School Spotlight: National Technical Institute for the Deaf @ RIT

There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school! School Spotlight: National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT New York, New York Housed within Rochester Institute of Technology, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf is the world’s first and largest technological college focused on educating those who are deaf or hard of hearing. It’s an inclusive community, with some students preferring sign language while others communicate in spoken English. There is also support for those who use cochlear implants, and audiology and speech therapy services are robust for those who choose to utilize them. Because NTID has been around since 1968 and is well-integrated into the RIT community and campus, its students feel assured they will get the specialized support they need while also being able to enjoy the traditional college experience. In case you’re not familiar with RIT, a quick rundown: a suburban campus located about five miles from downtown Rochester, New York, RIT hosts approximately 13,000 undergraduates. A little over half the students are from in state and about 100 countries are represented by the international student body. Though a “tech” school, RIT has a huge variety of majors. RIT’s athletic teams are primarily DIII competitors, but men’s and women’s hockey are both at the DI level. For NTID undergrads, there are three main enrollment options: the associate’s degree, the associate-to-bachelor pathway, and the bachelor’s degree. Standalone associate programs include 3D graphic technology, hospitality and service management, architectural and civil drafting, and precision manufacturing. The associate-to-bachelor’s pathway lets students start off in areas including mobile application development, laboratory science technology, and business administration before moving on to the bachelor’s level. There are ninety bachelor’s programs to choose from, including those offered by the colleges of engineering, business, computing and information sciences, health sciences, art and design, liberal arts, and science. Undecided applicants have the option of starting with the University Exploration program as well as Career Exploration Studies. There is also an ASL-English interpretation program offering certificates and bachelor’s degrees to all RIT students. Additionally, students can take advantage of RIT’s Combined Accelerated Pathways program, which lets student earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in a shorter than normal period of time. Areas of study include criminal justice, game design, public policy, and industrial engineering. NTID also offers study abroad opportunities tailored to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community; destinations include Russia, France, Chile, Japan, and Costa Rica. As of spring 2021, NTID is allowing on-campus tours; visit the admissions website to sign up or to learn more virtually. Image Credit: Top, Courtesy of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf