Department(s):
Office of the ProvostDear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
WPI is changing the way we fund the Global Projects Program to better support students with financial need and to strengthen long-term access and affordability. The Global Scholarship will transition from a scholarship for all students, regardless of financial need, to one awarded based on need.
Many on campus will remember that, in the early 2020s, what had long been a need-based global scholarship shifted so that all full-time, degree seeking undergraduate students were eligible for up to $5,000 to help offset the cost of their off-campus Humanities & Arts Requirement, Interactive Qualifying Project, or Major Qualifying Project.
While this broadened access, it also resulted in funding being distributed to students who did not need financial assistance, leaving fewer resources to distribute to students facing barriers to participation.
Beginning with students entering WPI in Fall 2026 (first-year and transfer), Global Scholarship funding will be reallocated to:
- Students with demonstrated unmet financial need, as determined by financial aid data; these students will be eligible for a Global Scholarship to help cover project-related billable expenses.
- A dedicated Supplemental Scholarship Fund to support flight and travel-related expenses.
- General financial aid to benefit all students.
More information is available here.
This change is based on careful analysis of the current program and a commitment to allocating funds in the most impactful way possible.
WPI remains deeply committed to making global, project-based learning accessible to all students. We will continue sharing updates as the new funding model is implemented.
Thank you,
Andrew Sears
Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost