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.
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
More selective than 76% · #23 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 96% · #11 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 91%
Higher than 98% · #7 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 3% · #61 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 11%
Lower than 50%
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
- Undergraduate5,44773%
- Graduate2,02627%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Worcester Rgnl AP, MA US station (3.3 mi from campus).
What Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduates study — and earn
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 →
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York · Small city · 7 mi to Albany
- Students
- 5,714
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $36k
- SAT
- 1456
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $102k
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California · Large city · 2 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 5,287
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1295
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $90k
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey · Large suburb · 2 mi to New York
- Students
- 4,222
- Admission
- 48%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1446
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $109k
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California · Midsize city · 3 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 6,552
- Admission
- 48%
- Net price
- $50k
- SAT
- 1426
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $109k
Bryant University
Smithfield, Rhode Island · Large suburb · 9 mi to Providence
- Students
- 3,194
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1265
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $90k
Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island · Midsize city · 2 mi to Providence
- Students
- 4,229
- Admission
- 51%
- Net price
- $49k
- SAT
- 1346
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $87k
Colleges near Worcester Polytechnic Institute
COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester
Worcester, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 192 students
Rob Roy Academy-Worcester
Worcester, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 109 students
Assumption University
Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,669 students
Clark University
Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,214 students
Worcester State University
Worcester, MA · Public · Bachelor's · 3,930 students
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Worcester, MA · Public · Graduate
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,106 students
Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA · Public · Associate · 6,447 students
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.















