Graduation
WPI confers degrees and awards diplomas three times per year, in May, August, and December.
Commencement ceremonies for Undergraduate and Graduate students are held in May only.
Degree Applications
In order to be considered for degree candidacy, each student MUST FILE AN APPLICATION with the Registrar's Office in accordance with respective deadlines below. Graduate students must be registered in the semester in which the degree requirements are completed.
Degree Application Deadlines
Undergraduate Degree Application Deadlines
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE APPLICATION DEADLINES
| Completion of Degree Requirements | Application Deadline | Degree Conferral Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | October 4th | December |
| Spring Semester | October 4th | May |
| Summer Semester | July 15th | August |
We are currently accepting applications for December 2025 & May 2026. To apply, please fill out the intent to graduate form in Workday. In the search bar, type "Apply to Graduate". If you need to make changes to your submitted form, email registrar@wpi.edu.
Graduate Degree Application Deadlines
GRADUATE DEGREE APPLICATION DEADLINES
| Completion of Degree Requirements | Application Deadline | Degree Completion Form Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Summer Semester (August) | July 15th | July 15, 2026 |
| Fall Semester (December) | October 15th | October 15, 2025 |
| Spring Semester (May) | February 3rd | March 3, 2026 |
All degree candidates (Certificates, Master's, & PhD) must complete Step 1 below. Then proceed to the applicable Step 2.
- Step 1: Complete the Intent to Graduate application in Workday by searching "Apply to Graduate".
- Step 2 for Master's and PhD: Graduate Degree Completion Form (PDF). Please complete this form only after the Workday graduation application has been submitted.
- Step 2 for Graduate or Advanced Certificate: Graduate or Advanced Certificate Plan of Study (PDF).
- Completing a Thesis or Dissertation? The ETD deadline for December candidates will be December 12, 2025. The ETD deadline for May 2026 candidates is April 30, 2026. Please visit this page for more information and steps for submitting your Thesis or Dissertation.
Degree Completion
Completion of Degree Requirements (undergraduate only)
Undergraduate students must submit their completed project report to their advisors during the final term of registration for the project and before the deadline for submittal of Completion of Degree Requirement Forms (eCDR). Please select the appropriate link below to submit your Completion of Degree Requirements.
- MQP & IQP eCDR Submission (find project submission instructions)
- Humanities and Arts Requirement eCDR Submission (HUA seminar students)
-
Humanities and Arts Requirement eCDR Submission (Language or Transfer Credit students)
Early Degree Completion (undergraduate only)
Students completing 100% of WPI graduation requirements by the end of A-Term or C-Term will be eligible for a 50% tuition adjustment for the semester of completion. Eligible students must complete the form available in the Registrar’s Office and submit by the end of B-Term (for C-Term completion) or D-Term (for A-Term completion).
Qualified students receiving financial aid from WPI will retain 50% of any WPI scholarship, and their loan eligibility will be reviewed on an individual basis. Students living in WPI housing will still be financially responsible for paying the full semester’s worth of room and board.
Students are permitted to enroll in a maximum of 4/3 units (12 credits), excluding WPE, in either A- or C-Term.
Commencement Participation Policy
Graduate Students
- Master’s degree graduate students who are planning to complete their final courses (maximum 6 credits) in the summer term and graduate in August are eligible to participate in the previous May Commencement ceremony.
- Students who have thesis or dissertation requirements remaining are not eligible. Students must be registered for all remaining requirements in the summer term by April 1 of the year they will be participating in order to be approved.
- Students may only participate in one ceremony per degree level.
- Students approved to walk will not receive their diploma, nor will the degree be conferred, at the May ceremony. They will also not be listed in the Commencement program.
- PhD students must complete all requirements before participating in a Commencement ceremony and are not eligible to participate in an earlier ceremony.
- No exceptions will be made to this policy.
Undergraduate Students
The policy for allowing certain undergraduate students who have not completed all degree requirements to participate in Commencement exercises is:
- Undergraduate students who have not met all degree requirements will be eligible to participate in Commencement exercises only if all the following are true:
- At the end of D-Term, the student is within 1 unit (9 credits) of completing all requirements for graduation.
- The student has completed at least 2 of the 3 WPI Project Requirements (HUA, IQP, and MQP).
- Undergraduate students who meet these conditions will be permitted to participate in Commencement exercises but will not receive their diploma.
- The names of such students will not be included in the Commencement program.
- The actual degree will be conferred only after all the degree requirements have been completed.
- The student will not be eligible to participate in any future commencement ceremonies for this degree.
- No exceptions will be made to this policy.
Graduation with Honors (Undergraduate Only)
Graduation With High Distinction
For all degree candidate students graduating from WPI after May 1, 2011, graduation honors will be determined as follows:
An A or DIST grade on all four of the following:
- MQP
- IQP
- Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum
- Eight units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).
Graduation With Distinction
A grade of A or DIST on the following criteria:
- MQP
- IQP
- Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum
- Four units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).
or a grade of A or DIST on the following criteria:
- Two of the three projects: MQP, IQP and the SUFF/ Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum
- Six units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).
Honors for Double Majors
If a student completes two majors, the student is awarded a degree with "Distinction" or "High Distinction" if the student meets the criteria above in either or both majors; if both awards are received, the degree is awarded with "High Distinction."
Honors for Double Majors
If a student completes two majors, the student is awarded a degree with "Distinction" or "High Distinction" if the student meets the criteria above in either or both majors; if both awards are received, the degree is awarded with "High Distinction."
Degree Audit (Academic Progress)
What is a degree audit? A degree audit is a tool used to track a student’s degree requirements as they work towards completing a degree. Each audit shows a detailed breakdown of each requirement, including all courses taken/needed for the student’s particular major of study. The audit also includes the university requirements that are required for every student.
In Workday, degree audits are called Academic Progress and can be found on a student profile under Academics.