Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s self-study signifies a collaborative effort of the work among faculty, staff, administrators, students, and alumni during the last two years. The standards-based workgroups were tasked by President Martin A. Schmidt to examine the university in accordance with Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation (Thirteenth Edition) and to recommend improvements. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Co-Chairs received draft reports from the committees and developed a comprehensive report in partnership with the steering committee. After an overview of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Rensselaer or RPI), the standards are discussed to validate the institution’s full compliance with the MSCHE Standards and the Requirements of Affiliation. Findings and areas of improvement are identified in each standard.
The full Self-Study is viewable here and downloadable as a PDF.
The Self-Study process validates Rensselaer’s adherence to MSCHE Standards and highlights areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. The new Rensselaer Forward Plan provides a roadmap for the Institute’s future, ensuring its position as a premier technological research university addressing global challenges and advancing its mission for the next decade.
CAMPUS
296 Acres
189 Buildings
4.8 million gross square feet of space
4.2 million net square feet of space
ENROLLMENT
5823 undergraduates, 1161 graduate students (2022-23)
ACADEMICS
School of Architecture
School of Engineering
School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Lally School of Management
School of Science
Rensselaer at Work
Office of Undergraduate Education
Office of Graduate Education
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PROFILES
Percentage of students in top 10% of high school class: 55%
SAT (middle 50%) Evidence-Based Reading and Writing*: 640-730
SAT (middle 50%) Math*: 680-770
First Year Retention Rate: 89%
FINANCIAL AID
Approximately 86% of our students receive a form of financial aid (2022-23)
FACULTY
Full time equivalent Faculty 478 (2023-24)
$121.8 Million in Sponsored Research
Rensselaer faculty and alumni include:
• upwards of 164 National Academy members
• six members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame
• six National Medal of Technology winners
• five National Medal of Science winners
• a Nobel Prize winner in Physics
STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO AND CLASS SIZE
15:1
53% of classes have fewer than 20 students.
PROGRAMS
42 bachelor's programs; 56 master's programs; 39 doctoral programs; 10 graduate certificate programs
UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES
200+ clubs and organizations
NCAA Division III athletics (Division I Hockey)
Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC)
ALUMNI
Living Alumni 110,000
In this chapter, the mission, vision, and core values of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are described along with the former Rensselaer Plan 2024 strategic plan and the new Rensselaer Forward Plan that is soon to be released. This chapter details the linkages between our strategic plan and our Performance Planning Process. Our mission and goals as America’s first polytechnic university are central to strategic planning, and our assessment practices align with our mission and support our effectiveness in achieving the university’s goals. As we look to our future with President Schmidt, who joined Rensselaer in 2022, the new Rensselaer Forward Plan will provide guidance for the 10 years following our 2024 bicentennial and greatly impact the future of Rensselaer.
Read Full Standard 1: Mission and Goals.
This chapter describes Rensselaer’s commitment to ethics and integrity in the areas of academic and intellectual freedom; freedom of expression; the effective management of grievances; avoidance of conflicts of interest; fair and impartial practices for employees; honesty and truthfulness in internal and external communications; and affordability and accessibility. Rensselaer is committed to ethical campus operations. Our campus climate surveys have identified areas of improvement for the campus and opportunities to engage with all stakeholders. Our new strategic plan, Rensselaer Forward Plan, aims to improve campus climate through community engagement efforts.
Read Full Standard 2: Ethics and Integrity.
This chapter describes how Rensselaer provides educational opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This standard presents evidence of how our faculty deliver programs aligned to our mission and goals. We describe our educational experience that is delivered to students with the appropriate level of support from staff and faculty, in accordance with the MSCHE standard. Rensselaer has developed processes and policies that are clearly articulated to students, faculty, and staff to deliver our educational experience. Rensselaer has invested resources to assure that the academic experience is high quality and has high impact for students. Rensselaer is a research university with over $121.8 million in sponsored research that fuels graduate and undergraduate research programs to engage the community in new discoveries and development. Rensselaer has robust mechanisms to support and enhance student learning across both curricular and co-curricular programs. These opportunities are complemented by the educational and research experiences provided by prestigious academic faculty. The Institute’s Performance Planning process is used to assess and evaluate progress on various activities.
Read Full Standard 3: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning.
This chapter describes the Rensselaer student experience and how the Institute supports students from admission to graduation. Details of the services for students academically, socially, in health and wellness, and in living and learning are presented. This chapter of the report also describes our athletic and extracurricular activities. Rensselaer students remain the center of our mission and drive the university to continuously improve to meet student needs. Rensselaer has consistently maintained high retention and graduation rates of our students. With the challenges of students who have gone through COVID, Rensselaer has implemented strategies for students entering the university to improve student success through an online Artificial Intelligence math program called ALEKS. Initial results show a positive impact of ALEKS in improving students’ ability to succeed at Rensselaer. Rensselaer recognizes the value of experiential education through the implementation of the Arch program. However, we recommend that the Arch program be restructured to improve program outcomes.
This chapter describes the development of Rensselaer’s assessment efforts since our last self-study. Rensselaer practices ongoing assessment that includes rigorous department and school-level assessment of curricula. We provide a detailed account of how Rensselaer’s culture of assessment and continuous improvement has evolved and improved. While we are meeting the MSCHE requirements, Rensselaer recommends that we continue to build a culture of assessment of educational programs and support units by implementing robust assessment processes that include university-wide program review and key performance indicators for all portfolios across the Institute, including all academic programs and support units.
This chapter describes how Rensselaer’s planning processes, resources, and structures are aligned with each other and are sufficient to fulfill its mission and goals. We explain the university’s financial planning and budgeting process to align resource allocation in accordance with the strategic plan. We discuss our commitment to enhance institutional effectiveness, which is evident in the infrastructure surrounding planning, resources, and institutional improvement. We identify an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of planning and resource allocation tied to the Rensselaer Forward Plan. Rensselaer recommends enhancing our centralized data warehouse to improve decision-making across campus. This includes improving the user interface for accessing data. Additionally, to foster collaboration and better decision-making across units, the institution's data governance framework should be reviewed and strengthened, along with the development of a long-term digital infrastructure strategy. To ensure there are appropriate resources to support its mission and operations, Rensselaer should aim to optimize its human capital model. Rensselaer recommends the diversification and growth of revenue to offset operational costs as well as streamline operations.
Read Full Standard 6: Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement.
This chapter describes the process by which Rensselaer is governed in a manner that allows the university to realize its stated mission and goals to benefit the institution, its students, and the other constituencies it serves. The role of the Board of Trustees governance is explained in this chapter. It also explains the roles and responsibilities of the President and his leadership team. The chapter also provides the key constituents who participate in shared governance, such as the Faculty Senate and Student Union. Our new strategic plan, the Rensselaer Forward Plan, will continue to strengthen the role of shared governance on campus.
Read Full Standard 7: Governance, Leadership, and Administration.