College · Worcester

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

University or collegePrivate nonprofitWorcester, MAwww.wpi.edu ↗

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private nonprofit university in Worcester, MA, with about 6,695 students on campus. It admits 60% of applicants, the average family on aid pays $43,071 a year, and 90% of students graduate.

Students on campus

6,695

5,453 undergrad · 1,900 grad · 658 online only

Admission rate

60%

more selective than 76% of 4-year colleges

Net price a year

$43,071

costs less than 3% of 4-year colleges

Graduation rate

90%

higher than 95% of 4-year colleges

Earnings, 10 yrs later

$103,470

higher than 99% of U.S. colleges

Getting in

How hard is it to get into Worcester Polytechnic Institute?

60%of applicants admitted

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $78,679 a year

Before any grants

$60,965

$18,386

Tuition & fees $60,965Room & board $18,386Books & supplies $1,200

What families on aid pay, by income

Average net price a year after grants and scholarships

$24k

$32k

$38k

$50k

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k

Families earning under $30,000 pay about $24,018 a year; families over $110,000 pay about $49,716.

Who goes there

The students

Undergraduates by race and ethnicity

5,447 degree-seeking undergrads

White 64%Hispanic 9%Black 3%Asian 13%Two or more 4%International 6%

Women and men

undergraduates

Women 33%Men 67%

13 : 1students per teacher

12%get Pell grants (lower income)

1%undergrads 25 or older

2%study part time

Majors

The biggest programs, and what they pay

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates, and their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year later where that’s all that’s reported).

Computer Science222 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000

$134,2084 yrs out

Mechanical Engineering211 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000

$97,3084 yrs out

Biomedical/Medical Engineering121 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000

$92,8064 yrs out

Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering116 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000

$111,1034 yrs out

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering77 graduates a year · typical debt $26,887

$109,3864 yrs out

Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering59 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000

$105,1714 yrs out

Chemical Engineering51 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000

$100,1994 yrs out

Data Science47 graduates a year

—not reported

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate

90%

within 6 years · Pell students 85%

Come back for year two

94%

full-time first-year students

Earnings, 10 years later

$103,470

median, students on federal aid

Typical debt

$27,000

about $286 a month over 10 years

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

92%of borrowers had paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 100% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years of starting repayment (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income when they enrolled

Lower income (under $30k)$109,258

Middle income ($30–75k)$105,831

Higher income (over $75k)$101,974

The town around it

Living in Worcester

14% of Worcester’s 207,055 residents are enrolled in college. Here is what the town is like, from TownTapestry’s Worcester pages.

$1,487/momedian rent · 16% below the stateHousing in Worcester → $374,400median home value · 33% below the stateHousing in Worcester → 16° / 82°January low / July high · 73" of snowClimate in Worcester →

Other colleges within 30 miles

Assumption University 1.7 mi Clark University 1.9 mi Worcester State University 1.9 mi University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School 2.4 miCollege of the Holy Cross 2.6 mi Quinsigamond Community College 2.8 mi Anna Maria College 6.8 mi Nichols College 17.1 mi

Colleges marked › have their own page; the others are too small or don’t report enough to the Department of Education for one.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings are for students who received federal aid.