John Jay vs. RPI

Should I go to CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if John Jay or RPI is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute comparison
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute College 3 College 4
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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Overview

John Jay RPI
Location New York, NY Troy, NY
Setting Large City Small City
Enrollment 13,510 7,024
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #556 #124
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website cuny.edu rpi.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

John Jay RPI
Tuition (In State) $6,930 $60,360
Tuition (Out of State) $14,880 $60,360
Room & Board $21,788 $17,530
Avg Net Price $4,141 $35,940
Avg Grant Aid $9,284 $43,994
% Receiving Grant Aid 87% 96%

Admission

John Jay RPI
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 17,921 16,283
Admitted 10,255 9,517
Acceptance Rate 57.2% 58.4%
Enrolled % 19.8% 16.3%
Avg High School GPA 3.24 3.88
Typical High School Grades B A-
Admissions Standards Average Exceptional
Applicant Competition Low Low
ACT Range 30/34
SAT Range 1000/1250 1330/1500
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Jan 15, 2026

Academics

John Jay RPI
Student to Faculty Ratio 16:1 14:1
Popular Majors
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (54%)
  • Psychology (18%)
  • Social Sciences (15%)
  • Legal Professions (5%)
  • Human Services (3%)
  • Engineering (53%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (9%)
  • Business (8%)
  • Engineering Technology (5%)
  • Architecture (5%)

Outcomes

John Jay RPI
Graduation Rate 39% 84%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $47,900 $82,500
Making Student Loan Payments 52% 92%
Median Student Loan Debt $10,000 $27,500
Median Loan Payment $103 $284

Diversity

John Jay RPI
% Men 4% 10%
% Women 9% 5%
Racial Diversity Very High High
HBCU No No
% White 18% 59%
% Black 17% 3%
% Hispanic 48% 8%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 2% 7%
% International 3% 11%
% Unknown Race 0% 2%

Students

John Jay RPI
% In-State 90% 36%
% Out-of-State 0% 58%

Campus

John Jay RPI
Campus Housing No Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No Yes
Meal Plan No Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes No
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is larger than than RPI based on total student enrollment (13,510 students vs. 7,024 students)

John Jay vs. RPI Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, John Jay or RPI?

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is 771% more expensive to attend than John Jay for in-state tuition ($60,360.00 vs. $6,930.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 305.6% higher at RPI than CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice ($60,360.00 vs. $14,880.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice than RPI ($4,141 vs. $35,940)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are 24.3% lower than costs at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice ($17,530 vs. $21,788)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute than CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (96% vs. 87%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students is 373.9% larger than aid received CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice ($43,994 vs. $9,284)

John Jay vs. RPI Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, John Jay or RPI? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between RPI or John Jay .

  • The average SAT score at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1368) is 393 points higher than at John Jay (975)
  • Accepted freshman RPI students have a 0.64 point higher average high school GPA (3.88) than students at John Jay (3.24)
  • RPI has a higher acceptance rate (58.4%) than John Jay (57.2%)

John Jay vs. RPI Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, John Jay or RPI? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between RPI and John Jay.

  • The graduation rate at RPI is higher than CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (84% vs. 39%)
  • Graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn on average $34,600 more per year than John Jay graduates after ten years. ($82,500 vs. $47,900)
  • CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice students graduate with a $17,500 lower median federal student loan debt than RPI graduates. ($10,000 vs. $27,500)
  • John Jay graduates are paying $181 less per month on federal student loans than RPI graduates. ($103 vs. $284)
  • More RPI graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former John Jay students, three years after graduation. (92% vs. 52%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/