Types of Aid

Grants and scholarships provide money that does not need to be paid back, which lowers the cost of paying for college. They are provided by WPI, the federal government, individual states, and private organizations.

Available options are:

Scholarships

  • Merit-based Scholarships

    First-year applicants are automatically awarded merit-based scholarships based on academic performance, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and more.  They vary in amounts and are renewable for four years. Merit-based scholarships are incorporated into your need-based financial aid, should you qualify.

    IB diploma graduates with a diploma score of 40 or greater admitted to WPI are guaranteed a minimum scholarship of $20,000.

    Recipients of the WPI Employee Tuition Benefit are not eligible to receive WPI academic merit-based scholarships.

  • Need-based Scholarships

    Need-based scholarships provide financial aid based on your family's financial situation. These scholarships are renewed (but not increased) yearly provided students have a similar level of financial need and pass at least 11 academic courses (classes worth one-third of an academic unit) per year. 

    To be considered, you must complete the FAFSA and the CSS PROFILE Application.

  • Global Scholarship

    Beginning with the Class of 2024, every full-time, degree-seeking WPI undergraduate student—including transfer students—will receive a one-time Global Scholarship of up to $5,000 to defray the cost of one credit-bearing, off-campus project experience through the Global Projects Program, be it the Humanities & Arts Requirement (HUA), Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), or Major Qualifying Project (MQP). 

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

  • Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)

    Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) offers scholarships to qualifying WPI students who pursue careers in the United States Air Force, Army, or Navy. For more information on the different types of ROTC programs offered at WPI, please visit:

    Students who are awarded a ROTC scholarship by one of the participating branches prior to the May 1 deposit date will be eligible for Room and Board (meal) credits from WPI once the WPI Office of Student Aid & Financial Literacy is informed of the student’s award.  Your initial financial aid award will be adjusted to reflect the ROTC scholarship and any Room and Board credits.  Room and Board credits are not available to students who enter the ROTC program after starting at WPI or to transfer students.

  • SAGE Scholars Tuition Rewards Program

    The SAGE Scholars Tuition Rewards program is a private college saving plan where you earn guaranteed minimum scholarships at over 345 participating private colleges and universities across America. This is available to undergraduate first-year students.

    Tuition Reward Points accrue like frequent flyer miles and are typically earned by saving or investing with affiliated financial institutions or organizations. Each Tuition Reward Point is equal to $1.00 in tuition discounts. The points represent the minimum scholarship that you will receive.    

    At WPI, SAGE Tuition Reward Dollars are incorporated into any need and/or merit-based scholarship funds and are subject to the same scholarship renewal criteria.   

    You must submit your SAGE Tuition Reward Statement to WPI by the application deadline you are applying to.

  • Yellow Ribbon Program

    WPI is pleased to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program of the Post 9/11 Veterans’ Educational Assistance Act of 2008.  The Yellow Ribbon Program is a partnership between WPI and the Veterans’ Administration (VA) to assist eligible students with educational expenses greater than the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate.  Participating schools can waive up to 50% of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution.

    For the 2021-2022 academic year, WPI will award 10 Yellow Ribbon Scholarships to undergraduate students and 2 Yellow Ribbon Scholarships to graduate students on a first-come, first-served basis.

    How to Apply

    • Obtain your Yellow Ribbon Certificate of Eligibility from the VA at 1-888-GIBILL1 (1-888-442-4551) or online.
    • Complete the Undergraduate Yellow Ribbon Application (PDF) or Graduate Yellow Ribbon Application (PDF) and send it to us with your Yellow Ribbon Certificate of Eligibility:
      • finaid@wpi.edu
      • WPI Office of Student Aid & Financial Literacy
        Bartlett Center
        100 Institute Road
        Worcester, MA  01609  
    • Once applications are reviewed, you will be contacted in writing on your status.

    The Fine Print

    • WPI will contribute up to $5,000 per undergraduate student per year (fall and spring semesters only) and up to $10,000 per graduate student per year (fall and spring semesters only) which will be matched by the VA.  Scholarship funds cannot be used during E-term (summer).
    • Only students entitled to the maximum benefit rate, based on service requirements, may receive this funding.
    • Undergraduate students will be confirmed as a participant for the shorter of the two following periods; 16 terms (4 years) of enrollment or completion of a Bachelor degree as long as WPI continues to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and VA education benefits still apply.
    • Graduate students will be confirmed as a participant for the shorter of the two following periods; 8 semesters (4 years) of enrollment or completion of a Master or Ph.D degree as long as WPI continues to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and VA education benefits still apply.
    • Students awarded a WPI Yellow Ribbon Scholarship must remain continuously enrolled with no leaves of absence, and must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by WPI.
    • Students on active duty are not eligible to receive Yellow Ribbon benefits. 
  • Tuition Exchange Program

    Through the Tuition Exchange (TE) program, the child of an employee of one 600+ participating institutions may qualify for a scholarship to attend WPI, and vice versa.

    • TE Imports (PDF) are prospective and current WPI students whose parents work at a Tuition Exchange institution interested in applying for a Tuition Exchange Scholarship at WPI.
    • TE Exports (PDF) are dependent children of WPI employees who wish to apply for a Tuition Exchange Scholarship at one of the member institutions. 

    WPI employees need to complete and return the WPI Tuition Exchange (TE) Application (PDF) to the WPI Office of Student Aid & Financial Literacy no later than Friday, October 9th, 2020 for the 2021-2022 academic year.

    To learn more, contact WPI's Tuition Exchange Liaison Officer, Bridget Nault, at benault@wpi.edu.

  • WPI Tuition Benefits Program

    WPI’s Tuition Benefits Program provides tuition assistance for eligible family members of WPI employees, whether they are attending WPI or another institution.

No WPI need- or merit-based scholarships (which includes the WPI Room and Board Credits for ROTC) can exceed WPI's cost of attendance. ​

Grants

Most federal grants are awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to students with demonstrated financial need. State-sponsored scholarships and grants are awarded by WPI or the specific state-based program and may be based on your financial need or high school academic performance.

There are state scholarship programs that are awarded based on both financial need and merit. Please note the renewal criteria to maintain these scholarship programs differ from the renewal criteria for the WPI Scholarship programs.

PLEASE NOTE: WPI will not make up the loss of an estimated grant/scholarship if you were not considered eligible due to your failure to apply, failure to submit missing information in an appropriate and timely manner, or the estimated information you reported on application materials is, upon verification, determined to be inaccurate.

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