Policies

All full-time undergraduate students are expected to enroll in 36 credits (12 classes) each academic year. 

There are exceptions for students on a reduced courseload with the Office of Accessibility Services, students registered as an early completer for graduation with the Registrar's Office, and students who did not attend the full academic year due to a leave of absence or co-op. 

Students receiving merit-based scholarships must meet the following criteria:

• Pass at least 24 credits in A through D terms
  • Reductions to WPI merit-based scholarships for the following year begin at having passed only 21 credits, which results in a 5% decrease in merit funding. WPI merit-based scholarships will continue to be reduced by 5% for every 3 credits not passed.
  • Exceptions may be considered for students who did not attend the full academic year due to a leave of absence, spring start, or co-op. Contact the Office of Financial Aid if you are unsure about your personal situation.
  • Students on an approved full-year reduced course load with the Office of Accessibility Services (taking 24 credits per year instead of 36), must pass at least 15 credits to retain their merit scholarship.
  • AP courses, transfer credits, and incomplete grades or extensions are not counted in the number of credits passed. The student is responsible for resolving incomplete grades with their professor.
  • Students who lost a portion of their merit scholarship(s) can appeal this decision to request full reinstatement by filing a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form.
• Remain a full-time student
  • Part-time students are not eligible for institutional scholarship or grants.
• Enroll in a minimum of 12 credits per semester
  • An exception may be granted for students registered as an early completer for graduation.
• Remain in good academic standing (not on academic probation/suspension)
  • Academic standings are reviewed for institutional aid at the end of D term for the following academic year.
  • Students on academic probation concerned about a potential loss of institutional or federal financial aid can file a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form.

All scholarship and grant awards administered by WPI are available as credits against charges incurred during the normal academic year (terms A through D): half for fall (terms A and B) and half for spring (terms C and D).

Scholarships, other than global scholarships, may not be used as credit against charges during term E (summer session).

In addition to conditions itemized above, scholarships are available for the shorter of two periods: sixteen terms of enrollment or until the end of the billing period in which your undergraduate degree is completed.

Students awarded WPI Merit based funds and then withdraw from WPI, (officially or unofficially, see Registrar's website for withdrawal and leave policies) will NOT be eligible to receive their merit funds if they are readmitted to WPI more than 1 year after their date of last enrollment at WPI. Students taking a leave of absence will NOT be eligible to receive the merit funds if they do not return to WPI within maximum time allotted by the leave of absence (which may be more than a year). If your situation extends beyond the timelines listed above, please contact our office for further discussion.

Scholarships that are not explicitly labeled as merit-based on a student’s financial aid award letter are need-based scholarships or grants.

Students receiving institutional need-based scholarships or grants must meet the following criteria:

• File a FAFSA for the current academic year
• Have unmet financial need, determined by their SAI (Student Aid Index) and number of siblings in college
• Take a full-time courseload
  • Need-based aid may be adjusted for students taking an approved reduced courseload per the Office of Accessibility Services, since they also receive discounted tuition.
• Enroll in a minimum of 12 credits per semester
  • An exception may be granted for students registered as an early completer for graduation.
• Remain in good academic standing (not on academic probation/suspension)
  • Academic standings are reviewed for institutional aid at the end of D term for the following academic year.
  • Students on academic probation concerned about a potential loss of institutional need-based aid can file a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form.
• Remain an on-campus student or off-campus renter
  • Need-based aid may be adjusted for students who live at home with a family member and commute to school.

All scholarship and grant awards administered by WPI are available as credits against charges incurred during the normal academic year (terms A through D): half for fall (terms A and B) and half for spring (terms C and D).

Scholarships, other than global scholarships, may not be used as credit against charges during term E (summer session).

In addition to conditions itemized above, institutional scholarships and grants are available for the shorter of two periods: sixteen terms of enrollment or until the end of the billing period in which your undergraduate degree is completed.

For retention of federal and/or state financial aid funding, please refer to the Federal SAP page here.

If a student is not on academic probation or suspension, but has lost a portion of their merit scholarship(s), they may petition to receive their WPI funding by completing the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Financial Aid Appeal Form.

If a student is placed on Academic Probation by the WPI Registrar’s Office, they may petition to receive their WPI funding by completing the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Financial Aid Appeal Form and submitting it by the deadlines listed on the form.

If a student is placed on Suspension by the WPI Registrar’s Office, they must first appeal to the University Registrar and follow the appropriate suspension guidelines. If a student is allowed to return to WPI, they may petition to receive their WPI funding by completing the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Financial Aid Appeal Form and submitting it by the deadlines listed on the form.

If a student earns additional credits during E Term, which may improve their Federal SAP, please email finaid@wpi.edu at the end of E Term to alert the office.

If a student NR’s additional courses during E Term, and if the student has Title IV (federal) funding, they may be subject to a loss of federal funding and will need to submit an appeal to finaid@wpi.edu.

There are many reasons why a student may need or wish to take time away from WPI. There may be personal or medical issues interfering with their academics; opportunities for professional experience; family or community commitments; or the desire to just take a break.

Prior to making this decision, we advise you to review the Registrar’s Withdrawal or Leave of Absence page to learn about the types of leaves and the steps for this process – including required forms.

Students should inform themselves about the consequences to the following, if applicable:

• Financial Aid
• Visa Status
• Housing
• Billing, including potential tuition adjustments
• Health insurance: If insured by student health insurance please check for coverage options.
• Undergraduate students schedule an appointment with Academic Advising

If a student takes an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence, or is suspended during the semester, tuition, fees, room, and board charges will be prorated per WPI’s Withdrawal and Refund Policy.

The following items will not be reduced: health insurance fees, health and wellness fee, student life fees, new student fee and other general student fees.

The recalculation of each student’s financial aid package will be unique and is dependent on many factors (e.g., time of withdrawal, charges incurred, and financial aid package components). 

Leaving WPI because of an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence or suspension may have an impact on your financial aid package.  Early notification to the WPI Registrar’s Office will help ensure that your financial aid is appropriately recalculated, and that any required adjustments are made to your student account as soon as possible. Leave of absence refers to the WPI leave of absence, not federal.

Adjustment to Charges (Tuition & Fees; Room & Board)

If a student takes an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence, or is suspended during the semester, tuition, fees, room, and board charges will be prorated per WPI’s Withdrawal and Refund Policy.

The following items will not be reduced: health insurance fees, health and wellness fee, student life fees, new student fee and other general student fees.

Adjustment to Financial Aid

In general, an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence, or suspension will result in a reduction to a student’s financial aid package (including WPI, federal and/or state funding):

• Federal Funds:  If federal funds are required to be returned to the Federal Department of Education, they will be returned before any other forms of aid and in the following order per federal guidelines: Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan, Subsidized Federal Direct Loan, Federal PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants.
• Institutional Financial Aid:  All WPI institutional financial aid (e.g., WPI grants, scholarships, and institutional loans) will be prorated based on the tuition refund schedule for withdrawal during a semester.
• State Funding:  State funding regulations vary, and any adjustments will be performed in accordance with the specific requirements of the sponsoring state.

The student will receive notification from the Office of Financial Aid when the adjustments to their charges and financial aid are complete.

Early Degree Completion is only available to Undergraduate Students.  Undergraduate students completing 100% of WPI graduation requirements by the end of A-term or C-term will be eligible for a 50% adjustment of tuition for the semester of completion.  Eligible students must complete the Undergraduate Application for Early Degree Completion form available on the Registrar’s Office website and submit it by the end of B-term (for C-term completion) or D-term (for A-term completion).  Please ensure you have read and fully understand the policies set forth in that form and discuss any questions with the appropriate office(s) (Registrar, Bursar, Housing & Residential Experience, or Financial Aid) before submitting the form.

Qualified students receiving financial aid from WPI will retain 50% of any WPI scholarships (merit and need based), and their loan eligibility will be reviewed on an individual basis.  Federal and State Grants that require full time enrollment (minimum of 12 credits per semester) may also be impacted by an early completion.

Aid adjustments may not be fully complete until after the Add/Drop period for A or C terms as some Federal and State aid requires confirmation of enrollment before aid can be adjusted.  Adjustments after Add/Drop may result in a balance due for the semester depending on the types of adjustments that need to be made.

If a student who receives federal financial aid fails to earn a passing grade in at least one course during a term (and does not officially withdraw from the institution), federal regulations require WPI to assume that the student has unofficially withdrawn from the institution. WPI must recalculate the student’s federal aid eligibility for the semester unless the student can provide documentation from their professors that they completed the term but simply failed to earn a passing grade.

The law specifies how your school must determine the amount of Title IV program assistance that you earn if you withdraw from school.  The Title IV programs that are covered by this law are Federal Pell Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, TEACH Grants, Direct Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs).

Though your aid is posted to your account at the start of each period, you earn the funds as you complete the period. If you withdraw during your payment period or period of enrollment (your school can define these for you and tell you which one applies to you), the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula.  If you received (or your school or parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or you.

The amount of assistance that you have earned is determined on a pro rata basis.  For example, if you completed 30% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive.  Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period.

If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement.  If your post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, your school must get your permission before it can disburse them.  You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt.  Your school may automatically use all or a portion of your post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition, fees, and room and board charges (as contracted with the school).  The school needs your permission to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other institutional charges.  If you do not give your permission (some schools ask for this when you enroll), you will be offered the funds. However, it may be in your best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the school.

There are some Title IV funds that you were scheduled to receive that cannot be disbursed to you once you withdraw because of other eligibility requirements.  For example, if you are a first-time, first-year undergraduate student and you have not completed the first 30 days of your program before you withdraw, you will not receive any Direct Loan funds that you would have received had you remained enrolled past the 30th day.  If you receive (or your school or parent receive on your behalf) excess Title IV program funds that must be returned, your school must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of 1) your institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of your funds, or 2) the entire amount of excess funds.  The school must return this amount even if it didn’t keep this amount of your Title IV program funds.  If your school is not required to return all of the excess funds, you must return the remaining amount.

For any loan funds that you must return, you (or your parent for a Direct PLUS Loan) repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note.  That is, you make scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.

Any amount of unearned grant funds that you must return is called an overpayment.  The maximum amount of a grant overpayment that you must repay is half of the grant funds you received or were scheduled to receive.  You do not have to repay a grant overpayment if the original amount of the overpayment is $50 or less.  You must make arrangements with your school or the Department of Education to return the unearned grant funds.

The requirements for Title IV program funds when you withdraw are separate from any refund policy that your school may have.  Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges.  Your school may also charge you for any Title IV program funds that the school was required to return.  If you don’t already know your school’s refund policy, you should ask your school for a copy.  Your school can also provide you with the requirements and procedures for officially withdrawing from school.

If you have questions about your Title IV program funds, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. Information is also available on Student Aid on the Web at https://studentaid.gov/.