Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #719 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #236 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #209 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #11 of 88 | In Massachusetts |
| #2 of 7 | In Worcester |
| #18 of 1,010 | For Firefighting and Fire Science |
| Top50% | For 144 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 58%
- Undergraduates
- 5,453
- Graduates
- 1,900
- Male:Female Ratio
- 65:35
- 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 58% and is among the top 20% 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 | 58% | 54% | 69% |
| Applicants | 11,809 | 8,344 | 3,464 |
| Admissions | 6,908 | 4,502 | 2,405 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 1,357 | 955 | 402 |
| Freshmen enrolled part time | 3 | 3 |
747 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
658 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 | 4212 (57%) |
|---|---|
| Nonresident Alien | 1098 (15%) |
| Asian | 783 (11%) |
| Hispanic | 536 (7%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 282 (4%) |
| Two or more races | 229 (3%) |
| Black or African American | 206 (3%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 4 (0.1%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2 (0%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The average net cost to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute is $47,799 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 | $23,870 |
|---|---|
| $30-48K | $22,286 |
| $48-75K | $29,195 |
| $75-110K | $37,713 |
| $110K+ | $51,567 |
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $57,960 | $28,980 |
| Tuition in-state | $57,960 | $28,980 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $57,960 | $28,980 |
| Fee in-district | $1,110 | $60 |
| Fee in-state | $1,110 | $60 |
| Fee out-of-state | $1,110 | $60 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 2,628 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $17,258 |
| Room charge | $9,800 |
| Meal charge | $7,458 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute majors
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has granted 1,088 bachelor's degrees across 31 programs, 785 master's across 37 programs, and 88 doctorate degrees across 21 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
| Major | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 197 | 86 | 7 |
| Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering | 102 | 159 | 5 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 183 | 68 | 6 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 68 | 74 | 6 |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 121 | 19 | 2 |
| Data Science, General | 25 | 52 | 10 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General | 58 | 23 | |
| Chemical Engineering | 51 | 25 | 3 |
| Civil Engineering, General | 35 | 9 | 4 |
| Business & Commerce, General | 4 | 36 | |
| Biochemistry | 30 | 3 | 3 |
| Business Administration and Management, General | 28 | 6 | |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 27 | 3 | |
| Mathematics, General | 23 | 4 | |
| Architectural Engineering | 26 | ||
| Systems Engineering | 26 | ||
| Engineering, Other | 22 | 3 | |
| Materials Engineering | 12 | 13 | |
| Game and Interactive Media Design | 23 | 1 | |
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 3 | 21 | |
| Industrial Engineering | 22 | ||
| Engineering & Industrial Management | 21 | ||
| Physics, General | 16 | 2 | 2 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications, Other | 7 | 11 | |
| Biotechnology | 14 | ||
| Chemistry, General | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering | 11 | 3 | |
| Information Technology | 11 | ||
| Management Science | 11 | ||
| Mathematics, Other | 11 | ||
| Statistics, General | 8 | 2 | |
| Mathematics and Statistics, Other | 9 | ||
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Business Analytics | 8 | ||
| Human Computer Interaction | 8 | ||
| Manufacturing Engineering | 7 | 1 | |
| Applied Mathematics, General | 7 | ||
| Civil Engineering, Other | 6 | ||
| Educational & Instructional Technology | 2 | 2 | |
| Psychology, General | 4 | ||
| Sustainability Studies | 4 | ||
| Computer and Information Systems Security & Auditing & Information Assurance | 2 | ||
| Engineering Physics & Applied Physics | 2 | ||
| Neuroscience | 2 | ||
| Science, Technology and Society | 2 | ||
| Financial Mathematics | 1 | ||
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other | 1 | ||
| Management Information Systems, General | 1 | ||
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other | 1 | ||
| Systems Science and Theory | 1 | ||
| Technical and Scientific Communication | 1 | ||
| Grand Total | 1,088 | 785 | 88 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has a graduation rate of 88%, which is among the 6% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 88% | 86% | 92% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a world-class research university with 20,816 scientific papers published and 531,756 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Quantum and Particle physics, Biology, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Environmental Science, Materials Science, and Mathematics.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 209 | 1270 |
| 1993 | 208 | 1336 |
| 1994 | 212 | 1552 |
| 1995 | 222 | 1726 |
| 1996 | 201 | 1975 |
| 1997 | 201 | 2163 |
| 1998 | 231 | 2368 |
| 1999 | 249 | 2750 |
| 2000 | 305 | 3063 |
| 2001 | 315 | 3245 |
| 2002 | 588 | 6034 |
| 2003 | 507 | 5788 |
| 2004 | 445 | 6365 |
| 2005 | 478 | 7622 |
| 2006 | 510 | 8971 |
| 2007 | 444 | 9798 |
| 2008 | 461 | 10867 |
| 2009 | 540 | 11825 |
| 2010 | 544 | 13496 |
| 2011 | 601 | 15184 |
| 2012 | 575 | 16839 |
| 2013 | 688 | 19122 |
| 2014 | 785 | 21258 |
| 2015 | 782 | 22501 |
| 2016 | 738 | 24116 |
| 2017 | 854 | 25025 |
| 2018 | 840 | 28624 |
| 2019 | 920 | 31715 |
| 2020 | 1227 | 37470 |
| 2021 | 988 | 42392 |
| 2022 | 985 | 41978 |
| 2023 | 1007 | 44179 |
| 2024 | 833 | 43568 |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute alumni
-
Dean Kamen
- Occupations
- entrepreneurinventor
- 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
- inventorphysicistastronomermilitary flight engineermathematician
- 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
- jazz guitaristguitarist
- 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 | 1,292 |
| 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 |