Bachelor's · Rochester, New York

Is Applied Mathematics at Rochester Institute of Technology worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 6 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $64,589; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $81,707; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $24,249; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $171k (likely $159k – $222k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $44k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NY; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 6 years (likely 4.5–8.2); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $30k (likely −$118k – $190k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $559k (likely $282k – $898k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 70%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26