Quad

Head-to-head

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Fordham

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute costs about $14.5K less per year on average than Fordham ($40,877 vs. $55,331, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grads earn $16.5K more ten years out than Fordham's ($102,051 vs. $85,569)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's grants cover 50% of its full price on average, vs. 38% at Fordham

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Fordham has 1.8× as many undergrads as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's SAT midpoint is 43 points higher than Fordham's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

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

    First-generation students

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

Fordham admits 59%, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 63%; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's yield is higher, at 12%.

Acceptance rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute63%
Fordham59%
Quad's selectivity
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteVery selective
  • FordhamVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
1375–1510
Fordham
1320–1480
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • FordhamRigor and GPA very important72%

Who's on each campus

Fordham has 1.8× as many undergrads as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute5.7K
Fordham10.5K
Pell Grant share
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute20%
Fordham21%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Financial Mathematics at Fordham; both have 14 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute14 to 1
Fordham14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteComputer Science21%
  • FordhamFinancial Mathematics11%

What each costs

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute costs about $14.5K less a year than Fordham on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$40.9K
Fordham$55.3K
Aid generosity
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute50%
Fordham38%

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
Fordham$85.6K
Graduation rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute85%
Fordham81%

How each has changed

Applications held steady at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteSteady−8%
  • FordhamSteady+6%
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;Fordham University Common Data Set 2019–20, Fall 2019About 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