The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private research university in Henrietta, New York, United States, a suburb of Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institutes of technology in New York state, the other being the New York Institute of Technology.

RIT enrolls about 21,000 students, of whom 18,000 are undergraduate and 3,000 are graduate students. These students come from all 50 states in the United States and more than 100 countries. The university has more than 4,000 faculty and staff. It also has campuses abroad in Croatia, Kosovo, and the United Arab Emirates. The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". It operates the publisher RIT Press, a university press.

History The university began as a result of an 1891 merger between Rochester Athenæum, a struggling literary society founded in 1829 by Colonel Nathaniel Rochester and associates, and The Mechanics Institute, a Rochester school of practical technical training for local residents founded in 1885 by a consortium of local businessmen including Captain Henry Lomb, co-founder of Bausch & Lomb. The name of the merged institution at the time was called Rochester Athenæum and Mechanics Institute (RAMI). The Mechanics Institute was considered as the surviving school and took over The Rochester Athenæum's 1829 founding charter. From the time of the merger until 1944, many of its students, administration and faculty staff alike, not only celebrated the former Mechanics Institute's 1885 founding charter, but its former name as well. In 1944, the school changed its name to Rochester Institute of Technology, re-established The Athenæum's 1829 founding charter and became a full-fledged research university.

The university originally resided within the city of Rochester, New York, proper, on a block bounded by the Erie Canal, South Plymouth Avenue, Spring Street, and South Washington Street (approximately ). Its art department was originally located in the Bevier Memorial Building. By the middle of the twentieth century, RIT began to outgrow its facilities, and surrounding land was scarce and expensive; additionally, in 1959, the New York Department of Public Works announced a new freeway, the Inner Loop, was to be built through the city along a path that bisected the university's campus and required demolition of key university buildings. In 1961, a donation of $3.27 million from local Grace Watson, for whom RIT's dining hall was later named, allowed the university to purchase land for a new campus several miles south along the east bank of the Genesee River in suburban Henrietta. Upon completion in 1968, the university moved to the new suburban campus, where it resides today.

In 1966, RIT was selected by the federal government to be the site of the newly founded National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). NTID admitted its first students in 1968, concurrent with RIT's transition to the Henrietta campus.

In 1979, RIT took over Eisenhower College, a liberal arts college located in Seneca Falls, New York. Despite making a 5-year commitment to keep Eisenhower open, RIT announced in July 1982 that the college would close immediately. One final year of operation by Eisenhower's academic program took place in the 1982–83 school year on the Henrietta campus. The final Eisenhower graduation took place in May 1983 back in Seneca Falls.

The microelectronic engineering program, created in 1982 is the only ABET-accredited undergraduate program in of its type the country."25 Years of Microelectronic Engineering Education", Santosh K. Kurinec, et al., 16th Biennial University Government Industry Microelectronics Symposium Proceedings, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, June 2006. At its inception, it was the nation's first Bachelor of Science program specializing in the fabrication of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. In 1990, RIT started its first PhD program, in imaging science – the first PhD program of its kind in the U.S. The information technology program was the first nationally recognized IT degree, created in 1993. In 1996, RIT became the first college in the U.S. to offer a Software Engineering degree at the undergraduate level.

Campus

The main campus is housed on a property. This property is largely covered with woodland and fresh-water swamp making it a very diverse wetland that is home to a number of somewhat rare plant species. The campus comprises 237 buildings and of building space. The nearly universal use of bricks in the campus's construction – estimated at 15,710,693 bricks as of August 6, 2018 – prompted students to give it the semi-affectionate nickname "Brick City," reflected in the name of events such as the annual "Brick City Homecoming." Though the buildings erected in the first few decades of the campus's existence reflected the architectural style known as brutalism, the warm color of the bricks softened the impact somewhat. More recent additions to the campus have diversified the architecture while still incorporating the traditional brick colors. The main campus was listed as a census-designated place in 2020.

In 2009, the campus was named a "Campus Sustainability Leader" by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

The residence halls and the academic side of campus are connected with a walkway called the "Quarter Mile". Along the Quarter Mile, between the academic and residence hall side are various administration and support buildings. On the academic side of the walkway is a courtyard, known as the Infinity Quad due to a striking polished stainless steel sculpture (by Jose' de Rivera, 1968, 19'×8'×2') of a continuous ribbon-like Möbius strip (commonly referred to as the infinity loop because if the sun hits the strip at a certain angle it will cast a shadow in the shape of an infinity symbol on the ground) in the middle of it; on the residence hall side is a sundial and a clock. Standing near the Administration Building and the Student Alumni Union is The Sentinel, a steel structure created by the acclaimed metal sculptor, Albert Paley. Reaching high and weighing 110 tons, the sculpture is the largest on any American university campus. There are four on-campus RIT-owned apartment complexes: Global Village, Perkins Green, Riverknoll, and University Commons. RIT also operates two off-campus apartment complexes: 175 Jefferson Road, and RIT Inn and & Conference Center

Along the Quarter Mile is the Gordon Field House, a , two-story athletic center. Opened in 2004 and named in honor of Lucius "Bob" Gordon and his wife Marie, the Field House hosts numerous campus and community activities, including concerts, career fairs, athletic competitions, graduations, and other functions. Other facilities between the residence halls and academic buildings include the Hale-Andrews Student Life Center, Student Alumni Union, Ingle Auditorium, Clark Gymnasium, Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena, and the Schmitt Interfaith Center.

RIT opened MAGIC Spell Studios in 2018. The 52,000 square-foot facility hosts video game and media development labs, 2D and 3D animation labs, sound mixing, a color-correcting suite, sound stage and more..

In 2023, the university opened the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED), the largest project for RIT since the campus moved to Henrietta in 1968. The SHED houses 22 classrooms, as well as makerspaces, studios, and performing arts facilities, including the Sklarsky Glassbox Theater.

In December 2025, RIT opened a 39,000-square-foot Research Building with 19 laboratories supporting work in fields including artificial intelligence, cognitive science, neuroscience, advanced manufacturing, and wet chemistry.

In April 2026, RIT opened the 50,000-square-foot RIT Performing Arts Center, which includes a refurbished Barton Opus 234 organ and an outdoor amphitheater. Along with the SHED, it is one of only two primary non-brick buildings on campus.

Art on campus The RIT Art Collection, part of the RIT Archive Collections at RIT Libraries, comprises thousands of works, including hundreds by RIT faculty, students, and alumni. The collection grows every year through the Purchase Prize Program, which enables the university to purchase select art works from students in the School of Art and Design, the School for American Crafts, and the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.

Many pieces from the collection are on public display around campus, including: Sentinel – a 73-foot-tall sculpture created by the acclaimed metal sculptor, Albert Paley, located on Administration Circle. Growth and Youth – a set of two murals by Josef Albers located in the lobby of the George Eastman Building. Principia – a mural by Larry Kirkland that is etched into the black granite floor of the atrium in the College of Science (Gosnell Hall). The work features illustrations, symbols, formulae, quotes, and images representing milestones in the history of science. Three Piece Reclining Figure No. 1 – a bronze sculpture by English artist Henry Moore located in Eastman Kodak Quad. Grand Hieroglyph – a 24-foot-long tapestry by Shiela Hicks located in the George Eastman Building. Sundial – a sculpture by Alistair Bevington located on the Residence Quad. The Monument to Ephemeral Facts – a mixed media sculpture by Douglas Holleley located in Wallace Library. Unity – a 24-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture sited between the College of Art and Design, the College of Engineering Technology, and the College of Engineering.

Demographics The RIT campus was listed as a census-designated place (CDP) in the 2020 U.S. census with a population of 7,322 at the 2020 census.

+Rochester Institute of Technology CDP, New York – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2020% 2020White alone (NH)4,72864.57%Black or African American alone (NH)3845.24%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)140.19%Asian alone (NH)1,23216.83%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)00.00%Other race alone (NH)450.61%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)3574.88%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5627.68%Total7,322100.00%

Organization and administration As of July 2025, the president is William H. Sanders, formerly the dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Sanders, the university's eleventh president, replaced David C. Munson, who retired after serving eight years at RIT. Prabu David, formerly vice provost at Michigan State University, was named provost in August 2023. He replaced Ellen Granberg, the first woman to serve in that role at RIT.

The school is also a member of the Association of Independent Technological Universities.

Colleges

RIT has nine colleges: College of Art and Design Saunders College of Business Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences Kate Gleason College of Engineering College of Engineering Technology College of Health Sciences and Technology College of Liberal Arts National Technical Institute for the Deaf College of Science

There are also two smaller academic units that grant RIT degrees but do not have full college faculties: Golisano Institute for Sustainability School of Individualized Study (SOIS)

In addition to these colleges, RIT operates campuses in Europe and in the Middle East: RIT Croatia (formerly the American College of Management and Technology) in Dubrovnik and Zagreb, Croatia RIT Kosovo (formerly the American University in Kosovo) in Pristina, Kosovo RIT Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Academics

The university is chartered by the New York state legislature and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The university offers more than 200 academic programs, including seven doctoral programs across its nine constituent colleges. In 2008–2009, RIT awarded 2,483 bachelor's degrees, 912 master's degrees, 10 doctorates, and 523 other certificates and diplomas.