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WPI Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

82% 4-Year Graduation Rate
89% 6-Year Graduation Rate
95% Retention Rate

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding WPI retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.

WPI Retention Rate

95% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate applies to first-time / full-time students who come back for their second year.

With 95% students making it past their freshmen year, WPI has freshmen retention rates above the national average.

Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.

When looking at just colleges and universities in Massachusetts, the average is 73.02%.

WPI Retention  95 out of 100
0%
100%
Massachusetts Retention  73 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
WPI95%
Nationwide70.57%
Massachusetts73.02%

WPI Graduation Rates

89% 6-Year Graduation Rate
9.64% Transfer Rate
1.12% Dropout Rate

How many of the estimated 946 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?

82% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 89% in six years, and 89% in eight years.

The official graduation rate of WPI is 89%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.

How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at WPI? The standard length of time for most students is 4.09 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  82%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  89%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  89%
0%
100%

WPI Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years87082%
Six Years94689%
Eight Years40%
Did Not Complete11711%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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WPI Drop Out Rate

Approximately 117 students or 11% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 117 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled21.7%
Transferred10388.0%
Dropped Out1210.3%

WPI Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native100%
Asian85%
Black / African-American81%
Hispanic77%
International93%
Multi-Ethnic83%
Unknown86%
White91%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years. Some schools cater to mostly traditional students while others cater to 'non-traditional' students. So called 'non-traditional' students include part-time students or those who may be returning after an absense. It is common for part-time and/or adult students to take longer to graduate.

Traditional Students:

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.

Non-Traditional Students:

Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.

The majority of students at WPI are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Examining the graduation rates of the specific cohorts shown below may be more revealing than looking at the overall graduaton rates.

First-Time / Full-Time WPI Graduation Rates

94% First-Time, Full-Time
89% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute represent 94% of the students in the class of 2015, and 94.50% of WPI bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 82%, first-time students in the WPI class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the WPI graduation rate was 89%, and by the eight year mark, 89% of the cohort had completed their degree.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  82 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  89 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  89 out of 100
0%
100%

WPI First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsWPINationwide
Four Years82%37.92%
Six Years89%46.43%
Eight Years89%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time WPI Drop Out Rates

110 first-time / full-time students or 11% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled21.82%
Transferred10191.82%
Dropped Out76.36%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on WPI first-time, part-time students.

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

5% Returning, Full-Time
89% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

56 WPI students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 5.24% of the students in the class of 2015.

Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.

With a six year graduation rate of 89%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 89%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  89 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  89 out of 100
0%
100%

WPI Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsWPINationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years89%53.83%
Eight Years89%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time WPI Drop Out Rates

6 non first-time / part-time students or 11% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred233.33%
Dropped Out466.67%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

0% Returning, Part-Time
67% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

3 WPI students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.28% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 67%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 67%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  67 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  67 out of 100
0%
100%

WPI Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsWPINationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years67%36.03%
Eight Years67%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time WPI Drop Out Rates

1 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred00.00%
Dropped Out1100.00%

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