Founders Day Challenge

Rensselaer Annual Fund (Area of Greatest Need)

Your gift today to the Rensselaer Annual Fund will ensure that our current generation of students has the resources available to graduate and change the world. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we continue to provide exceptional support and a safe environment for our students. Your help is needed – now more than ever – as we continue to prepare our students to join the global network of successful alumni and alumnae after completing their education.

With your gift to the Annual Fund, Rensselaer students:

• Receive scholarships and competitive financial aid packages—more than 90 percent of Rensselaer students receive some sort of financial aid
• Experience a world-class undergraduate education of undisputed intellectual rigor
• Participate in award-winning student programming
• Take part in undergraduate research and study abroad programs
• Collaborate with our talented and dedicated faculty, and so much more 

It is more important than ever to support our students in order to meet the nation’s growing need for scientific and technical talent. Tuition covers just 75 percent of the cost of educating our students. Your gift makes up the difference between what families pay and the cost of the Rensselaer experience and helps us invest in their future right now.

Student Relief Funds

Over the past year, many of our students developed a new set of needs in response to the challenges of our “new normal” during the pandemic. The Undergraduate and Graduate Student Relief Funds are emergency funds for Rensselaer students who face financial hardship that threatens their academic progress during their time at Rensselaer such as those many have faced as a result of the pandemic.

By helping meet their immediate needs, the Student Relief Funds can give our students the ability to overcome these challenges. Thank you for your support during this uncertain time.

Undergraduate Student Relief Fund

As a result of the global pandemic, Rensselaer students and their families may be struggling to cover unexpected costs related to travel, access to technology, health and wellness, and other unbudgeted circumstances and expenses. In 2017, our senior class created the Undergraduate Student Relief Fund to support students who are facing difficult situations, such as the one they are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Undergraduate Student Relief Fund provides one-time grants to undergraduate students in immediate need, for things like emergency travel expenses, medical bills not covered by insurance, or replacement costs for essential academic supplies or personal items.

Graduate Student Relief Fund

Our graduate students are diverse in age, gender, race, citizenship, familial status, educational background and experience. The Rensselaer graduate community includes co-terminal, Master’s, and doctoral students. As researchers, teaching assistants, and leaders, graduate students are critical to the academic and social fabric of the campus. When graduate students experience a financial emergency or unanticipated expenses which cause financial hardship, their capacity for success within their graduate program and for the Institute is at jeopardy.

The Graduate Student Relief Fund is an emergency fund that was recently established to meet the unique needs of Rensselaer graduate students facing financial hardship that may threaten their academic progress while at Rensselaer. This fund will be used to help graduate students alleviate the burden of financial emergencies and unexpected expenses, and can help them overcome challenges to their continued enrollment and success at Rensselaer.

By showing your support, you are also joining a community of alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends who are making a powerful and immediate impact on the lives of students and future graduates!