Admission to WPI

INTRODUCTION

Selection for admission to the college is based upon such factors as candidates’ secondary school record; recommendations by counselors and teachers; standardized test scores; out-of-class activities; work experience; and leadership endeavors. All candidates are invited to submit any supplementary material which they believe will aid the Admissions Committee in evaluating their application.

VISITING THE CAMPUS

Through research and reading, you can learn a lot about a college. But the best way to determine if WPI is a good match for you is by visiting the campus. Group Information Sessions and Open Houses are the very best ways to get to know WPI.

The Group Sessions, for which no appointment is needed, are held Monday-Friday at 10:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m. in the Admissions Office and are followed by a tour of the campus. Group Sessions are also available on selected Saturdays. Please call the Admissions Office for specific dates and times. WPI also sponsors several Open Houses throughout the fall and spring. Campus tours, presentations by academic departments, and sessions on such topics as placement, financial aid and admissions are highlights. All students on our mailing list will receive an invitation to our Open Houses and should register in advance to attend. Student-led tours of the campus are offered Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. (although tours run on a limited schedule during WPI’s term breaks and in the summer). Lunch with a WPI student is also available from 12:00-1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, while classes are in session. In addition, we will try to accommodate any requests to sit in on classes, meet privately with a faculty member or shadow a current student. A personal interview is one of the best ways to learn more about WPI. It also gives us the opportunity to learn more about you. Interviews are available on campus by appointment only. We schedule interviews between April 1 and December 15. If you would like to schedule a time to meet with one of our Admissions Office members, please contact the office directly. Whatever option you choose, you can arrange for a campus visit by calling the Admissions Office at (508) 831-5286, and our receptionist will be happy to assist you.

QUALIFICATIONS

In order to qualify for admission, candidates must have completed a full secondary school course of study including the following secondary school units:

ENGLISH4
MATHEMATICS4 (including pre-calculus)
LAB SCIENCES2

Completion of the required mathematics and science courses in less than four years of study may qualify a student for early admission.

APPLYING TO WPI

Although the vast majority of entering freshmen matriculate in September, WPI will admit freshmen in January. Candidates for the September term should file their application by February 1. Freshman candidates for admission to the January term should file their applications by November 15.

In our efforts to make applying to WPI as easy as possible, we offer a variety of application options. You can use the traditional paper application form or you can apply on-line via admissions.wpi.edu. The $60 application fee is required for all applicants. We also accept the Common Application and applications submitted through College View, CollegeLink and ExPAN. For more information on these options, please call the Office of Admissions at (508) 831-5286.

STANDARDIZED TESTS

All candidates are required to take either the College Board tests or the American College Testing Service (ACT) test. If the College Board tests are selected, candidates should take the Scholastic Aptitude Test I (SAT I). These tests should be taken by a date early enough to insure that the scores reach the Office of Admissions by mid-February of your senior year. Candidates should arrange to have their scores submitted directly to the college by either the College Board or ACT. The WPI code number is 3969 for the College Board tests and 1942 for the ACT test.

FINANCIAL AID

Students applying for financial aid should check the appropriate box on the application for admission. Financial aid candidates should submit the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE Application and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which are available online at www.collegboard.com and www.fafsa.ed.gov. For regular admission applicants, these forms should reach the WPI Office of Financial Aid by February 1. Students applying for Early Action should submit the completed PROFILE to the College Scholarship Service beginning November 15. All financial aid candidates are required to send directly to our office, signed copies of their own and their parents’ Federal Income Tax Returns and W-2 Forms from the prior year. Financial Aid is available for U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents of the U.S. A limited amount of need-based financial aid is available for International Students which is administered through the WPI Admissions Office. In order to apply for need based assistance, international students need to complete the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE Application through the College Board website or the Foreign Student Financial Aid Application which may be obtained in the WPI Admissions Office or online through the Office of Financial Aid web site.

APPLICATION FEE

A $60 application fee is required for all applicants. WPI endorses the fee waiver policy of the College Entrance Examination Board.

NOTIFICATION

All candidates for admission will receive an acknowledgment of the receipt of their application. Should applicants fail to receive this acknowledgment within four weeks, they are encouraged to check with their high school guidance office or the Office of Admissions at WPI. Admissions decisions will be mailed to all applicants no later than April 1.

DECISION TO MATRICULATE

Accepted candidates must inform the college by May 1, the candidates’ common reply date, of their decision to matriculate by returning a $500 non-refundable tuition deposit along with the Acceptance of Admission Form.

EARLY ACTION

Students may apply to WPI early and receive early notification of their admissions decision under the Early Action plan. The plan is as follows:

  1. Candidates should check the early action box on the application.
  2. The completed application for admission must be submitted by November 15for Round 1, or by January 1 for Round 2.
  3. The Admissions Committee will review all early action applications and notify all candidates of their decisions by December 15 for Round 1 or by February 1 for Round 2. Early action is a non-binding admissions plan. Accepted students have until May 1 to submit a $500 non-refundable tuition deposit.
  4. Admitted early action candidates who are applying for financial aid will receive notification regarding eligibility for aid soon after their financial aid forms are submitted and complete.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

WPI awards credit to students who score a score a "4" or "5" on the Advanced Placement Examinations. The Director of Academic Advising will notify such students of their earned credit by mailing an AP letter to the home address during early August. You can visit the Academic Advising web site for a complete list of AP credits for exams taken or call 508-831-5381. Humanities

For students who do take the examination in one or more of the WPI humanities areas and score a "4" or "5," the university will award advanced placement credit for one course per examination toward the humanities requirement. Soon after arriving on campus, students receiving such credit must speak with an appropriate humanities department advisor about how this credit may be integrated into a thematic program of studies leading to fulfillment of the WPI humanities requirement.

Computer Science

Advanced placement in computer science can be earned by scoring a "4" or "5" on the CS exam. Credit for CS 1000 is granted for the A computer science exam; credit for an additional 1000-level course is granted for a score of "4" or "5" on the AB exam.

Natural Sciences

Students who pass the advanced placement test in Biology, Chemistry or Physics B with a "4" or "5" will be awarded 1/3 unit of advanced placement credit. This credit will show on the transcript as "L". For students who score "4" or "5" in Physics C (Mechanics) will be awarded 1/3 credit in Physics 1110/ 1111. Students who score "4" or "5" in Physics C (Electricity and Magnetism) will be awarded 1/3 advanced placement credit for Physics 1120/1121. For those students who pass Physics B will be awarded 1/3 credit in Physics 1000. Students who score "4"or "5" in Chemistry will be awarded 1/3 unit for CH 1010. In addition, students are eligible to earn credit for other general chemistry courses, CH 1020-1040, by achieving scores of 70 or better on course-specific examinations offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. General Chemistry Credit exams will be given before the start of each term. Please contact the Chemistry Department at 508-831-5371 for information on when the exams will be offered. Note this policy applies only to WPI students.

Mathematics

Students who pass the AB mathematics examination with a "4" or "5" will be awarded 2/3 unit of advanced placement credit for MA 1021 and MA 1022. Students with a "4" or "5" on the advanced placement BC exam will be awarded 1 unit advanced placement credit for MA 1021, MA 1022 and MA 1023.

In the four-course 1021-1024 mathematics sequence, students who arrive at WPI with a one-year high school calculus course, prepared to start with the second (or third) course in the WPI sequence, and who successfully pass that course and the one that follows it in sequence, will be considered to have established advanced placement credit for the first one (or two) courses. To qualify for the credit, the advanced WPI courses must be passed the first time they are available in sequence to the student after matriculation. The courses credited retroactively will be listed by number without an assigned grade and will count toward the distribution requirement in mathematics.

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

During the week prior to classes, the Student Activities Office coordinates a comprehensive new student orientation program for all first-year and transfer students. New student orientation provides an introduction to the WPI experience, ranging from academic work and expectations and project-based education, to student life and campus activities. Led by upperclass student team leaders and faculty consultants, new students to WPI attend team meetings that are designed to familiarize them with the overall campus environment.

READMISSION

Students who were formerly at WPI but left before completing undergraduate study, and now wish to apply for readmission, should contact the Registrar’s Office for information and forms. Completed readmission forms must be received by WPI no later than the following due dates in order to be acted upon for entrance in the indicated term: July 15 for Term A November 15 for Term C If possible, candidates should also plan on an interview with the Director of Academic Advising and with a departmental consultant in their intended major area of study prior to filing the readmission form.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

The WPI Plan provides some advantages that are particularly attractive for transfer students. Transfer applicants should furnish an autobiographical statement and Math/ Science teacher recommendations in addition to the appli- cation for admission. The deadline for receipt of applications for entrance in September is April 15. The deadline for admission for January entrance is November 15. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible.

All transfer students are required to spend at least two years as full-time registered students. For more details on transfer admission, see WPI’s web site under Admissions.

TRANSFER AGREEMENT

WPI currently holds formal articulation agreements with specified programs of study at both Bristol Community College and Quinsigamond Community College. However, WPI will grant appropriate transfer credit on a caseby- case basis from any properly-accredited two-year or four-year institution.

HUMANITIES AND ARTS REQUIREMENT FOR TRANSFER AND 3-2 STUDENTS

All transfer and 3-2 students should review their humanities and arts record and plan with the Humanities and Arts Department’s coordinator for transfer students (J. Hanlan - SL23), who will determine for students the transfer credit applicable towards the Sufficiency. All transfer and 3-2 students entering WPI with fewer than two units of humanities and arts credit must complete thematically related work in humanities and arts at WPI, including a Sufficiency evaluation (Independent Study/Project) to the extent that the overall humanities and arts credit totals two units. The humanities and arts requirement is considered fulfilled for transfer students who have completed the equivalent of two units of humanities and arts work prior to their matriculation at WPI or 3-2 students who have or will complete the equivalent as part of their degree program at the cooperating college. Please refer to the section "Transfer Students and the Sufficiency Requirement" for a description of how Sufficiency grading is determined for transfer students who believe they have completed requirements.

A Completion of Degree Requirement form must be submitted in order for the Sufficiency to be recorded. The student must be registered for at least 1/6 of a unit in the same activity in the term in which the Completion of Degree Requirement form is submitted, or the student will be required to pay the usual recording fee. (This registration is in addition to any transfer credit awarded. As the Completion of Degree Requirement form is usually submitted during a term in which the student is full time, normally no extra charges are incurred.)

The following exception to this policy exists: Transfer and 3-2 students who receive a grade for the Sufficiency based on work completed at another school and who submit the Sufficiency Completion of Degree Requirement form as part of the transfer-credit posting process will have the Sufficiency Completion of Degree Requirement form and grade recorded without a fee. This process will normally take place prior to or during the first term of full-time enrollment at WPI.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The presence of international students serves as a means of strengthening the knowledge and understanding of foreign countries and cultures and is highly encouraged and supported at WPI. Programs and support services for international students and exchange programs are given high priority. As an institution of higher learning, WPI is dedicated to international education.

In addition to the standardized tests listed above, international applicants must provide proof of English language proficiency. English language proficiency may be demonstrated by the official results of:

International students whose score results are less than those above may still be conditionally admitted, with required attendance at WPI’s English as a Second Language Program during the summer prior to enrollment.

THE ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) PROGRAM

The ESL Summer Institute is an intensive five-week noncredit course of study in English for specific purposes for conditionally-admitted international students and others whose first language is not English. This ESL program is designed to help prepare these international students for regular courses in engineering, science and technology before the regular academic year begins. A second intake is available for international students who desire only a head-start in preparation for such courses before the academic year begins.

For students who need additional support during the regular academic year, the ESL Seminar, a tutorial course designed to help the student further strengthen linguistic skills is offered.

During the regular academic year, ESL for Spouses is a non-credit course offered to interested partners accompanying WPI students and professors.

A TOEFL Preparation course is also offered during Terms C and D.

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Last modified: Feb 13, 2006, 15:17 EST

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