The women at Rensselaer are changing the conversation when it comes to math and science, seeking experiences as unique as they are and pursuing opportunities to improve the world.
Rensselaer has more than 200 clubs and activities available to students on campus. Whether women decide to join our women’s mentoring program, one of the sororities on campus, our Society of Women Engineers, or another organization, Rensselaer women are sure to find a strong community and the resources they need to change the world.
The Office of Admission offers special visiting days, webinars, and other outreach throughout the year for women interested in learning more about joining the Rensselaer community. To view recordings of past events, check out our RPI Admissions YouTube Channel.
From the Institute Archives:
Programs, Resources, & Clubs
Rensselaer provides a number of academic programs, resources, and student-run clubs and organizations to support our strong community of women.
The Women at Rensselaer Mentor Program was initiated to provide a community for female undergraduates who are a minority population at Rensselaer. One-on-one peer mentoring facilitates a seamless transition for first year female undergraduates, encourages habits leading to successful academic performance, supports making sound choices to maintain health and wellness, and provides tips for balancing academics and extracurricular interests. The program offers monthly social and professional development events for female undergraduates to come together as a community. These events allow for networking among the students and with practicing professionals in STEM fields and include engaging interactive workshops that teach 21st century competencies. The workshops are open to all Rensselaer students.
The Women in STEM House is a community devoted to assisting students at Rensselaer find affinity and to help students thrive as they transition into their first year at Rensselaer. The Women in STEM House provides women identified students with the opportunity to navigate their career aspirations within the Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) fields.
Learn more about Women in STEM House
The Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) is committed to providing women and other students from marginalized communities assistance in all aspects of the career development process, from choosing a major or career to developing networking relationships to marketing their unique skills and experiences on a resume and during interviews.
The Society of Women Engineers is a non-profit educational and service organization that empowers women to aspire to careers in engineering.
Throughout the year, SWE offers many events focusing on professional development, networking, and outreach to young children. Opportunities include monthly general meetings, presentations, and networking with corporate guests, informational sessions on graduate school and research, scholarships, RPI SWE job resources, conference attendance, outreach events with local Girl Scout troops and many fun socials, which offer the chance to learn new skills, such as taking up the business sport of golf!
Women in Business is a student-run club open to all Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students. WIB provides a social networking platform for women to improve their professional, social, and personal skills. Club activities include networking opportunities, panel discussions, lectures, roundtable events, social outings, and more.
Rensselaer's women in engineering programs offer a host of opportunities for exceptional women to prepare and succeed in today's technologically advanced and culturally diverse workforce.
ACM-W is the ACM committee on Women in Computing. It celebrates, informs and supports women in computing, and works with the ACM-W community of computer scientists, educators, employers and policy makers to improve working and learning environments for women.
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Chapter of ACM-W strives to recruit, engage, and rejoice in the accomplishments of female computer scientists within the institute. By providing a variety of workshops, networking events, and career advancement opportunities, the chapter strives to create equal opportunity and diversification in CS-related fields.
RPI WIN is the student chapter of Women in Nuclear at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. As part of the national organization, they strive to advocate for nuclear science, power, and research with a special focus on the problems women face in these fields.
Originally started to give a voice to underrepresented groups in physics, Women in Physics (WiP) is community of women who seek to support each other through mentoring, workshops, and community building events.
Sororities
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Panhellenic Council is the governing body for RPI's sorority chapters. The Council serves to unify and oversee these chapters, linking them to both the campus and the community.
Involvement in a sorority can be a positive contribution to your collegiate experience through friendship, leadership, academics, philanthropy, networking opportunities, and personal growth. No matter which sorority you choose, the Panhellenic friendships you form will be lifelong.
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a professional and social sorority founded in 1983 that promotes friendship, leadership and professionalism to all members of the organization, the community, and our professions. They accept majors in the Schools of Engineering and Architecture, some majors in the School of Science, and certain concentrations of Information Technology.
Alpha Phi is a sisterhood of outstanding women supporting one another in lifelong achievement. Our sisterhood stretches from coast to coast with more than 200,000 members. Sisters share a commitment to excellence and a strong desire to help one another and their communities. Alpha Phis are leaders, scholars, contributors and lifetime members of a sisterhood that values these traits.The Theta Tau Chapter at RPI is a dynamic group of women, each with unique interests, talents, and backgrounds. Through the years we spend together our friendships develop into lifelong connections founded on similar experiences and values.
As a premier Greek Organization, Pi Beta Phi takes pride in providing women endless opportunities for community service, academic excellence, and leadership development. Every chapter is founded with the promise that each member will have equal opportunity to use the tools provided by Pi Beta Phi in order to flourish at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and beyond. We are proud of all of our individually unique sisters who bring their own flavor to our chapter. California to Maine, engineering to cognitive science, an array of service groups, clubs, and hobbies are represented in our chapter by sisters who strive to make the most of their college experience.
La Sociedad de Damas, a Multicultural Latin-based sorority founded in 1996 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. We promote basic values such as honesty, compassion, self-pride, sisterhood, professionalism, and hard work among women. Even though we are a Latin-based sorority we welcome women of all cultural backgrounds.
Becoming a sister of Alpha Gamma Delta will give you the opportunity to create friendships that will last a lifetime. We strive to help all sisters become the best versions of themselves and excel in academics, community service, and campus involvement. We hope that going Panhellenic will help you find the home away from home that we found in Alpha Gamma Delta.
Women’s Athletics
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s intercollegiate and recreational athletic programs are built upon a successful balance of academic and athletic excellence. As we continue to develop global reach and global impact, the athletic program at RPI builds pride and passion, uniting our campus, alumni, and the citizens of the Capital Region through competitive achievement.
Rensselaer’s current athletic complex is comprised of nine facilities for the Institute's 23 varsity teams, club programs, and intramural sports.