Aid Retention Policies
All full time students are expected to register and enroll in twelve 1/3 unit classes per academic year. The more classes a student successfully completes (up to a maximum of 12 courses) during terms A-D, the more the student’s grant/scholarship eligibility is maintained for the next academic year.
Attempting but not successfully completing courses and project work will reduce financial aid. Please note that advanced placement, transfer credit, incompletes, or extensions cannot be counted in the determination of units completed. The student is responsible for resolution of incompletes with the faculty member assigning the grade.
Eligibility for consideration for all types of financial aid for the following academic year is lost if a student is placed on Academic Probation (end of B or D term).
Regardless of academic progress status, eligibility for financial assistance (with the exception of the Federal Stafford Loan) is available for the shorter of the two following periods; 16 terms (four years) of enrollment at WPI** or completion of your Bachelor Degree requirements at WPI.
**16 terms (four years) of enrollment and not 16 terms (four years) of receiving financial aid.
Those receiving scholarships/grants, loans of all forms and/or federal work study must be registered as full-time students. Students are charged tuition and fees based upon full-time status, which serves as the basis for annual financial aid eligibility determinations. Students are responsible for knowing their enrollment and academic status and working with an academic advisor to register and enroll for the necessary units to maintain eligibility for financial aid.
Financial Aid Petitions
Reduced or rescinded financial aid may be reinstated. Learn more...
Students who have seen a reduction or lost their financial aid due to academic performance may, in cases which involve unusual and extenuating circumstances (i.e., documented medical problems), file a financial aid petition with the WPI Office of Financial aid. The petition will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, which is made up of academic administrators. Note. While WPI students may opt for a double major, doing so is not a requirement to graduate. Listing a double major as the reason for requesting institutional aid beyond the 16-term (or 4 year) limit is not considered an extenuating circumstance and will not be approved.
Deadines for Petitions
Fall semester. Students petitioning for financial aid for the fall semester must submit their Financial Aid Petition to the WPI Office of Financial Aid before the end of the first day of A-term classes. For the spring semester, Financial Aid Petitions must be submitted before the end of the first day of C-term classes.
Depending on how close to the start of classes they submit their financial aid petition, students may not receive an answer on the status of the petition until after classes and tuition bills are due. Because of this, our office strongly advises students to make arrangements to pay their bills in full. If a petition is approved, the account will be credited for the funds for which the student is awarded.
WPI Need-Based Scholarships
Academic performance may affect award amount. Learn more...
WPI scholarships and grants awarded to students will not increase in future academic years, regardless of changes in a student’s financial need. Conversely, students’ WPI need-based scholarships and grants can decrease based on a lower financial need and/or poor academic performance (from the prior academic year). Because of this, it is extremely important that students monitor the number of classes they pass each academic year.
Students who do not pass a minimum of 11 classes during the previous academic year can take advantage of our summer policy, which allows students to take up to two classes during E-term at WPI. Any successfully passed credits will count toward the students’ WPI need-based scholarship renewal criteria for the subsequent academic year. Courses taken at other institutions during the summer will not count toward this policy.
Important. Any change made to students’ WPI need-based scholarship based on their successful summer class enrollment cannot be made until grades have been officially posted by the WPI Registrar’s Office. It is each student’s responsibility to make the WPI Office of Financial Aid aware of these grade postings.
Note that students’ academic standing will not change based on summer class participation (with the exception of approved Summer Bridge participants).
Students placed on academic probation or suspension are not allowed to participate in this new WPI need-based scholarship policy (with the exception of approved Summer Bridge participants).
WPI Merit Scholarships
May be decreased or eliminated if renewal criteria is not met. Learn more...
WPI merit scholarships will not increase or decrease based on changes to a student's financial need. However, a student's merit scholarship will decrease or be eliminated if a student does not meet the renewal criteria to maintain these scholarships.
A WPI merit scholarship will not be eliminated in future academic years if the recipient fails to pass the minimum 11 classes in the prior academic year. If the student passes fewer than 11 courses, the value of the WPI merit scholarship will be reduced based on the number of classes passed during the prior academic year. This allows the student you to keep a portion of the award rather than lose it altogether. Awards will be eliminated only for students placed on academic probation or suspension, or if they fail to maintain full-time status.
If students improve their academic performance (in subsequent academic years after your WPI Merit Scholarship has been reduced), however, their WPI merit scholarships will be increased based on the number of classes passed (up to the original WPI Merit Scholarship value).
Also, recipients of a WPI merit scholarship can take advantage of WPI’s summer policy which allows them to take up to two classes during E-term at WPI and have these successfully passed credits count toward their WPI Merit Scholarship renewal criteria for the upcoming academic year. Courses taken at other institutions during the summer will not count toward this policy.
Important. Any change made to a student’s WPI merit scholarship based on successful summer class enrollment cannot be made until grades have been officially posted. It is the student’s responsibility to make the WPI Office of Financial Aid aware of these grade postings.
*WPI merit scholarships are defined as the following:
Chem/BioChem Scholarship, Dean’s Scholarship, DSST Scholarship, First Paul Allaire Future Engineering Leadership Scholarship, First Design Innovation Scholarship, Institute Scholarship,Marshall/Chavez/Means Scholarship, Massachusetts Science Fair Scholarship, Massachusetts Council on Youth Leadership, Medical Professions Scholarship, Merit Scholarship, National Achievement Scholarship, National Hispanic Recognition Scholarship, NCSSSMST Scholarship, Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, Trustees Scholarship, University Award
**Academic courses are defined as classes worth one-third of a WPI academic unit.
Please Note:
With the exception of the Federal Stafford Loan, financial aid is not available for enrollment during Term E. This includes all forms of assistance including WPI Merit and need based scholarships or any institutional loan funds (Perkins or Institute). For students who enroll during E-term and are awarded Federal Stafford Loan, the amount borrowed will be reduced from the student’s Federal Stafford Loan eligibility for the next academic year (A- and D-terms).
