Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Set in an urban context in the New England's largest city after Boston, WPI's main campus entirely is privately owned, ungated and uninterrupted by public roads. The campus sits on Boynton Hill apart from the adjacent neighborhood which includes restaurants and stores on Highland Street.

Among on-campus unique facilities are centers for life sciences and bioengineering, biomaterials, bioprocessing, comparative neuroimaging, molecular sensors, nanoscience and technology, untethered healthcare, water research, computer-controlled machining, holographic studies and laser technology, wireless information network studies, fuel cell, industrial math and statistics, fire science laboratory, pavement research laboratory, atomic force microscopy laboratory.

Off campus students can use Woo Cards to get discounts on food and activities around Worcester.

More than 30 percent of students are members of the school's 15 fraternities and sororities. Even more – close to 70 percent – are involved in campus sports at some level.

The student body is actively engaged in campus activities such as the rivalry contests like the gigantic tug-of-war held throughout the year that pit the freshmen class against the sophomores.

WPI students also come out in droves for the school's club sports and intramural program and all the  students must take four physical education courses ranging from lifeguarding to plyometric.

WPI is host to a number of annual and weekly events like Homecoming, Gaming Weekend, Tuesday Dance Socials. These events usually only attract students though some events such as Gaming Weekend and Quadfest are large enough to draw in off-campus visitors.

There are plenty of clubs to join, places to eat, and buildings to visit on campus. The Art museum and a beautiful park is right next to the campus. There are often events or festivals going on as well. 

Freshmen are guaranteed housing which includes standard dormitories and four houses with student-selected themes. However, they do not have to live in campus residence facilities.

Housing options include coed housing, apartments for single students, fraternity/sorority housing, special housing for disabled students, wellness housing. All of them are alcohol, drug and smoke-free.

About 96% of first-year students and 49% of all undergraduates live in college housing.

88% of students are employed, freelancing, or continuing their education six months after graduation in 2016. The Career Development Center (CDC) offers resources ranging from resume critiques and mock interviews to three annual career fairs and on-campus interviews with employers to help support students and alumni through the job search process.

Total undergraduate costs for nine-month academic year, 2016–2017 are about $64,000 for a non-resident living on-campus. This sum includes tuition and fees - about $43,000 per year, books and supplies - $1,500, room and board - $14,000, personal and transportation costs - $2,400, health insurance - $2,300.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private premier research university specializing in the instruction and research of technical arts and applied sciences.

Founded in 1865 in Worcester to create and convey the latest science and engineering knowledge in ways that are most beneficial to society, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities. Today, WPI holds firm to its founding mission to provide an education that balances theory with practice.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has 14 academic departments with over 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, social sciences,  humanities and arts leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. WPI's faculty works with students in a number of research areas including biotechnology, fuel cells, information security, surface metrology, materials processing and nanotechnology.

The university’s curriculum features a flexible, rigorous program that is project-based and globally engaged, aimed at quality experience and a positive impact for the communities it partners with. WPI faculty members who has recently been ranked top in the nation for quality and accessibility by the Wall Street Journal 2016 work with students on interdisciplinary research seeking solutions to important and socially relevant problems - both on campus and at more than 40 project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Graduate research programs include robotics, materials science, cybersecurity, learning sciences and technology. WPI invests in research in critical areas, seeking solutions to important and socially relevant problems in such diverse fields as fire protection engineering, life sciences and bioengineering, energy and data science.

Among the 10 colleges located in Worcester, WPI stands out as a close-knit private school grounded in scientific education. WPI's undergrad schedule is also unusual compared to most universities. Instead of a normal semester, WPI has 7-week terms. Each term is claimed to be roughly equivalent to a third of a year at another university.

Notable WPI alumni include Robert Goddard, inventor of the liquid-fueled rocket, Paul Allaire - the previous CEO of Xerox, Elwood Haynes, inventor of stainless steel, Robert Stempel, inventor of the catalytic converter, former chairman and CEO of General Motors

WPI consistently ranks as a tier-one (top 25%) university according to U.S. News & World Report. In 2017 it was ranked the 60th among national universities by The Best Colleges ranking.

WPI offers a variety of majors in engineering, science, management, liberal arts, and social science at the undergraduate and graduate level. It is most well known for its engineering disciplines and is one of the top-ranked schools to attend for engineering in North America and the world over. Unlike many peer universities WPI does not combine related departments into colleges or schools.

The most popular majors by the number of registered students are engineering, computer and information sciences, biology, business/marketing.