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Worcester, MA 01609-2280
p. 508-831-5000
w. www.wpi.edu
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
General Information, Alumni, History, Campus, Students, Faculty, Address, and Tuition
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Information Summary
Ranks 101st overall and 13th in Massachusetts
| Overall Score
On StateUniversity.com (about) |
94.8 |
|---|---|
| Total Cost
On-Campus Attendance |
$47,440 |
| Admission
Success rate |
66% |
| ACT / SAT
75 %ile scores |
31 / 1380 |
| Student Ratio
Ratio of students to faculty |
14 : 1 |
| Retention
(Full-Time / Part-Time) |
90% / N/A |
| Enrollment
Total (all students) |
3,918 |
Demographics – Main Campus and Surrounding Areas
Reported area around or near Worcester, MA 01609-2280
| Surrounding community | Midsize city (inside urban area, pop. between 100,000 to 250,000) |
|---|---|
| Total Population | 21,166 (21,166 urban / N/A rural) |
| Households | 7,537 (2.33 people per house) |
| Families | 3,816 (3.12 people per family) |
| Pop. — African American | 1,550 |
| Pop. — Asian | 990 |
| Pop. — Pacific Islander | 25 |
| Pop. — American Indian / Alaskan Native | 183 |
| Pop. — White (incl. Hispanic) | 16,876 |
| Pop. — Other | 2,287 |
Carnegie Foundation Classification
Doctoral/Research Universities
| Undergraduate | Professions plus arts & sciences, high graduate coexistence |
|---|---|
| Graduate | STEM dominant |
| Undergraduate Population | Full-time four-year, more selective, lower transfer-in |
| Enrollment | High undergraduate |
| Size & Setting | Medium four-year, highly residential |
General Characteristics
| Highest offering | Doctoral degree |
|---|---|
| Calendar System | Quarter |
| Years of college work required | N/A |
| Variable Tuition |
Special Learning Opportunities
| Distance Learning | |
|---|---|
| ROTC — Army / Navy / Air Force | |
| Study Abroad | |
| Weekend College | |
| Teacher Certification |
Student Tuition Costs and Fees
What are the typical tuition costs and fees for attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute?
Ranks 79th for total cost of attendance
| In District | In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Undergraduate Tuition | $34,300 | $34,300 | $34,300 |
| FT Undergraduate Required Fees | $530 | $530 | $530 |
| PT Undergraduate per Credit Hour | $953 | $953 | $953 |
| FT Graduate Tuition | $20,840 | $20,840 | $20,840 |
| FT Graduate Required Fees | $40 | $40 | $40 |
| PT Graduate per Credit Hour | $1,042 | $1,042 | $1,042 |
| Total Cost of Attendance — On-Campus | $47,440 | $47,440 | $47,440 |
| Total Cost of Attendance — Off-Campus w/out Family | $47,440 | $47,440 | $47,440 |
| Total Cost of Attendance — Off-Campus with Family | $38,530 | $38,530 | $38,530 |
Student Tuition Cost History and Trends
Three year history and trends on the cost of attending
| In District | In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published Tuition & Fees | $31,390 |
$31,390 |
$31,390 |
| Cost (regardless of residency) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Books & Supplies | $735 |
||
| On-Campus – Room & Board | $9,460 |
||
| On-Campus – Other Expenses | $1,145 |
||
| Off-Campus w/out Family – Room & Board | $9,164 |
||
| Off-Campus w/out Family – Other Expenses | $1,145 |
||
| Off-Campus with Family – Room & Board | $2,645 |
||
Admission Details
| Application Fee Required | N/A |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Application Fee | $60 |
| Graduate Application Fee | $70 |
| First Professional Application Fee | N/A |
| Applicants | 5,698 (4,377 male / 1,321 female) |
| Admitted | 3,739 (2,801 male / 938 female) |
| Admission rate | 66% |
| First-time Enrollment | 804 (596 male / 208 female) |
| FT Enrollment | 804 (596 male / 208 female) |
| PT Enrollment | N/A (N/A male / N/A female) |
| Total Enrollment | 3,918 |
Admission Criteria
What criteria does Worcester Polytechnic Institute use for admissions?
| Open Admissions | |
|---|---|
| Secondary School GPA / Rank / Record | N/A / N/A / |
| College Prep. Completion | |
| Recommendations | |
| Formal competency demo | N/A |
| Admission test scores | N/A |
| TOEFL | |
| Other tests | N/A |
Admission Credits Accepted
What types of credits does Worcester Polytechnic Institute accept?
| Dual Credit | |
|---|---|
| Life Experience | |
| Advanced Placement (AP) |
Athletics - Association Memberships
| Sports / Athletic Conference Memberships | NCAA |
|---|---|
| NCAA Basketball Conference | New England Women's & Meni's Athletic Conference |
| NCAA Baseball Conference | New England Women's & Meni's Athletic Conference |
| NCAA Track & Field Conference | New England Women's & Meni's Athletic Conference |
ACT Test Admission
Ranks 80th for 75pctl scores
| Applicants submitting ACT results | 19% |
|---|---|
| Verbal scores (25/75 %ile) | 25 / 31 |
| Math scores (25/75 %ile) | 26 / 32 |
| Cumulative scores (25/75 %ile) | 25 / 31 |
SAT Test Admission
Ranks 100th for 75pctl scores
| Applicants submitting SAT results | 98% |
|---|---|
| Verbal scores (25/75 %ile) | 560 / 670 |
| Math scores (25/75 %ile) | 630 / 710 |
| Cumulative scores (25/75 %ile) | 1190 / 1380 |
Student Services
| Remedial Services | |
|---|---|
| Academic / Career Counseling | |
| PT Cost-defraying Employment | |
| Career Placement | |
| On-Campus Day Care | |
| Library Facility |
Student Living
| First-time Room / Board Required | |
|---|---|
| Dorm Capacity | 1,226 |
| Meals per Week | N/A |
| Room Fee | $6,104 |
| Board Fee | $5,326 |
Student Financial Aid Details
How many students use Financial Aid, and how much do they use?
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Ranks 208th for the average student loan amount.
| Average | Users | % of Attendees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Grant Aid | $5,277 | 109 | |
| State & Local Grant Aid | $3,557 | 273 | |
| Institutional Grant Aid | $14,643 | 668 | |
| Student Loan Aid | $9,291 | 506 | |
| Any financial aid type | 689 |
Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Worcester Polytechnic Institute?
| Men | Women | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
Non Resident Alien | 330 | 118 | 448 |
Black Non-Hispanic | 61 | 26 | 87 |
Hispanic | 83 | 44 | 127 |
Asian / Pacific Islander | 177 | 54 | 231 |
American Indian / Alaskan Native | 6 | 6 | 12 |
White Non-Hispanic | 2,219 | 703 | 2,922 |
Race Unknown | 62 | 29 | 91 |
| Total | 2,938 | 980 | 3,918 |
Student Graduation Demographics
How many students graduated at Worcester Polytechnic Institute?
| Men | Women | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
Non Resident Alien | 22 | 13 | 35 |
Black Non-Hispanic | 5 | 2 | 7 |
Hispanic | 13 | 7 | 20 |
Asian / Pacific Islander | 38 | 18 | 56 |
American Indian / Alaskan Native | 1 | 1 | 2 |
White Non-Hispanic | 417 | 121 | 538 |
Race Unknown | 25 | 6 | 31 |
| Total | 521 | 168 | 689 |
Most Popular Fields of Study
The top 5 fields of study completed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
| Men | Women | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | 29 | 170 | |
| 132 | 8 | 140 | |
| 96 | 16 | 112 | |
| 46 | 26 | 72 | |
| 31 | 22 | 53 |
Student Completion / Graduation Demographics
How many students are successful graduates?
Faculty Compensation / Salaries
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Ranks 171st for the average full-time faculty salary.
| Tenure system | |
|---|---|
| Average FT Salary | $84,897 ($86,576 male / $78,109 female) |
| Number of FT Faculty | 232 (186 male / 46 female) |
| Number of PT Faculty | 74 |
| FT Faculty Ratio | 3 : 1 |
| Total Benefits | $5,173,336 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Summary
The following paragraph provided courtesy of wikipedia.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States. WPI continuously expanded its campus and programs throughout the early twentieth century, eventually including graduate studies and a program in electrical engineering. During World War II, WPI offered defense engineering courses and was selected as one of the colleges to direct the V-12 Navy College Training Program. During this time, WPI had a very restrictive, stifling environment and curriculum, with little emphasis on faculty governance and student freedom in academics. The WPI Plan is the guiding principle behind undergraduate education at the Institute even today, and is arguably the most unique and most significant contribution WPI has made towards science and engineering education. Today, WPI is primarily an undergraduate focused institution, though expansion of graduate and research programs is a long-term goal. WPI offers a variety of majors in engineering, science, management, liberal arts, and social science at the undergraduate and graduate level. WPI’s project-based curriculum makes it unique by requiring undergraduate students to complete a Sufficiency in the Liberal Arts (or a Technical Sufficiency for liberal arts majors), an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) to study the social effects of technology with students from other disciplines, and a Major Qualifying Project (MQP) within their own discipline. These projects are based on WPI’s founding principle of theory alongside practice, though were introduced in the last 40 years. At WPI, the opportunity to complete significant project work off campus is an integral element of an academic program that emphasizes the practical application of knowledge to meaningful technical and societal problems. Through the Global Perspective Program, over 60% of WPI students complete at least one of their required projects at an off-campus Project Center. Through the Global Perspective Program, WPI sends more engineering students abroad than any US college or university. As of the 2006-2007 academic year, the program included established Project Centers for society-technology projects (IQPs) in Worcester; Between 1974, when the first WPI Project Center was established in Washington, DC, and 2006, over 7000 students had completed over 2000 projects in locations around the globe. The Global Perspective Program was cited by the Association of American Colleges and Universities in 2000, when it named WPI one of 16 Greater Expectations Leadership Institutions to serve as models for the future of undergraduate education in the United States. This project is often done off-campus through WPI’s Global Perspective Program. In 2006, WPI’s undergraduate program ranked #64 out of all doctoral universities according to US News and World Report. Furthermore, WPI’s emphasis on international education through the Global Perspective Program has received much acclaim, including awards such as the 2003 TIAA-CREF Theodore Hesburgh Certificate and inclusion in NAFSA: Association of International Educators’s list of fifteen universities to be used as models for internationalization. WPI’s student body stages a number of regular weekly events that students can enjoy. WPI participates in a collaborative effort with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the high schools of Massachusetts to support a school called the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI. Juniors receive advanced high school classes at the academy building, with seniors taking the WPI freshman curriculum at the university. The program emphasizes math and science within a comprehensive, interactive program and is the only public school in Massachusetts whose students attend a university full time as seniors in high school.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Academics
There’s never a reason to feel alone in your studies either, since there are academic support services like Reduced Course Load, Study Skills Assistance, Tutoring and Writing Center. Specifically, the university has a Accelerated Program, Cross-Registration, Double Major, Dual Enrollment of High School Students, ESL, Independent Study, Internships, Liberal Arts/Career Combination, ROTC, Air Force, ROTC, Army, ROTC, Navy, Student-Designed Major, Study Abroad, Teacher Certification, Visiting/Exchange Student Program and Washington Semester. Again, when any student is looking for some counseling or other types of support, Adult (re-entering) student services, Alcohol/Substance Abuse Counseling, Campus Ministries/Chaplain, Career Counseling, Employment Service, Financial Aid Counseling, Freshman Orientation Program, Health Services, Minority Student Services, Personal Counseling, Placement Service, Veterans Counselor and Women’s Services can help. The university has disability services as well, so be sure to inquire about them if needed. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is unique in its study options.
The following are the types of degrees and majors offered at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
- Physical Sciences:
- Chemistry, Physics
- Mathematics:
- Applied Mathematics, Mathematics – General
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences:
- Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology
- Popular majors:
- sixty percent engineering, fifteen percent computer and information sciences, eleven percent biology, six percent business per marketing
- Computer Science:
- Computer Science, Web/Multimedia Design
- Multiple or Interdisciplinary:
- Biological/Physical Sciences, Global Studies, technology & society
- Business, Management, & Marketing:
- Business Administration/Management, Management Information Systems, Management Science, Operations Management
- English Language and Literature:
- Technical/Business Writing
- Health and Clinical Sciences:
- Predentistry, Premedicine, Preveterinary Medicine
- Social Sciences:
- Economics, Social Sciences – General
Besides, for international students, the application fee is 60. Are you an international student? The Fall application deadline for international students is the 1st of February.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Admissions
This school requires an application fee consisting of sixty dollars regular application fee, sixty dollars out-of-state application fee, sixty dollars online application fee and point zero . Admission policy is currently Percent applicants admitted: 85% and Percent of students who return for sophomore year: 92%. Remember that this can change at any time. Transfer student are not ignored. For instance, there were one hundred and fifty-nine total number of transfer students who applied and ninety-six total number of transfer students who were admitted.
If you wish to apply early, your application will be do no later than the 1st of November, of which you should hear back from the university no later than the 15th of December. Regardless of which application you submit, this school will notify you by the 1st of April. The regular application is due the 1st of February. the SAT subject section score is due the 1st of February. It is also very important to submit financial aid applications as quickly as possible, and make sure they are in by the 1st of February. Will you make it in time? Make sure to know when all the due dates and deadlines take place. For all student applicants, the Fall application deadline is the 1st of February. SAT and ACT score reports are due the 1st of February and
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Financial Aid
Financial aid for students is readily accessible at this school. Financial aid distribution is at sixty-seven percent scholarships per grants and thirty-three percent loans per jobs. Financial aid forms are CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, FAFSA and Noncustodial (divorced/separated) Parents Statement. If you are not a need based student, non-need distribution for financial aid is determined by Academics, Minority Status and ROTC. Similarly, need based financial aid distribution is determined through Academics, Athletics and Minority Status.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Students
The school’s size is approximately two thousand, eight hundred and thirty-eight degree-seeking undergrads, seven hundred and thirty-three first-time degree-seeking freshmen and one thousand and eighteen graduate enrollment. Additionally, the student body consists of fifty-two percent in-state students, forty-eight percent out-of-state students, twenty-three percent women, seventy-seven percent men, less than one percent american indian per alaskan native, six percent asian per pacific islander, two percent black per non-hispanic, four percent hispanic, seventy-nine percent white per non-hispanic, seven percent non-resident alien, two percent race per ethnicity unreported, forty-six percent in top 10th of graduating class, seventy-seven percent in top quarter of graduating class, ninety-six percent in top half of graduating class, thirty-seven percent had h.s. gpa of 3.75 and higher, twenty-eight percent had h.s. gpa between 3.5 and 3.74, thirteen percent had h.s. gpa between 3.25 and 3.49, sixteen percent had h.s. gpa between 3.0 and 3.24 and six percent had h.s. gpa between 2.5 and 2.99. Besides, it is part of an Suburban setting, Small city (50,000 – 249,999) and Residential campus. Worcester Polytechnic Institute offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees. The university is a Private, University, Four-year, Coed, where 85 percent of the applicants were admitted, Regionally accredited and College Board member.
This school features the Suburban setting, Small city (50,000 – 249,999) and Residential campus. Moreover, the university has many unique facilites such as nuclear reactor, computer-aided design and manufacturing laboratories, robotics laboratory, center for holographic studies and laser technology, hydraulics laboratory, wind tunnel, design laboratory, bioprocessing laboratory. In other words, the school is located 35 miles from Boston.Students should note the housing policies: First-Year Students Guaranteed On-Campus Housing, ninety-eight percent of first-year students live in college housing, eighty-three percent of all undergraduates live in college housing, Coed Housing, Apartments For Single Students, Fraternity/Sorority Housing, Special Housing For Disabled Students, Special Housing For International Students, Wellness housing (alcohol/drug/smoke-free), one-MAY deadline for housing deposit, five hundred dollars amount of housing deposit, point zero , and First-time first-year students allowed to have car.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Athletics
The Engineers are a member of NCAA. The following sports can be found here:
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate and Men’s Club Baseball
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Basketball
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Cross_country
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Football
- Men’s Club and Women’s Club Golf
- Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Racquetball
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural, Women’s Intramural, Men’s Club and Women’s Club Soccer
- Women’s NCAA Division III, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Softball
- Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Table_tennis
- Men’s Intercollegiate and Women’s Intercollegiate Track_and_field
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Women’s NCAA Division III Track_indoor
- Men’s NCAA Division III and Women’s NCAA Division III Track_outdoor
- Women’s NCAA Division III, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural, Women’s Intramural and Men’s Club Volleyball
- Men’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Men’s Club Wrestling

















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