Awards & Accolades
A sampling of prestigious awards and accolades recognizing WPI as well as our outstanding faculty and students is listed below.
A ‘College Worth Your Investment’
WPI is one of the top 20 schools in the nation that offer the highest return on investment, according to a 2010 study of more than 500 colleges and universities by Payscale.com. The study, dubbed "Colleges Worth Your Investment," was conducted for Bloomberg BusinessWeek and was reported on by BusinessWeek.com and The Wall Street Journal's WSJ Blogs. The top 20 list included MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, and Stanford, among others.
Fiske Guide to Colleges Names WPI One of ‘10 Engineering Schools That Should Be on Your Radar’
WPI is one of 10 colleges and universities that should be on the radar screens of all students looking at undergraduate engineering programs, according to the editor of the 2011 edition of The Fiske Guide to Colleges. Edward Fiske, former education editor for the New York Times, selected WPI because of its renowned "emphasis on projects and team building."
Praise for Producing ‘Best-paid Graduates’
WPI is 7th in the nation among engineering schools for highest starting median salary, and 9th in the nation for highest mid-career median pay among engineering schools, according to a 2010 report by PayScale Inc. that recognizes the top schools that produce the best-paid graduates. Among all colleges and universities in the nation, WPI ranks in the top 10 for highest starting median salary, and in the top 20 for highest mid-career median pay.
A ‘Best in the Northeast’ College; Great Career Services
WPI is one of the best colleges in the Northeast, according to the "2011 Best Colleges" rankings by The Princeton Review, which also placed WPI 20th among national colleges and universities for career services.
#1 MBA Program in the Nation
BusinessWeek ranks WPI number one in the nation for its part-time Master of Business Administration program and number one in the nation for student satisfaction in the program.
Study Abroad, Student Projects Lauded by U.S. News and World Report
U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 “America’s Best Colleges” edition praised WPI’s revolutionary project-based curriculum and study abroad opportunities, calling them “outstanding examples of academic programs that are commonly linked to student success.” WPI’s senior-year Major Qualifying Project program won recognition in the “Senior Capstone Project” category, as did WPI’s Global Perspective Program in the “Study Abroad” category. WPI’s small class sizes were also lauded.
Home to ‘Happiest Students’
Students at WPI are some of the happiest in the country, according to The Princeton Review’s “2010 Best Colleges” report,” which ranked the school in the top 20 of national colleges and universities where students feel the "happiest."
Engineering Undergrads Praise WPI’s Learning Environment
Undergraduate engineering students at WPI give the university's learning environment high praise, according to a survey of WPI students conducted by the national Project to Assess Climate in Engineering (PACE). Specifically, the quality of instruction in WPI's engineering majors fared better than some of the university's peer schools, based on student responses.
One of Nation’s Greenest Schools
According to The Princeton Review, WPI is one of the country's most environmentally responsible colleges and universities. The nationally known education services company included WPI in "The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges," a new resource for students and parents considering colleges.
A Great College to Work For
WPI was named to the Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For" survey for excellence in the Tenure Clarity and Process category. Read more...
Fulbright Scholars
Fourteen WPI faculty members are Fulbright Scholars in diverse disciplines, including humanities and arts, mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, mathematical sciences, biomedical engineering, and biology and biotechnology. Full list...
In addition, Virginia Ward '08 was the first WPI student to be named a Fulbright Scholar. Read more...
National Academy of Engineering
Diran Apelian, Howmet Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the university's Metal Processing Institute, was elected in 2009 to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Read more...
Professor Receives National Recognition
Jeanine D. Plummer, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the university's Environmental Engineering Program, was named Professor of the Year for Massachusetts by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. She is the third WPI professor since 2002 to be so recognized. Read more...
Goldwater Scholars
In 2009-10, students Andrew Black ‘11 and Andrew K. Capulli ‘11 were named 2010 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The Goldwater Scholarship program fosters and encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering, and is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. Since 2002, 16 WPI students have been named Goldwater Scholars or honorable mention recipients.
Nation's Top Electrical and Computer Engineering Student
A WPI alumnus, Charles Gammal III '08, was selected as the sole 2008 Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineering Student in the country. Read more...
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
"We warmly commend the Institute for... its innovative and effective approach to technological education that integrates theory and practice and that is ably supported by a highly qualified, fully committed faculty.... Worcester Polytechnic Institute is 'one of the nation's truly fine technological universities'." - NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation letter (05/06/02)
