Private nonprofit · Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts · Midsize city

60.2%
Admit rate
$43,071
Avg net price
90%
Graduation rate
$103,470
Median earnings

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Worcester, Massachusetts (midsize city setting), enrolling 5,447 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 5,447 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 60% admitNCAA Division III with football · New England Women's & Men's Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester is a city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The native people called the region Quinsigamond and built a settlement on Pakachoag Hill in Auburn. Much of Worcester's culture is synonymous with broader New England culture. The city's name is notoriously mispronounced by people unfamiliar with the city. As with the city in England, the first syllable of "cester" (castra) is left entirely unvoiced. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Worcester, MA
To the ocean
38 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Worcester (ORH)

How Worcester Polytechnic Institute compares

Selectivity60.2%

More selective than 76% · #23 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

Graduation rate90%

Higher than 96% · #11 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention94%

Higher than 91%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$103,470

Higher than 98% · #7 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$43,071

Cheaper than 3% · #61 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment5,447

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare Worcester Polytechnic Institute with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

7,473students
  • Undergraduate5,44773%
  • Graduate2,02627%

Undergraduates by gender

5,447undergrads
  • Women1,98836%
  • Men3,45964%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black2.7%
  • Hispanic8.5%
  • Asian13%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,447
Graduate enrollment
2,026
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
12%
First-generation students
13%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$114,021
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$120,384
Endowment
$682,734,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,360 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Massachusetts45%
  • Other U.S. states49%
  • International6.0%

A national draw — only 45% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 49% arrive from other states.

6% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
60.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
Average GPA
3.90

Cost

In-state tuition
$60,965
Room & board
$18,386
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$78,679
Average net price
$43,071

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
90%
Graduated on time (4 years)
84%
First-year retention
94%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$85,038
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$103,470
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
90%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
84%
Low-income (Pell)
77%
First-generation
81%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,628
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
48%
Housing charge (year)
$9,800
Meal plan (year)
$7,458
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
668 (415 men · 253 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)189
Football106
Rowing94
Swimming and Diving (combined)62
Soccer57
Baseball37
Basketball36
Wrestling33
Field Hockey20
Softball19
Volleyball15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
39

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (7,584 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

15reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year13 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
12
Rape
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$24,018
$30–48k
$24,452
$48–75k
$32,350
$75–110k
$37,753
$110k+
$49,716

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$132,245

$32,350/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

95%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$26,795
average award, among those who get one

Worcester Polytechnic Institute discounts heavily: 95% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $26,795. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,354 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$103,470
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
89%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$103,284
Men
$103,897

Men out-earn women by $613 (1%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
80°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
48.3″
Annual snow
72.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Worcester Rgnl AP, MA US station (3.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Worcester Polytechnic Institute side by side →

Colleges near Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.