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Best College Rankings

Comparison tool

RIT vs. WPI

Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Rochester Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Every figure is sourced and dated.

Side-by-side metric comparison of Rochester Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
MetricRITRochester, NYWPIWorcester, MA
Acceptance rate66.9%60.2%
SAT middle 50%1300–1460Not reportedWorcester Polytechnic Institute reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.
Average net price$34,90627.2% on Pell grants$43,07111.9% on Pell grants
Published tuition & fees$59,274Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release$60,965Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release
6-year graduation rate69.9%89.7%
First-year retention88.8%93.7%
Undergraduates on Pell grants27.2%11.9%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$76,571$103,470
Median federal debt at graduation$26,778$27,000
Student-faculty ratio13:113:1
Undergraduate enrollment13,2155,447
Consensus percentile34Lower is better19Lower is better
Methodology sensitivity51 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points26 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points

Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.

Rankings across all sources

“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.

SourceRITWPI
US News#88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026#84 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026
Forbes#195 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026#160 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026
Washington MonthlyNot ranked by this sourceNot ranked by this source
WSJ#318 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026#90 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026
Niche#330 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026#147 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026
MoneyNot ranked by this sourceNot ranked by this source
Princeton ReviewListedListed
QSNot ranked by this sourceNot ranked by this source

What each school is for

Rochester Institute of Technology

Hands-on technical students — especially in games, security, imaging or engineering technology — who want required co-op experience and do not have single-digit-admit credentials.

Biggest caution

A 69.9% six-year graduation rate is below what its outcomes would predict.

Full profile

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Engineering and computing students who learn by building with a team rather than by lecture and exam, and who want international project work embedded in the degree.

Biggest caution

Average net price of $43,071 is high relative to comparable public engineering programs.

Full profile