Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Private · Moderately Selective · IN

Photo: Unknown (Commons upload) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIN · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads2,309

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate63.9%

6-yr grad rate78.2%

Drop-out rate8.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$59k

Out-of-state tuition$59k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity31.5%

Gender diversity24.4%

International8.2%

Identity—

Overview

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, in Terre Haute, Indiana, is a small private institute devoted almost entirely to undergraduate engineering, science, and mathematics. It has no significant offerings outside those fields and is consistently rated among the very best schools with that specific focus.

Academics

Every class is taught by a professor, never a teaching assistant, and class sizes stay small even in foundational courses. The curriculum is demanding by design, but the culture around it is deliberately collaborative — students are expected to work together and use extensive tutoring and learning-center support rather than compete against each other.

Campus & student life

The small, tight-knit student body shares an identity built around the shared difficulty of the coursework, and campus culture is famously supportive despite the workload — a point the institute actively cultivates rather than treats as incidental. Athletics compete at the NCAA Division III level as the Fightin' Engineers.

Getting in

Admission is highly selective for students with strong quantitative preparation and genuine interest in engineering or the sciences specifically — this is not a school for students undecided between STEM and other fields. Demonstrated rigor in high school math and science coursework matters more than a broad activity list.

After graduation

Employer recruiting on campus is strong, with many engineering firms recruiting directly, and students who want graduate school are well prepared for it. The undergraduate research culture is notable given the institute has no graduate programs competing for faculty attention.

Worth knowing

The collaborative rather than cutthroat culture is real and frequently cited by students and alumni — a distinguishing feature for a school this academically intense. The narrow focus on engineering, science, and math means students should be certain of that direction before enrolling.

rose-hulman.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate76.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1320–1500 · ACT 29–34

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Regular decisionFeb 1

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying