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Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Overview of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA is home to WPI. Worcester is a medium-sized city. The school is a private, not-for-profit institution. Degrees at WPI go up to the Doctoral degree.

Areas of Study

Students commonly pursue studies in science, mathematics, engineering, and computer science and engineering.

WPI Selectivity

Prospective students are advised that admissions are not open to all; the school selects from among qualified applicants. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 560. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 630 and 710.

Faculty

WPI has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at the school is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

WPI has 4,158 enrolled students (as of 2007). A very high share of students at the school are male.

Student Life

Full-time students are the norm at WPI. The school offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. WPI values student athletics, and belongs to the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference and Other.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting WPI

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA 01609-2280
General Phone: (508) 831-5000
http://www.wpi.edu

WPI Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Engineering565mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, various engineering courses, aerospace engineering, industrial engineering, ...
Computer Science And Engineering112computer and info science
Science84biology, biochemistry, physics, chemistry, science and society, biotechnology, biological and biomedical sciences
Business And Management81MIS, business management, business and related services, marketing studies, business administration
Mathematics40mathematics and statistics, math, mathematics, statistics, systems science and theory, applied mathematics
Liberal Arts25interdisciplinary studies, humanities, technical and business writing
Therapy And Counseling1psychology

Number of programs and degrees for WPI in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree57127
Master's degree31028
Doctor's degree2717

WPI Student Body

In 2007, WPI had a total enrollment of 4,158 students (3,723 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men74%
Women26%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate67%
Graduate33%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White75%
Black2%
Hispanic3%
Asian6%
American Indian0%
Unknown2%
(Foreign Students)12%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 182%
18-1935%
20-2130%
22-2414%
25-299%
30-344%
35-392%
40-493%
50-641%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Massachusetts49%
Connecticut10%
New Hampshire9%
New York7%
(International Students)7%
Rhode Island3%
Maine3%
California2%
New Jersey1%
Pennsylvania1%
Vermont1%
Maryland1%
Florida1%

WPI Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time94 %

WPI Room and Board (2007)

WPI offers campus housing for 1,226 of its 3,723 (full-time) students.

(Please refer to our profile of Worcester, Massachusetts for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Massachusetts Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

WPI Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total5,6983,73966%80422%
Men4,3772,80164%59621%
Women1,32193871%20822%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal560670
SAT Math630710
SAT Writing560660
ACT Verbal2531
ACT Math2632
ACT Composite2531

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPAnot required
Class Ranknot required
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)not required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT98%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT19%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

WPI Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 34,830
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 34,830
Room and board$ 10,410
Room charge$ 6,104
Board (meal plan) charge$ 5,326
Books and supplies$ 1,000
Other expenses$ 1,200

Financial Aid:
WPI participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 223300)

WPI Faculty

WPI has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured13425
Non-tenured, but on tenure track3418
Non-tenured and not on tenure track247

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year80$111,2416$100,917
Associate professoracademic year56$87,22121$92,721
Assistant professoracademic year32$74,68417$77,179
Instructoracademic year15$46,4355$42,631
All faculty totalacademic year183$92,18649$83,221

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

WPI Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballOther
BasketballNew England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference
BaseballNew England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference
TrackNew England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference

WPI Degree Programs (2007)

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Business Administration and Management, General
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other
Business, Management, Marketing & Related Support Services, Other
Management Information Systems, General
Marketing, Other

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer and Information Sciences, General

ENGINEERING
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering, General
Civil Engineering, Other
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
Engineering Physics
Engineering, Other
Engineering/Industrial Management
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering
Materials Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

LIBERAL ARTS
Humanities/Humanistic Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Technical and Business Writing

MATHEMATICS
Applied Mathematics
Mathematics and Statistics, Other
Mathematics, General
Mathematics, Other
Statistics, General
Systems Science and Theory

SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Biotechnology
Chemistry, General
Physics, General
Science, Technology and Society

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

WPI Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets WPI Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
% of degrees in engineering
(vs. all colleges)
Top 1%WPI % of degrees in engineering
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%WPI % of degrees in mathematics
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%WPI Salaries of full-time faculty
Male % of student body
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%WPI Male % of student body
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%WPI Student SAT scores
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 11%WPI Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%WPI Number of degree programs
% of degrees in computer science and engineering
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%WPI % of degrees in computer science and engineering
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%WPI Number of students
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%WPI Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 19%WPI % of degrees in science
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Has ROTC (army, navy, air force)
NCAA athletic conference member

Online Degree Alternatives

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