Testing Protocols

All students moving into WPI residence halls and fraternity/sorority houses must take a COVID-19 test before arriving to campus and follow Massachusetts travel guidelines. See the Return to Campus Student Checklist.

• Students who live in Massachusetts and Connecticut will come to campus 5 days before their assigned residence hall move-in date to take a COVID-19 test. (The test will be administered by WPI’s partners at no cost to students.) Move-in dates and testing dates for on-campus residents will be sent to students on August 7
• Students who live in Rhode Island will come to campus 3 days before their assigned residence hall move-in date to take a COVID-19 test. (The test will be administered by WPI’s partners at no cost to students.) Move-in dates and testing dates for on-campus residents will be sent to students on August 7
• Students living in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, and Hawaii will be mailed a COVID-19 test to be administered 5 days before their planned arrival on campus; the tests will be mailed to the address students provided on the form they filled out regarding their plans to return to campus in the fall or take all classes remotely.  There is no cost to students for the test.
• Students living in states designated by Massachusetts as higher-risk will need to arrange for a PCR COVID-19 test  to be administered 72 hours prior to arrival on campus
• Students living in higher-risk states may take a pre-arrival COVID-19 test at WPI when they arrive for move-in, but they would be required to quarantine for 14 days, or until they test negative.
• For those students able to secure a PCR test on their own and submit their results to the Health Portal using the “COVIDResul” category, WPI will defray the testing cost with a $115 credit to the student’s account.

All students living on or near campus will participate in the routine testing program. 

• On-campus students and fraternity/sorority members in corridor-style housing and student athletes will be tested two times per week.
• All other students will be tested once per week.
• Testing frequencies may change based on community testing results and public health trends.
• Undergraduate students living in the immediate vicinity of campus who are taking classes remotely will also be subject to testing and will receive additional information.
• The initial onboarding test will take place upon arrival to campus. Students will receive a communication with this testing date.

All employees and contract workers who will be on campus will participate in the routine testing program.

• Employees and contract workers who are working on campus will be tested once per week. Selected employees and contract workers who have high contact with students will be tested two times per week.
• Employees and contract workers currently working on campus will begin their routine testing prior to student move-in (mid-August).
• Employees and contract workers who are working in residence halls are required to complete testing before Resident Advisors and Community Advisors move in (August 15 and 16).
• All employees and contract workers returning to work on campus after August 17 will be required to begin their routine testing on their first day of arrival.
• Employees who continue to work remotely and do not come to campus at any point will not be required to be tested.
• Information About COVID-19 Testing at WPI (PDF) has all the information employees need to understand our testing processes and protocols.

• Students who report COVID-like symptoms will be tested by Health Services. This cost will be billed to insurance.
• Employees who report COVID-like symptoms should work with their PCP on whether they should be tested. This testing would be billed to the employee’s insurance.
• Any community members who test positive through a clinic or other provider other than WPI’s testing partners or who are identified as a close contact of someone outside of WPI should report their status and the results of any COVID tests via the symptom tracker (see below).