Quad

Head-to-head

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Chapman

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grads earn $32K more ten years out than Chapman's ($102,051 vs. $70,070)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute costs about $13.1K less per year on average than Chapman ($40,877 vs. $54,026, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's grants cover 50% of its full price on average, vs. 36% at Chapman

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's SAT midpoint is 93 points higher than Chapman's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Chapman has 4 pts more first-gen students than Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (18% vs. 14%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Chapman's yield is 4 pts higher than Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute admits 63%, Chapman 65%; Chapman's yield is higher, at 16%.

Acceptance rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute63%
Chapman65%
Quad's selectivity
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteVery selective
  • ChapmanVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
1375–1510
Chapman
1260–1440
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • ChapmanRigor, GPA, and rank very important

Who's on each campus

Chapman is a bit larger than Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (7,478 vs. 5,714 undergrads); Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute5.7K
Chapman7.5K
Pell Grant share
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute20%
Chapman19%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Business Administration and Management at Chapman.

Students per faculty member
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute14 to 1
Chapman12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteComputer Science21%
  • ChapmanBusiness Administration and Management, General21%

What each costs

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute costs about $13.1K less a year than Chapman on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$40.9K
Chapman$54K
Aid generosity
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute50%
Chapman36%

What each pays off

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's former students earn more, a median $102.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$102.1K
Chapman$70.1K
Graduation rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute85%
Chapman82%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Chapman but held steady at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteSteady−8%
  • ChapmanGrowing+25%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Chapman University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why