From the time of the merger until 1944, many of its students, administration and faculty staff alike, not only celebrated the former Mechanics Institute's 1885 founding charter, but its former name as well.

In 1944, the school changed its name to Rochester Institute of Technology, re-established The Athenæum's 1829 founding charter and became a full-fledged research university.

By the middle of the twentieth century, RIT began to outgrow its facilities, and surrounding land was scarce and expensive; additionally, in 1959, the New York Department of Public Works announced a new freeway, the Inner Loop, was to be built through the city along a path that bisected the university's campus and required demolition of key university buildings.

In 1961, a donation of $3.27 million from local Grace Watson, for whom RIT's dining hall was later named, allowed the university to purchase land for a new 1,300-acre (5.3 km2) campus several miles south along the east bank of the Genesee River in suburban Henrietta.

[7][8] In 1966, RIT was selected by the federal government to be the site of the newly founded National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID).

This property is largely covered with woodland and fresh-water swamp making it a very diverse wetland that is home to a number of somewhat rare plant species.

Though the buildings erected in the first few decades of the campus's existence reflected the architectural style known as brutalism, the warm color of the bricks softened the impact somewhat.

Standing near the Administration Building and the Student Alumni Union is The Sentinel, a steel structure created by the acclaimed metal sculptor, Albert Paley.

Opened in 2004 and named in honor of Lucius "Bob" Gordon and his wife Marie, the Field House hosts numerous campus and community activities, including concerts, career fairs, athletic competitions, graduations, and other functions.

Munson, the university's tenth president, took office on July 1, 2017, replacing William W. Destler, who retired after 10 years at RIT.

[66] RIT Archives document more than 180 years of the university's history, and students in the Museum Studies program frequently work with these artifacts and help create exhibitions.

[70] Founded in 2020, the Global Cybersecurity Institute was funded in part by a $50 million gift from RIT alumnus Austin McChord.

[72] In 2022, the Institute received a $3 million naming gift from ESL Federal Credit Union, a Rochester-area company that provides banking and wealth management services.

[92] In 2005, it was announced by Russell W. Bessette, Executive Director New York State Office of Science Technology & Academic Research (NYSTAR), that RIT will lead the University at Buffalo and Alfred University in an initiative to create key technologies in microsystems, photonics, nanomaterials, and remote sensing systems and to integrate next generation IT systems.

[94] RIT was a long-time member of the Empire 8, an NCAA Division III athletic conference, but moved to the Liberty League beginning with the 2011–2012 academic year.

All of RIT's teams compete at the Division III level, with the exception of the men's and women's ice hockey programs.

[95] In 2011–2012, the RIT women's ice hockey team had a regular season record of 28–1–1, and won the NCAA Division III national championship, defeating the defending champion Norwich University 4–1.

[97] In 2021, the RIT men's lacrosse team beat Salisbury in double overtime to take the NCAA Division III national championship.

[106] RIT helped the Seneca Park Zoo purchase a new tiger shortly after SpiRIT's death, but it was not used as a school mascot.

[115] The National Technical Institute for the Deaf, one of RIT's nine colleges, provides interpreting and captioning services to students for classes and events.

Many courses' lectures at RIT are interpreted into American Sign Language or captioned in real-time for the benefit of hard-of-hearing and deaf students.

This significant portion of the RIT population provides another dynamic to the school's diversity, and it has contributed to Rochester's high number of deaf residents per capita.

RIT and Phi Kappa Psi alumni built six large buildings for Greek students on the academic side of campus next to the Riverknoll apartments.

The magazine is a 32-page full-color issue distributed on the first Monday of the month for the duration of the academic year, supplemented with regular online content.

Reporter began as a newspaper in 1951 and changed to a magazine format in 1969 to better showcase the talents of students enrolled in programs at the College of Imaging Arts & Sciences.

[129] An open event, visitors to Imagine RIT have an opportunity to tour the RIT campus and view new ideas for products and services, admire fine art, explore faculty and student research, examine engineering design projects, and interact with hundreds of hands-on exhibits.

RIT Public Safety is the primary agency responsible for the protection of students, staff, and property, as well as enforcement of both college policies and state laws.

In 2016, it was announced that RIT Public Safety will deploy officers armed with long guns to respond to active shooter incidents.

There are multiple cafeterias and small retail locations throughout the campus, including near the Residence Halls, in the Student Alumni Union, Global Village, and in certain academic buildings.

[139] Notable alumni include Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry, a philanthropist, a pioneer in the welfare of Black children, and the granddaughter of Frederick Douglass;[140][141] Bob Duffy, former New York Lieutenant Governor; Tom Curley, former president and CEO of the Associated Press; Daniel Carp, former chairman of the Eastman Kodak Company; John Resig, software developer and creator of jQuery;[142] N. Katherine Hayles, critical theorist; Austin McChord, founder and CEO of Datto; Jack Van Antwerp, former director of photography for The Wall Street Journal; and photojournalist Bernie Boston.