The New School vs. RPI

Should I go to The New School or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if The New School 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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The New School vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute comparison
The New School Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute College 3 College 4
The New School Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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Overview

 The New School RPI
Location New York, NY Troy, NY
Setting Large City Small City
Enrollment 9,434 7,024
Type Private 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #168 #124
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website newschool.edu rpi.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 The New School RPI
Tuition (In State) $54,910 $60,360
Tuition (Out of State) $54,910 $60,360
Room & Board $29,874 $17,530
Avg Net Price $62,226 $35,940
Avg Grant Aid $20,504 $43,994
% Receiving Grant Aid 93% 96%

Admission

 The New School RPI
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 9,148 16,283
Admitted 5,719 9,517
Acceptance Rate 62.5% 58.4%
Enrolled % 25.7% 16.3%
Avg High School GPA 3.59 3.88
Typical High School Grades B+ A-
Admissions Standards Difficult Exceptional
Applicant Competition Low Low
ACT Range 26/30 30/34
SAT Range 1140/1360 1330/1500
Submit Test Scores Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Jan 15, 2026

Academics

 The New School RPI
Student to Faculty Ratio 9:1 14:1
Popular Majors
  • Visual and Performing Arts (62%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%)
  • Business (11%)
  • Foreign Languages (4%)
  • Social Sciences (3%)
  • Engineering (53%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (9%)
  • Business (8%)
  • Engineering Technology (5%)
  • Architecture (5%)

Outcomes

 The New School RPI
Graduation Rate 61% 84%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $52,700 $82,500
Making Student Loan Payments 65% 92%
Median Student Loan Debt $23,872 $27,500
Median Loan Payment $246 $284

Diversity

 The New School RPI
% Men 8% 10%
% Women 19% 5%
Racial Diversity Very High High
HBCU No No
% White 33% 59%
% Black 6% 3%
% Hispanic 12% 8%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 4% 7%
% International 32% 11%
% Unknown Race 4% 2%

Students

 The New School RPI
% In-State 13% 36%
% Out-of-State 47% 58%

Campus

 The New School RPI
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No Yes
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • The New School is larger than than RPI based on total student enrollment (9,434 students vs. 7,024 students)

The New School vs. RPI Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, The New School or RPI?

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is 9.9% more expensive to attend than The New School for in-state tuition ($60,360.00 vs. $54,910.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 9.9% higher at RPI than The New School ($60,360.00 vs. $54,910.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute than The New School ($35,940 vs. $62,226)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are 70.4% lower than costs at The New School ($17,530 vs. $29,874)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute than The New School (96% vs. 93%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students is 114.6% larger than aid received The New School ($43,994 vs. $20,504)

The New School vs. RPI Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • Accepted freshman RPI students have a 0.29 point higher average high school GPA (3.88) than students at The New School (3.59)
  • The New School has a higher acceptance rate (62.5%) than RPI (58.4%)

The New School vs. RPI Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, The New School 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 The New School.

  • The graduation rate at RPI is higher than The New School (84% vs. 61%)
  • Graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute earn on average $29,800 more per year than The New School graduates after ten years. ($82,500 vs. $52,700)
  • The New School students graduate with a $3,628 lower median federal student loan debt than RPI graduates. ($23,872 vs. $27,500)
  • The New School graduates are paying $38 less per month on federal student loans than RPI graduates. ($246 vs. $284)
  • More RPI graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former The New School students, three years after graduation. (92% vs. 65%)

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