@rhandco RPI is not admitting “more and more” students each year. They planned on steadily increasing incoming class sizes to around 1650-1700 undergraduate students and then leaving it like that. This year, from what I’ve heard, they admitted slightly less students due to an increase of international apps (international students have a higher chance of enrolling), ED apps (increases the yield), and apps overall. Increased competition means more wiggle room for RPI to “control” their yield by hand picking the incoming class. Also, increased yield is good - it decreases the number of students they need to admit to enroll someone/decreases the acceptance rate.
Second of all, this year’s admissions cycle was the most competitive ever. 85% of admitted students were in the top 10% of their graduating class and, of those that enrolled, the average SAT was around 1400 with a median of 1410/1600. In the prior year, the median was 1380. They also got almost 20,000 applications. Being rejected from a lower ranked school and admitted to a higher ranked school doesn’t mean anything, especially when the metrics at the lower ranked school are progressively worse. You’ve isolated one individual case - maybe they didn’t like his essay? You don’t know.
Also, about Dr.Jackson’s salary, as ludicrous as it is the Board of Trustees considers it a small expense compared to the value she brings RPI (this is their view, at least).