Worcester Polytechnic Institute Scholarships (2026–2027)

📅 2027–2028 Planning Note: The costs below reflect the most recently published figures (2026–2027). Universities typically finalize the next year’s rates in the spring, and we’ll update this page once official 2027–2028 numbers are released.

Planning tip: At large public universities, tuition, fees, and housing usually increase modestly each year (often in the 2–5% range). For early budgeting, families may want to plan for roughly $1,000–$1,500 more in-state or $2,000–$3,000 more out-of-state in total direct costs once new rates are published.

Average Federal Net Price: $47,799 — this is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships (no loans), based on the most recent federal data. Your specific cost could be significantly lower or higher depending on your financial aid eligibility and merit scholarships. New to Net Price & SAI? Read our guide.

📌 Regional Tuition & Waiver Options

WPI is private, so a family in Massachusetts and a family in Mississippi see the same sticker price. The table above covers tuition, fees, housing, and food. WPI’s full first-year budget also adds $1,200 for books and supplies and $1,200 for personal costs, which brings the on-campus total to $87,570 for 2026-2027. If your student isn’t already covered by health insurance, WPI will bill for its plan, which is $2,945 this year.

📅 WPI Scholarship Timeline (Simple Version)

• Junior year, January 15 to May 15: Innovation Award nomination window (a school official nominates).
• November 1: Round 1 applications (merit is reviewed automatically). ED I aid forms due the same day.
• December 1: Aid forms due for Early Action I.
• January 5: Round 2 applications (ED II and EA II).
• February 1: Regular Decision. Also the last day to apply and still be eligible for WPI’s robotics scholarships. ED II and EA II aid forms due.
• February 15: Aid forms due for Great Minds consideration.
• Late February: Robotics scholarship applications close; mentor nominations are due a week later.
• March 1: Regular Decision aid forms due.

Parent rule of thumb: at WPI the aid forms are the deadline that bites. Put the CSS Profile and FAFSA date for your student’s round on the fridge the day they pick a round.

🤖 Robotics Families: The Nomination Rules That Trip People Up

• One nominee per team, per scholarship. If two students from the same team apply for the same scholarship, neither is considered.
• FIRST teams can split. Send one student to Design Innovation and a different student to Community.
• VEX counts the base team number. Teams 190A and 190B share one nomination.
• No mentor form, no application. The adult team leader’s nomination is due about a week after the student deadline. Put it on the coach’s calendar too.
• Apply to WPI by February 1, even if your student applied Regular Decision and has no decision yet.
• No robotics major required. Winners can study anything at WPI.
• Not eligible: FIRST LEGO League students, and peer mentors who aren’t active team members this season.

❓ Flagship / Competitive Scholarship FAQs

What are WPI’s full-tuition scholarships?
The WPI Design Innovation Scholarship and the WPI FIRST Community Scholarship. Each goes to one FIRST student per year, covers full tuition for four years (about $220,000), and rises if tuition rises. Design Innovation also names three $40,000 Runner-Ups.

When are the robotics scholarship deadlines?
The pattern is steady: applications open in mid-December and close in late February, and mentor nominations are due a week later. In the 2025-26 cycle those dates were February 23 and March 2. WPI hasn’t posted the 2026-27 dates yet, but your student must have the WPI application in by February 1 either way.

What’s in the VEX and REC Foundation Drone scholarships?
One Grand Prize of $80,000 ($20,000 a year for four years) and two Runner-Up awards of $40,000 ($10,000 a year). The video should show your student’s own contribution to the robot design or drone strategy and coding.

How does the Innovation Award work?
It’s $25,000 a year for a high school junior with an unweighted GPA of 3.8 or higher and strong STEM coursework. Only a school official can nominate, and only one student per high school. The window is January 15 to May 15 of junior year, and it reopens in January 2027. Winners still have to apply and be admitted.

Who is Great Minds for?
Pell-eligible seniors applying as first-year students. It fills the rest of demonstrated need for tuition and fees after all other aid, adds a housing allowance, and comes with a four-year support cohort. There’s no separate application: apply by February 1 and file the FAFSA and CSS Profile by February 15.

My student goes to a specialized STEM high school. Is there something for us?
If the school is a member of the National Consortium of Specialized STEM Schools (NCSSS), your student is automatically considered for $15,000 a year ($60,000 total). Selections roll from January to April.

Which states qualify for the Regional Scholarship?
High schools in California, DC, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Consideration is automatic, but only a limited number are awarded, and WPI doesn’t publish the amount.

What is the Dearborn Scholarship?
It’s an outside foundation award of $10,000 a year (up to $40,000) for Physics, Chemical, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical Engineering students. It requires a 3.0 GPA, U.S. citizenship, and a proctored Mechanical Aptitude Test. Schedule the test by January 10 and finish the first application by February 1.

Is there money for students who want to teach?
Yes. Noyce Scholars in WPI’s Teacher Preparation Program can get up to $20,000 a year in junior and senior year. In return they commit to two years of teaching in a high-need district for each year of funding.

🧠 Parent Strategy: At WPI, the Paperwork Is the Hidden Gem

Most of WPI’s quieter money isn’t a contest. It goes to families who file on time and tell WPI the right things before the deadline passes.

1. File the CSS Profile and the FAFSA by the date for your student’s round. That unlocks the WPI Grant, Great Minds, and later the Global Scholarship.
2. If your student wins an ROTC scholarship, tell Financial Aid before May 1 to get the room and board credits.
3. Transfer students: put Phi Theta Kappa membership on the application.
4. If you have SAGE Tuition Rewards, send the statement by the application deadline.

Parent translation: WPI says it won’t make up money you lose from missing a form or a date. Treat these like tax deadlines.

❓ Hidden Gems FAQ

What is the Global Scholarship?
Up to $5,000 toward the billable costs of an off-campus project (IQP, MQP, or the humanities project) for students entering fall 2026 or later. It covers a third, two-thirds, or all of those costs, but only students who receive a WPI need-based grant qualify, and it can be used once.

Do international students get need-based aid at WPI?
Some do. International Grants typically range from $5,000 to $25,000 a year, but only a portion of admitted international students receive one. The CSS Profile is due by the application deadline for your round.

Does ROTC come with anything extra at WPI?
Yes. If your student is awarded an Air Force, Army, or Navy ROTC scholarship before the May 1 deposit date, WPI adds room and board credits. Students who join ROTC after starting at WPI, and transfer students, don’t get them. Army and Air Force ROTC are on campus; Navy ROTC runs through nearby Holy Cross.

Is there anything for robotics kids who aren’t top winners?
Yes. Any student on a FIRST team that submits an entry to the WPI-sponsored Digital Animation Award can get a $1,000 scholarship to attend WPI. The 2026-27 window hasn’t opened yet; WPI says it returns this fall.

Does WPI pay you to visit?
Sort of. Last cycle, admitted students who made a qualifying in-person visit in the spring and then enrolled got a one-time $1,000 Visit Award. WPI hasn’t posted the dates for next year’s window yet.

We’re a military family. What about the GI Bill?
WPI takes part in the Yellow Ribbon Program. It puts in up to $17,500 a year, matched by the VA, for veterans at the 100% Post-9/11 benefit rate, with up to 50 awards a year. Students on active duty aren’t eligible.

Are there state grants for Massachusetts families?
Yes. MASSGrant and the Gilbert Grant ($200 to $2,500 a year) come through the FAFSA. They only appear on the aid offer after the state confirms the amount.

• Pick the intended major carefully. It decides which Scholars program your student is considered for.
• Send the good stuff. WPI welcomes project work, research, CAD designs, and summer program samples with the application.
• Ask about research early. Scholars programs promise early research access, and WPI students can join labs in their first year.

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