Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a large university in Troy, New York, near Albany, founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer. It is the oldest civilian technological university in the English-speaking world.

Student Life

In the 2004–2005 academic year, RPI's enrollment includes 4,888 undergraduate and 1,291 graduate students. Tuition for the 2005-2006 academic year for full-time undergraduate and graduate students is $31,000 (not including room, board, or other expenses).

Related Topics:
2004 - 2005

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The school features a competitive Division I ice hockey team, the Engineers, who won NCAA national titles in 1954 and 1985. The team plays a significant role in the campus' culture, drawing thousands of fans each week to the Houston Field House during the season. The team's popularity even sparked the tradition of the "hockey line", where students line up for season tickets months in advance of the on-sale date. The official nickname of some of the school's other Division III teams was changed in 1995 from the Engineers to the Red Hawks. (In addition to hockey, the football, cross-country, tennis, and track and field teams all chose to retain the Engineers name.) RPI's unofficial mascot is the albino squirrel.

Related Topics:
Division I - Ice hockey - NCAA - 1954 - 1985 - Houston Field House

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According to an about.com survey, RPI has a male-to-female ratio of 3:1, which is among the highest among major American universities. This is an improvement though, as recently as the early 1990's this ratio was about 5:1.

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