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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Worcester Polytechnic Institute Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/worcester-polytechnic-institute/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/worcester-polytechnic-institute/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/worcester-polytechnic-institute/admissions/)[Majors](/school/worcester-polytechnic-institute/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/worcester-polytechnic-institute/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does WPI cost after financial aid?

The published price leaves Worcester Polytechnic Institute aid recipients with a net cost well above that of comparable schools. The standard cost of attendance is $78,679, an average across living arrangements.

On-campus tuition and fees are $60,965, and room and board are $18,386. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $43,071, with average aid savings of $35,608 against the published price.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371; Worcester Polytechnic Institute is $15,700 above that figure. Azimuth ranks the university #1,383 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The higher peer-relative net price and low affordability rank point to the same cost concern.

The published cost of attendance at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is $78,679 (an average across living arrangements), and the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $43,071. That is $15,700 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, the average net price runs from $24,018 for families earning under $30,000 to $49,716 for those earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $25,698.

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, $2,801 above the peer median.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s move upward across the listed family-income bands: $24,018 in the lowest band, $24,452 in the next-lowest band, $32,350 in the middle band, $37,753 in the next-highest band, and $49,716 in the highest band. Pell Grants reach 11.9% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $25,698.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$24,018

**$30–48K**
$24,452

**$48–75K**
$32,350

**$75–110K**
$37,753

**$110K+**
$49,716

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$43,071**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid narrows the listed price for the average recipient, but costs remain substantially different by family-income band. Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Against a published cost of $78,679 (an average across living arrangements), average aid savings of $35,608 leave an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $43,071. The lower end of the income range has average net prices of $24,018 and $24,452, compared with $49,716 for the highest band.

This pattern shows aid is more concentrated at lower listed family incomes, though these are band averages rather than individual offers.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has a published cost of attendance of $78,679 (an average across living arrangements), with aid recipients facing markedly different prices across family-income bands. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $24,018 in the lowest family-income band, $24,452 in the lower-middle family-income band, $32,350 in the middle family-income band, $37,753 in the upper-middle family-income band, and $49,716 in the highest family-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $25,698. Azimuth ranks Worcester Polytechnic Institute #1,383 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 45% of the published cost, or $35,608 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $43,071.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371, placing the university's average net price $15,700 above that benchmark. Published tuition and fees are $60,965, so the aid offset still leaves a price above the comparable-institution median.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $27,000, and 98.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median federal debt is $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size), with the university's median $2,801 above it.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing among parent borrowers is $53,567. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

At Worcester Polytechnic Institute, federal borrowing reaches 98.3% of federal aid recipients, making debt a common part of the cost picture. Among completers with federal loans, median federal student loan debt at completion is $27,000.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $24,199; the university's median stands $2,801 above it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $53,567.

At Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the earnings picture is strong even though median debt is higher than at comparable institutions. Median earnings are $105,724 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that figure in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, provide another measure.

Graduates earn about $18,684 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios run from $72,550 in the downside case to $124,733 in the upside case, with $105,724 as the typical scenario. Median federal debt is $27,000, or $2,801 above the peer median of $24,199; that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. High earnings sit alongside debt above the peer median.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing at Worcester Polytechnic Institute was $53,567. For completers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$53,567

**Estimated parent payment**
$681/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$27,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$53,567

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$307/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$681/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$988/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $105,724, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**4.4%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=worcester-polytechnic-institute#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.