply for Fall 2027: Early Decision I and Early Action deadlines are November 1.” The timetable does not print a year; check that it is for fall 2027 entry. Late applications are reviewed on a space-available basis by program.
• Early Decision is binding.
• Application and fee: the Common Application or RIT’s own application; the fee is $65, non-refundable, with waivers for active duty military, veterans and students facing financial hardship (whether international students can get one is not published).
• Materials: an official high school transcript; at least one recommendation (a counselor preferred; suggested maximum 3–5); an original essay. Supplemental essays are only for the Honors Program or Individualized Program; the pages read do not describe an extra essay for engineering.
• Testing: SAT/ACT is optional for all programs; RIT superscores if you submit several. Applicants to STEM programs who submit ACT scores are encouraged to include the optional ACT Science section; without scores, more weight goes to grades and other materials. Whether the engineering college has its own testing expectation is not stated in the pages read.
• Honors Program: about 1% of applicants are invited; indicate your interest on the application and write a supplemental essay.

5. U.S. applicants

• Tuition and costs (2026-27, two semesters, 12–18 credits): tuition $63,508, student activities fee $470 and health services fee $630; housing (double room) $10,090 and food (standard plan) $7,280. Billed expenses total about $81,978, plus an estimated $2,890 for books and personal costs, for an estimated cost of attendance of $84,868. First-year students add a $430 orientation fee. The costs page gives one table for domestic and international students; it shows no separate New York resident rate and no separate engineering differential.
• Aid: RIT says 100% of incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid. Need-based aid requires only the FAFSA each year (school code 002806); RIT does not use the CSS Profile.
• Merit scholarships: every applicant is considered automatically with no separate application; first-year awards range from $14,000 to $30,000 a year and transfer awards from $14,000 to $25,000, tuition only. Eleven additional scholarships exist, such as the RIT/FIRST Scholarship ($14,000 a year, separate application, apply to RIT by January 15), the Esports Scholarship ($5,000 a year) and the Alumni Referral Award ($1,000 a year).
• State residents: the FAQ says Regents coursework and exams are part of holistic review for New York residents; priority or guaranteed admission for residents is not stated in the pages read.

6. International applicants

• English minimums for full admission: Duolingo 120, TOEFL iBT 79 (4.5 on the new scale), LanguageCert Academic 70, IELTS 6.5, PTE Academic 58 and Michigan English Test 58. Lower scores can lead to conditional admission, with English courses at the English Language Center first. Scores may be self-reported and official scores are required once you enroll; RIT’s institutional code is 2760.
• Exemptions: no test is required, based on citizenship and/or two or more years of study, in the countries on RIT’s list: Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Canada (except Quebec), Commonwealth Caribbean, Dominica, Fiji, Grand Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Irish Republic, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Singapore, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tobago, Trinidad, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA (except Puerto Rico), Virgin Islands, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Transcripts and credentials: first-year applicants must submit an official high school transcript (with an official English translation). For transfer applicants a WES or ECE evaluation is generally not required unless the Registrar asks. Whether first-year applicants need a credential evaluation is not published.
• Proof of funds: total support (which may include scholarships and aid) must reach at least $78,000 for RIT to issue the I-20 or DS-2019; the enrollment deposit is $500.
• Scholarships: merit-based awards for academic achievement, announced at admission; international first-year applicants are encouraged to submit SAT or ACT results. Full-tuition scholarships are not available and need-based funding is very limited.
• Work authorization: F-1 students complete one full academic year before CPT; the engineering program pages say the degrees are STEM-OPT eligible, which RIT describes as up to three years of work after graduation (not guaranteed).

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages read do not mention the gaokao or set a separate score requirement for Chinese applicants. This is not published; ask Admissions.
• Transcripts and exams: submit the official high school transcript with an official English translation, as in section 6. Whether academic proficiency exam (huikao) records are needed is not published.
• English: see section 6; China is not on the list of countries exempt from English tests.
• Country-specific help: the international page offers a Chinese-language introduction brochure (a PDF that was not opened) and lists a counselor team for mainland China and other regions. Interviews and credential agencies are not described in the pages read; rely on Admissions’ answer.

8. Co-op and engineering costs

• Co-op is required: the college page says cooperative education is required by all majors in the college and is full-time, paid work as an engineer in industry; the program pages say four blocks (48 weeks) must be completed. The Computer Engineering page says that after the first two years of coursework students alternate between study on campus and co-op for two years; the Microelectronic Engineering page says co-ops may begin after the second year.
• The international page says F-1 students complete one full academic year before CPT, and co-ops and internships are typically paid; it reports that 4,365 RIT students did co-op last year, earning an average of $16K each (RIT’s figures, not limited to engineering).
• The costs page shows no separate engineering fee.

9. Transfer students

• Deadlines (no year printed; check that they are for fall 2027): fall priority deadline February 1 with deposit by May 1; spring November 1 with deposit by December 1; rolling notification, and later applications are reviewed on a space-available basis. Fall applicants to Biomedical, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering (among others) hear from mid-March.
• Prerequisites: for engineering, at least precalculus (calculus preferred), chemistry and physics, plus biology for Biomedical Engineering. Applicants with 30 or more college semester credits are reviewed on these; those with fewer follow the first-year requirements and submit a high school transcript, with SAT/ACT optional.
• Engineering Exploration: for undecided transfers, the Exploration page recommends calculus, calculus-based physics, chemistry and liberal arts before transferring, and an associate degree in engineering science.
• GPA: a minimum GPA for engineering transfer is not stated in the pages read; this is not published.
• Credit: courses with a C or better from accredited institutions are considered, and departments decide how much credit is awarded; the Registrar has a transfer credit equivalency database. International transfer applicants can submit unofficial transcripts for initial review and official ones to enroll.
• Fee: $65, with the Common App or the RIT application.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Four years of math including precalculus, plus chemistry and physics (and biology for Biomedical Engineering)
• Apply by November 1 (early) or January 15 (regular), pay $65 and file the FAFSA

International applicants:

• Prepare TOEFL 79 (4.5 new scale) or IELTS 6.5, an official translated transcript and at least $78,000 in documented support

Applicants from China:

• How the gaokao and proficiency-exam records are used is not published; ask Admissions before applying

Transfer students:

• Apply by February 1 for fall, with at least precalculus, chemistry and physics completed

Sources: Rochester Institute of Technology, Kate Gleason College of Engineering; Departments; Cooperative education; Engineering Exploration; Mechanical Engineering BS; Biomedical Engineering BS; Chemical Engineering BS; Computer Engineering BS; Electrical Engineering BS; Microelectronic Engineering BS; Industrial Engineering BS; First-year application; International students; International FAQs; Undergraduate FAQs; Transfer application; Tuition and fees; Financial aid; Merit scholarships. Costs are 2026-27 estimates; some deadline pages do not print a year, so confirm they are for fall 2027 entry. Check RIT for the latest details.