Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #717 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #238 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #211 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #11 of 88 | In Massachusetts |
| #2 of 7 | In Worcester |
| #66 of 1,053 | For Firefighting and Fire Science |
| Top50% | For 143 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 57%
- Undergraduates
- 5,246
- Graduates
- 2,062
- Male:Female Ratio
- 64:36
- Control
- Private
not-for-profit - Highest Degree
- Doctor's degree
- Website
- www.wpi.edu
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Acceptance rate and admissions statistics
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has an acceptance rate of 57% and is among the top 19% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 57% | 51% | 74% |
| Applicants | 11,599 | 8,247 | 3,352 |
| Admissions | 6,667 | 4,180 | 2,487 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 1,354 | 931 | 423 |
729 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
806 enrolled exclusively in distance education.
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Recommendations | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| Secondary school GPA | Considered but not required |
| Secondary school rank | Considered but not required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Neither required nor recommended |
| Other Tests | Neither required nor recommended |
| SAT/ACT | Neither required nor recommended |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| White | 4233 (58%) |
|---|---|
| Nonresident Alien | 1100 (15%) |
| Asian | 739 (10%) |
| Hispanic | 567 (8%) |
| Two or more races | 227 (3%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 221 (3%) |
| Black or African American | 217 (3%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 2 (0%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2 (0%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The average net cost to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute is $46,876 per year, calculated as the sum of the average cost of tuition, room and board, books, and supplies, reduced by the amount of average financial aid received.
The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.
Average costs by household income
| <$30K | $30,910 |
|---|---|
| $30-48K | $30,348 |
| $48-75K | $35,916 |
| $75-110K | $42,582 |
| $110K+ | $48,017 |
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $56,000 | $28,980 |
| Tuition in-state | $56,000 | $28,980 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $56,000 | $28,980 |
| Fee in-district | $1,096 | $60 |
| Fee in-state | $1,096 | $60 |
| Fee out-of-state | $1,096 | $60 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 2,369 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $16,688 |
| Room charge | $9,482 |
| Meal charge | $7,206 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute majors
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has granted 1,197 bachelor's degrees across 32 programs, 684 master's across 38 programs, and 69 doctorate degrees across 21 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
| Major | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 238 | 96 | 5 |
| Computer Science | 183 | 56 | 4 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 78 | 70 | 10 |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 130 | 16 | 4 |
| Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering | 74 | 48 | 2 |
| Chemical Engineering | 92 | 19 | 3 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General | 64 | 32 | 1 |
| Data Science, General | 10 | 42 | 10 |
| Civil Engineering, General | 53 | 2 | 2 |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 46 | 4 | 1 |
| Business & Commerce, General | 7 | 42 | |
| Business Administration and Management, General | 41 | 3 | |
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 5 | 28 | |
| Physics, General | 27 | 4 | 2 |
| Systems Engineering | 29 | 1 | |
| Materials Engineering | 18 | 10 | |
| Biochemistry | 20 | 4 | 1 |
| Biotechnology | 25 | ||
| Mathematics, General | 22 | 3 | |
| Engineering, Other | 22 | 2 | |
| Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering | 11 | 10 | |
| Industrial Engineering | 21 | ||
| Game and Interactive Media Design | 20 | ||
| Computer Software and Media Applications, Other | 9 | 7 | |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other | 12 | 3 | |
| Chemistry, General | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| Architectural Engineering | 13 | ||
| Engineering & Industrial Management | 13 | ||
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other | 11 | ||
| Psychology, General | 11 | ||
| Management Information Systems, General | 9 | ||
| Manufacturing Engineering | 8 | 1 | |
| Statistics, General | 7 | 1 | |
| Business Analytics | 7 | ||
| Mathematics and Statistics, Other | 7 | ||
| Mathematics, Other | 7 | ||
| Human Computer Interaction | 4 | ||
| Information Technology | 4 | ||
| Educational & Instructional Technology | 2 | 1 | |
| Engineering Physics & Applied Physics | 3 | ||
| Management Science | 3 | ||
| Marketing, Other | 3 | ||
| Applied Mathematics, General | 2 | ||
| Applied Mathematics, Other | 2 | ||
| Computer and Information Systems Security & Auditing & Information Assurance | 2 | ||
| Neuroscience | 2 | ||
| Science, Technology and Society | 2 | ||
| Sustainability Studies | 2 | ||
| Technical and Scientific Communication | 2 | ||
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 1 | ||
| Humanities & Humanistic Studies | 1 | ||
| Physics, Other | 1 | ||
| Grand Total | 1,197 | 684 | 69 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has a graduation rate of 89%, which is among the 5% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 89% | 88% | 91% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a world-class research university with 18,552 scientific papers published and 383,157 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Quantum and Particle physics, Biology, Environmental Science, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Materials Science, and Mathematics.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 148 | 893 |
| 1992 | 196 | 1043 |
| 1993 | 202 | 1108 |
| 1994 | 198 | 1292 |
| 1995 | 173 | 1374 |
| 1996 | 194 | 1499 |
| 1997 | 185 | 1676 |
| 1998 | 217 | 1864 |
| 1999 | 232 | 2139 |
| 2000 | 286 | 2379 |
| 2001 | 300 | 2517 |
| 2002 | 554 | 4632 |
| 2003 | 479 | 4371 |
| 2004 | 409 | 4984 |
| 2005 | 449 | 5845 |
| 2006 | 469 | 6930 |
| 2007 | 425 | 7586 |
| 2008 | 441 | 8391 |
| 2009 | 519 | 9247 |
| 2010 | 525 | 10445 |
| 2011 | 514 | 11919 |
| 2012 | 529 | 13297 |
| 2013 | 635 | 15479 |
| 2014 | 741 | 16991 |
| 2015 | 734 | 17873 |
| 2016 | 719 | 18581 |
| 2017 | 791 | 18817 |
| 2018 | 784 | 21902 |
| 2019 | 891 | 24474 |
| 2020 | 1053 | 28399 |
| 2021 | 950 | 33153 |
| 2022 | 863 | 34148 |
| 2023 | 892 | 34149 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute alumni
-
Dean Kamen
- Occupations
- inventorentrepreneur
- Biography
-
Dean Lawrence Kamen is an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is known for his invention of the Segway and iBOT, as well as founding the non-profit organization FIRST with Woodie Flowers. Kamen holds over 1,000 patents.
-
Robert H. Goddard
- Occupations
- aerospace engineerastronomerphysicistinventorengineer
- Biography
-
Robert Hutchings Goddard was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, which was successfully launched on March 16, 1926. By 1915 his pioneering work had dramatically improved the efficiency of the solid-fueled rocket, signaling the era of the modern rocket and innovation. He and his team launched 34 rockets between 1926 and 1941, achieving altitudes as high as 2.6 km (1.6 mi) and speeds as fast as 885 km/h (550 mph).
-
J. Geils
- Occupations
- guitaristjazz guitarist
- Biography
-
John Warren Geils Jr., known professionally as J. Geils or Jay Geils, was an American guitarist. He was known as the leader of The J. Geils Band.
-
Todd Akin
- Enrolled in Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- In 1971 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
William Todd Akin was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district from 2001 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis area. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, Akin served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and worked in the computer and steel industries. In 1988, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He served in the state house until 2000, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, in which he served until 2013.
General info
| Alternative names | WPI |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1865 |
| Motto | Lehr und Kunst Theory and Practice |
| Colors | crimson, grey |
| Academic calendar | August to May (August - October; October-December; January-March; March-May). Also Summer Session (June-July) |
| Total FTE staff | 1,287 |
| Carnegie classification | Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity |
Location and contacts
| Address | 100 Institute Road Worcester, Massachusetts, 01609-2280 United States |
|---|---|
| City population | 207,000 |
| Phone | 5088315000 |