Testing Protocols

What You Need to Know Now

Every student, faculty member, employee, and contract worker must have a negative test result for COVID-19 as they come back to campus and follow Massachusetts travel guidelines regarding quarantining. We recognize that anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 may still test positive for a period of time after they are no longer contagious. Those individuals must have their health care provider provide documentation to WPI Health Services indicating that they have met all health guidelines and are cleared to come to campus.
Faculty and staff will be tested on campus by appointment. Students can learn more about pre-arrival testing requirements below and in the Return to Campus Student Checklist.
Whether you will be returning to campus or remaining remote, Information About COVID-19 Testing at WPI (PDF) has all the information employees need to understand our testing processes and protocols.
WPI has partnered with the Broad Institute, Quest Diagnostics, Reliant Medical Group, and Triumvirate Environmental to administer our comprehensive routine testing protocol. WPI will cover the cost of routine testing.
Students who are symptomatic will be tested by WPI Heath Services; symptomatic employees should contact their physician for care and testing.
We've added a simple, secure symptom tracker to the WPI Mobile app and the WPI website that most members of the WPI community will use daily to report any symptoms before they come onto campus. See below for more details.

Testing Details

Pre-Arrival Testing

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.
Routine Testing
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.

All students living in the immediate vicinity of campus who are taking classes remotely will also be subject to testing and have received 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. After your test, you will need to continue working remotely until your test results come back; you must have a negative result before returning to campus.

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.

Harrington Auditorium Routine Testing Hours:

Sunday 10am-1:30pm, 2:30pm-5pm - by Appointment Only, 5-6pm "Make-up" hour

Monday 10am-1:30pm, 2:30pm-5pm - by Appointment Only, 5-6pm "Make-up" hour

Wednesday 5:50am-10am and 11am- 1pm by Appointment Only, 1-2pm "Make-up" hour

Tuesday 10am-1:30pm, 2:30pm-5pm - by Appointment Only, 5-6pm "Make-up" hour

Thursday 10am-1:30pm, 2:30pm-5pm - by Appointment Only, 5-6pm "Make-up" hour

If you are experiencing symptoms at any time, do not get tested at Harrington.

Fill out your symptom tracker, and follow those instructions.
Symptomatic Testing
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. Following WPI's Return to Work protocols, if you were experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms only, you will need both a negative COVID-19 PCR test and a note from a healthcare provider clearing you to return to work.

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).

WPI Symptom Tracker

We've added a simple, secure Symptom Tracker to the WPI Mobile app and the WPI website that every member of the WPI community who will be working, taking classes, or participating in meetings or activities on campus will need to use daily to report any symptoms before they come on to campus.

Find out more about the WPI Symptom Tracker.

Student Toolkit

Many resources are available to help students find the most accurate and updated information about the back-to-campus new normal, testing protocols, and what to do if you think you've been exposed to or have COVID-19. The following PDFs offer information students can use to answer a range of questions.

Students—What You Need to Do For the Back-to-Campus New Normal

Students—Instructions for COVID-19 Testing at WPI

Students—After Your COVID-19 Test-What Comes Next

Students—Close Contact with Someone Tested Positive for COVID-19

Students—I've Tested Positive for COVID-19-Now What

Students—Routine Testing Process Overview

As part of our efforts to support the health and safety of the campus community, WPI has developed a comprehensive COVID-19 testing program for students, faculty, and staff who plan to come to campus.

Part of that program is that everyone who is coming onto campus for classes, to work, for sports or any activity during A- and B-Term will need routine, ongoing testing. The Broad Institute (rhymes with road), a Cambridge-based biomedical and genomic organization, is managing that ongoing testing. You will need to register with the Broad to access the portal to review your test results.

How to Set Up Your Broad Account

Testing Schedules for Employees

Testing schedules for employees will depend on their specific roles and how often they are on campus. Testing begins with an initial COVID-19 test and is followed by regular routine testing once or twice a week.

Employees who plan to be on campus, even if it’s a couple of weeks from now, must begin the testing process.
Any employees with a rotating schedule will need to be tested weekly for the first month; then that schedule will be reassessed.
Entirely remote employees do not need to be tested until they are notified their department is ready to return.
Employees who may come to campus once or twice a term will be treated as a visitor and will conform to the Visitor and Vendor Policy protocols.
Supervisors will inform employees if they need to be tested once or twice a week.
Any employees who are unsure of their proper testing schedule should check with their supervisor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Additional adjustments to our operations may be needed based on updated guidance and public health trends. We recommend you check back regularly for the latest updates.