Georgia Tech & RPI Research Summary

gatech_rpi.md

Georgia Tech & RPI Research Summary

Georgia Institute of Technology

Overview

• Location: Atlanta, GA
• Type: Public research university (University System of Georgia)
• Category: public_elite
• US News Ranking: Consistently top 35 national, top 5 public
• Founded: 1885

Admissions (Class of 2029 / 2024-2025 cycle)

• Total Applicants: 59,789
• Admitted: ~8,413 (14% acceptance rate)
• Enrolled: 3,850 (46% yield)
• EA1 (in-state): ~8,120 applicants, ~2,650 admitted (33% rate)
• EA2 (out-of-state/international): ~36,196 applicants, ~2,950 admitted (8.1% rate)
• Combined EA: 44,316 applicants, ~5,600 admitted (12.6%)
• RD: ~11% acceptance rate
• Testing: Required (SAT or ACT)
• SAT Middle 50: 1370-1530 (ERW 680-750, Math 690-790)
• ACT Middle 50: 30-34
• Avg GPA: 4.14 weighted (estimated ~3.9 unweighted)
• Top 10% of class: 87%
• First-year retention: 98%
• 6-year graduation rate: 94%

Demographics (Undergraduate, Fall 2024)

• Total undergrad enrollment: 20,592
• White: 44.4%, Asian: 24.8%, International: 9.9%, Hispanic: 7.4%, Black: 7.2%, Multiracial: 4.5%
• Women: 39.7%, Men: 60.3%

Net Cost by Income (Title IV aid recipients)

Athletics

• NCAA Division I (ACC)
• 18 varsity sports
• 580 total athletes (~2.8% of undergrad enrollment)

Key Simulation Notes

• EA is non-binding, non-restrictive (students can apply EA elsewhere)
• EA split into EA1 (GA residents only, ~33%) and EA2 (OOS/intl, ~8%) creates large in-state advantage
• For simulation: use combined EA rate of 12.6% or model in-state/OOS separately
• Strong STEM focus means applicant pool self-selects for high math scores
• Very high yield (46%) for a public school, reflecting strong regional draw and HOPE/Zell Miller scholarships

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Overview

• Location: Troy, NY
• Type: Private research university
• Category: stem_elite
• US News Ranking: ~55-60 national
• Founded: 1824 (oldest technological research university in the English-speaking world)

Admissions (2024-2025 cycle)

• Total Applicants: 17,193
• Admitted: ~10,906 (63% acceptance rate)
• Enrolled: ~1,580 (12% yield - extremely low)
• ED I deadline: November 1 (70% acceptance rate)
• ED II deadline: December 15
• RD acceptance rate: ~55%
• Testing: Test-optional (through at least Fall 2026 cycle)
• SAT Middle 50: 1330-1500 (ERW 650-730, Math 680-770)
• ACT Middle 50: 30-34
• Avg GPA: 3.8 unweighted
• Top 10% of class: 53%
• First-year retention: 91%

Demographics (Undergraduate, 2023-2024)

• Total undergrad enrollment: ~5,743
• White: 41.6%, Asian: 19.1%, International: 17.0%, Hispanic: 10.6%, Multiracial: 5.0%, Black: 4.8%
• Women: 31.2%, Men: 68.8%

Net Cost by Income (Title IV aid recipients)

Athletics

• NCAA Division III (Liberty League) — except D1 men's ice hockey (ECAC Hockey)
• 21 varsity sports
• 819 total athletes (~14.3% of undergrad enrollment)
• No athletic scholarships (D3), except ice hockey

Key Simulation Notes

• Extremely low yield (12%) is the defining challenge — many admitted students choose elsewhere
• High acceptance rate (63%) but strong academic profile of enrolled students
• ED is important for RPI: 70% ED acceptance rate vs 55% RD
• Rensselaer Medal program: high school students nominated for merit scholarships, helps with yield
• D3 athletics mean 14% of students are athletes — very high participation rate but no recruited athlete admissions boost
• For simulation: model as moderately selective but with very low yield; ED multiplier ~1.27x (70/55)
• Financial aid less generous than peer private institutions — net cost stays high across income brackets

Sources

• Georgia Tech CDS 2024-2025 (irp.gatech.edu)
• Georgia Tech Admission Snapshot (admission.gatech.edu)
• RPI Quick Facts (rpi.edu/about/quick-facts)
• College Factual demographics and net price data
• CollegeVine, CollegeSimply admissions statistics
• College Kickstart EA reporting