Graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn median 4-year earnings of $98,311, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 94.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $13,331 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 90.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute #83 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is anchored in Engineering, which accounts for 45% of degrees awarded, with Business and other STEM fields representing 4% and 4% respectively. Computer Science stands out as the program combining the largest cohort scale with the strongest aggregate earnings contribution. The Computer Science program graduates 284 students with median 4-year earnings of $141,528, and Azimuth ranks the program #53 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Mechanical Engineering follows with 212 graduates earning $92,952, with Azimuth ranking it #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering round out the upper tier, with graduates earning $94,750 and $104,596 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields.
Graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn median 4-year earnings of $98,311, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 94.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $13,331 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 90.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute #83 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is anchored in Engineering, which accounts for 45% of degrees awarded, with Business and other STEM fields representing 4% and 4% respectively. Computer Science stands out as the program combining the largest cohort scale with the strongest aggregate earnings contribution. The Computer Science program graduates 284 students with median 4-year earnings of $141,528, and Azimuth ranks the program #53 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Mechanical Engineering follows with 212 graduates earning $92,952, with Azimuth ranking it #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering round out the upper tier, with graduates earning $94,750 and $104,596 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn median 4-year earnings of $98,311, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 94.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $13,331 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 90.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute #83 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is anchored in Engineering, which accounts for 45% of degrees awarded, with Business and other STEM fields representing 4% and 4% respectively. Computer Science stands out as the program combining the largest cohort scale with the strongest aggregate earnings contribution. The Computer Science program graduates 284 students with median 4-year earnings of $141,528, and Azimuth ranks the program #53 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Mechanical Engineering follows with 212 graduates earning $92,952, with Azimuth ranking it #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering round out the upper tier, with graduates earning $94,750 and $104,596 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's program mix is anchored in engineering and computer science, reflecting its identity as a technically focused private research university. Engineering accounts for 45% of graduates under the Engineering family, with computer science and information technology representing 4% and additional concentration in other STEM fields at 4%. Across 30 programs serving roughly 1,544 students annually, the institution's degree output is concentrated in fields with strong direct-to-workforce earnings, which shapes both the rankings pattern and the overall median earnings profile. Computer Science anchors the institution's economic signature, combining substantial cohort scale with strong median earnings four years after enrollment. Azimuth ranks Computer Science #53 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 284 graduates earning median earnings of $141,528. Azimuth ranks Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians #1 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 80 graduates earning median earnings of $125,531, and Mathematics ranks #23 with 83 graduates earning median earnings of $105,768. The most popular programs by graduate volume — Computer Science (284 graduates, median earnings $141,528), Mechanical Engineering (212 graduates, median earnings $92,952), and Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering (112 graduates, median earnings $94,750) — are all high-mobility, direct-to-workforce pathways where four-year earnings closely reflect labor-market outcomes rather than a graduate-school transition. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering and Mathematics round out the volume leaders and follow a similar pattern.
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn median 4-year earnings of $98,311, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 94.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Graduates earn about $13,331 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 90.6 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute #83 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is anchored in Engineering, which accounts for 45% of degrees awarded, with Business and other STEM fields representing 4% and 4% respectively. Computer Science stands out as the program combining the largest cohort scale with the strongest aggregate earnings contribution. The Computer Science program graduates 284 students with median 4-year earnings of $141,528, and Azimuth ranks the program #53 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology. Mechanical Engineering follows with 212 graduates earning $92,952, with Azimuth ranking it #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering round out the upper tier, with graduates earning $94,750 and $104,596 respectively four years after enrollment — both well above the national benchmark for their fields.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
