@Paleochick I think we’ll wait till all offers are in or are off the table (Thursday night-lol) and if he is certain RPI is top of the list then perhaps we’ll see if they might be able to help a bit more. Doesn’t hurt to ask, right?
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They are definitely known to negotiate. Get all the offers on the table and send them better offers (COA) from similar schools, if you have them. Don’t forget to factor in things like price to fly to Albany vs Boston, etc. Good luck.
My d27 just accepted to Binghamton. Down to bing and Rpi going for biology. Big decision is Rpi worth the extra cost??
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Good question. Wondering the same thing.
Would appreciate any insight on the biology programs at Rpi
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My son became a National Merit Scholarship Finalist after EA admission. Can we appeal to get more merit aid from RPI? He got two full ride offers from U Texas and U Oklahoma from being the finalist. Can he mention this in the appeal? Do we contact office of admission or financial aid for the appeal? Thanks.
In general, schools might consider your other offers to peer institutions. RPI would not consider either of the schools listed peer institutions. Also, if your son listed that he was a NMSF the school will assume he became a finalist (since almost everyone who is NMSF does), so that would not be new information.
What you can do is either (1) appeal the financial aid package (for instance if you have had a change in financial circumstances since filing, or if you have significant costs like medical bills that aren’t accounted for in the forms), or (2) ask for more merit aid.
If you do (2) I have heard people say it is best to explain that the school is your son’s first choice (only if it really is!) and that you need $X to make it work for your family (or something like that). You then need to be ready to commit if they actually give you that money, and $X needs to be a reasonable amount (like a few thousand). They are unlikely to give him the money if he currently gets $20K and you want them to give him $40K.
Also, some schools will just say no, always.
What would be a peer institution? Would it need to rank around the 50s?
I am certainly not an expert at this, but I found this report from about 20 years ago, that lists some colleges as potential competition:
https://www.rpi.edu/dept/ug-ed/PRR%20Final-4.htm#pgfId-393077
It was 20 years ago, and I don’t think they would consider all of those schools “peer institutions.”
Also, here is a thread from CMU that gives a list of schools it considers peer institutions, including RPI:
Here is a report by some alumni of RPI (critical of the schools handling of a number of issues, by the way) that in several places discusses peer institutions:
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Thank you very much! This is very helpful! If anything, we don’t expect to get more than a few thousands anyway based on what I’ve heard.
A few thousand extra is doable if you have the right supporting letter.
Hello does anyone know if there is a parent group for RPI - if you have not committed yet ?
And anyone on this chat ends up with RPI for the fall ‘27 ?
We have not committed yet - still figuring out options … down to the final days.
Yes, yes, yes! There is a FB group called, [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) New Parents]. It’s the one you want if you are even considering RPI. YAY. Glad you are still thinking about this amazing school.
Thanks.
I think I did request on that page, but was denied 
I will try again…
Yes RPI is still on the run, it takes a leap of faith to go all the way there from California .
if I remember your child is also from CA, what ultimately makes you decide to go with RPI and seems like so far so good ?
Thanks again
Definitely try the group again. Answer all of the questions - they deny if you leave anything blank.
We live in the west (2200 miles from RPI). We saw our son in October (we went to Family Weekend), November (Thanksgiving), December (Winter Break), and March (Spring Break). School is out in early May. It has been a lot easier to send him far away than I ever thought.
He (we) chose RPI for a handful of reasons. The financial package made it stand out early on. The reputation is hard to beat - our son is very capable of handling the rigor, so we didn’t think twice about how he’d respond to the challenging classes. The outcomes for future employment or graduate school are amazing. It’s in the area of the country where our son wants to settle down eventually. There isn’t an unreasonable GPA requirement to keep his merit award. He can use the same merit award if he chooses to stay for a masters (he will stay).
Our son has had an amazing year. He has a great group of friends (he plans to room with them next year). He has new hobbies from the clubs he has picked up. He raves about his professors and his classes in general. He is now dual majoring in CS and Math and plans to get a minor in a humanities field (he found Logic classes at RPI!). It has been a great year!
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Thanks. 4 times a year to meet up seems like a good plan - like every 1.5 to 2 months each - if you break it out that way. I did not know students are out early May.
Sounds like your son really thrives at RPI.
I just literally bought tickets to visit the school next week, so last minute, too bad could not make it to admitted student day last week. Hope the school can do some arrangement in addition to regular school tour.
After that we’ll see if that would help her make decision.
I am concern about the rigor at RPI - I hope it does not stress students out. I just want kids to be happy while learning at college.
My D also got in to Northeastern which she seems to like a lot because of the coop program and the Boston location, but we have to go full tuition, so I guess it is not reasonable to do so while we have other choices.
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A tour is a good idea. Good luck with this decision.
Thanks !
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My son put in his deposit on Friday!
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Awesome. Congrats to you both.