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Private nonprofit · Urban campus · founded 1865 · full profile

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Engineering and computing students who learn by building with a team rather than by lecture and exam, and who want international project work embedded in the degree.

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Worcester, Massachusetts5,447 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 19STEM-focusedProject-based learningSmall enrollment

The short answer

WPI replaced traditional coursework with a project-based curriculum in 1970: students complete three major team projects to graduate, including one solving a real problem for a community partner, often abroad. It is test-blind, records no failing grades on transcripts, and produces median earnings around $103,000 ten years after entry.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
60.2%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$43,071

46% below the $79,351 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$103,470

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
89.7%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$27,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedWorcester Polytechnic Institute reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where WPI ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#84of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#160of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#90of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A-#147of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)#24 Best Student Support and Counseling ServicesListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: WPI's position moves 26 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About WPI

The WPI Plan, adopted in 1970, is one of the few genuinely radical undergraduate curricula in the country and it has survived fifty years because it works. Students complete three substantial projects to graduate: a humanities capstone, an Interactive Qualifying Project addressing a real societal problem for an external sponsor, and a Major Qualifying Project functioning as professional-level work in their field. Roughly half of students complete the IQP at one of more than fifty global project centres.

Two policies signal the institution's philosophy clearly. WPI is fully test-blind — it will not look at SAT or ACT scores even if submitted. And it does not record failing grades on transcripts; a course that is not passed simply does not appear. Both are designed to reduce the defensive, grade-protective behaviour that suppresses risk-taking in technical education.

WPI is also the home of the first robotics engineering bachelor's degree in the United States, and fire protection engineering is a field where it is effectively the national authority. The trade-offs are cost and scale: average net price of $43,071 is high, Worcester is a mid-sized post-industrial city rather than a destination, and at 5,447 undergraduates the course catalogue and social scene are limited compared with a large university.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Project-based curriculum requiring three major team projects, including one for an external sponsor.
  • Global Projects Program places about half of students at project centres worldwide.
  • First U.S. robotics engineering bachelor's degree; fire protection engineering is a national leader.
  • Test-blind admission and no failing grades on transcripts, reducing grade-protective behaviour.

Considerations

  • Average net price of $43,071 is high relative to comparable public engineering programs.
  • Worcester is a mid-sized working city, not a college destination.
  • The seven-week term calendar is fast and unforgiving if you fall behind.

Who this school genuinely fits

Engineering and computing students who learn by building with a team rather than by lecture and exam, and who want international project work embedded in the degree.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$60,965

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
11.9%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$18,386

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $79,351 a year, but the average family pays $43,071 — a 46% difference. 11.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run WPI's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Mechanical Engineering
  2. 2Computer Science
  3. 3Robotics Engineering
  4. 4Biomedical Engineering
  5. 5Data Science

Standout programs

  • Robotics Engineering (first U.S. bachelor's degree in the field)
  • Global Projects Program
  • Fire Protection Engineering
  • Interactive Media & Game Development
Student-faculty ratio
13:1

IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

First-year retention
93.7%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduate enrollment
5,447

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

WPI: questions families ask

It is WPI's project-based undergraduate curriculum, in place since 1970. Students complete three major projects to graduate: a Humanities and Arts requirement, an Interactive Qualifying Project solving a real problem for an outside sponsor, and a Major Qualifying Project that functions as professional-level work in the student's field. Courses run in seven-week terms rather than semesters.

Yes. WPI does not consider SAT or ACT scores at all, even if a student submits them. Admission is based on transcript rigor, essays, recommendations and demonstrated interest in project-based technical work.

Similar colleges

Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, COPublic

Colorado School of Mines produces median earnings of $97,335 ten years after entry — among the highest of any college profiled here — from a 6,155-student public engineering school that admits 60.7% of applicants. Its mining, petroleum and geological engineering programs are ranked #1 in the world.

Acceptance rate
60.7%
Average net price
$28,690
Median earnings (10 yr)
$97,335
6-yr graduation rate
81.7%
US News · National universities#80 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#127 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#104 of 500+2 more on profile

6,155 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 17 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PAPrivate nonprofit

Verified publisher rankings · federal data

Bucknell University: U.S. News ranks it #31 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #85 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #564 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #96 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #128 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #2 Lots of Greek Life. It enrolls 3,876 undergraduates, admits 28.9% of applicants, and posts a 86.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $67,812; aid recipients pay $40,766 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $93,807.

Acceptance rate
28.9%
Average net price
$40,766
Median earnings (10 yr)
$93,807
6-yr graduation rate
86.3%
US News · Liberal arts colleges#31 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#85 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#564 of 1,504+4 more on profile

3,876 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 19 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr, PAPrivate nonprofit

Verified publisher rankings · federal data

Bryn Mawr College: U.S. News ranks it #29 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #167 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #247 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #274 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #18 Best Classroom Experience. It enrolls 1,359 undergraduates, admits 29.4% of applicants, and posts a 81.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $65,920; aid recipients pay $31,759 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $75,217.

Acceptance rate
29.4%
Average net price
$31,759
Median earnings (10 yr)
$75,217
6-yr graduation rate
81.8%
US News · Liberal arts colleges#29 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#167 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#247 of 1,504+3 more on profile

1,359 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 19 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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