Rudy did his undergraduate study at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Calvin College is a Christian, liberal-arts college affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The size of the college is around 4,000 students, large enough to provide some diversity yet small enough to provide a sense of close community. The college campus is located in the southeast suburban area of Grand Rapids.

At Calvin, Rudy majored in Engineering with Electrical concentration. Due to the small size of the Engineering Department at Calvin, the department only grants a general Engineering degree, with concentration in either Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering. The degree program, however, is accredited by ABET, ensuring the high standard of engineering education given. The small size of the department also enables students to interact regularly with the professors. The Electrical Engineering professors, particularly professor Steve Vander Leest, advised Rudy and other students in their graduate program selection process last year.

Because Calvin is a liberal-arts college, even the Engineering students have to satisfy some liberal arts requirement. For this reason, Rudy also had some classes in various other departments at Calvin, including music, philosophy, and English. These classes broadened his perspective in looking at the real world, even though he did not completely enjoy taking some of the liberal arts core classes. These classes also showed him the application of Christian faith in various aspects of life.