Rochester Institute of Technology
PAE-10: Affordability and Access Programs

RIT's TRiO Student Support Services, federally funded through the Department of Education, provides comprehensive and individualized support services to eligible first generation, low income, or disabled college students to increase academic standing, retention and graduation rates. http://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/triosss/staff.php

Rochester Institute of Technology offers a significant scholarship program for graduates of the Rochester City School District who are admitted as freshmen to full-time study in baccalaureate programs at the university. The Rochester City Scholars scholarship/grant program began in fall of 2010 for those meeting eligibility requirements. Eligibility requirements include: student enrollment in the Rochester City School District for three years of high school, and must reside in the district for these three years, be accepted to the freshmen class for full-time enrollment in any of the university’s baccalaureate programs, enter directly from high school in their graduation year and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), family income below $60,000 and be certified by their high school counselors during the admission process as meeting residency requirements. The scholarship support, when combined with federal and state grants, equals full-tuition at RIT. It is renewable annually for student participants who are in good academic standing as long as students maintain full-time status. RIT has a long history of providing educational opportunities to qualified students regardless of their families’ economic circumstances. We offer a comprehensive financial aid program consisting of merit scholarships and a full range of need-based grants, loans, and campus employment programs. More than 75 percent of full-time undergraduate students at RIT received more than $258 million in financial aid this year. Financial aid and scholarships are awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need and academic merit. Students from all income ranges are offered financial aid and scholarships each year.

RIT’s Center for Professional Development offers a faculty and staff training workshop on Understanding the Needs of the First Generation and Low Income College Students designed to support their work with students. The Undergraduate Admissions Office supports the University’s recruitment of diverse applicants through targeted outreach efforts and a designated Associate Director for Transfer Admission, Multicultural Recruitment, and the Higher Education Opportunity Program. RIT’s Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services prepare students from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds to be successful in their career development. A designated Assistant Director for Diversity Outreach supports recruitment strategies including a Career Fair Affinity Reception, connections with AALANA student organizations and a LinkedIn Diversity Student Leadership Group. http://www.rit.edu/~w-oce/employer/RecruitingDiversePopulations.htm .

The first dimension of RIT’s Inclusive Excellence Framework, Access and Success, focuses our efforts to achieve a more diverse and inclusive community. RIT’s 2005-2015 Strategic Plan outlines a series of Key Result Areas establishing institutional benchmarks to increase AALANA undergraduate and graduate student, faculty, staff, women, Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) and international student enrollment as well as to increase the academic success, retention and graduation of AALANA, DHH, and first-generation students.

Please refer to policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students described above for information on the scholarships for low-income students.

Several RIT divisions and departments offer on-line Resources for Parents. The Center for Campus Life, Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services, Undergraduate Admissions Office, and Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships provide parental guidance throughout their child’s undergraduate experience. Campus-wide programming, College and Careers, Open House, and Accepted Student Open House and Orientation also offer parent workshops.

As mentioned above RIT’s 2005-2015 Strategic Plan outlines a series of Key Result Areas establishing institutional benchmarks to increase AALANA undergraduate and graduate student, faculty, staff, women, Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) and international student enrollment as well as to increase the academic success, retention and graduation of AALANA, DHH, and first-generation students.

External grant funding also support our underrepresented student’s financial needs. RIT’s College of Applied Science and Technology was recently awarded funding from the National Science Foundation to improve participation of low-income, underrepresented students in its engineering technology programs. The CoMETS grant, Critical Mass of Engineering Technology Scholars, is a multi-faceted program to provide scholarships and support programs to underrepresented minorities and women, specifically academically talented and economically disadvantaged first-year students and third-year transfer students. http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=48498