by our College Data Analytics TeamMake 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.
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%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| WPI | 95% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Massachusetts | 73.02% |
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.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 870 | 82% |
| Six Years | 946 | 89% |
| Eight Years | 4 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 117 | 11% |
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?
2 are still enrolled.
103 transferred to another institution.
WPI lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.7% |
| Transferred | 103 | 88.0% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 10.3% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 100% |
| Asian | 85% |
| Black / African-American | 81% |
| Hispanic | 77% |
| International | 93% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 83% |
| Unknown | 86% |
| White | 91% |
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 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.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | WPI | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 82% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 89% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 89% | 47.82% |
110 first-time / full-time students or 11% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
101 transferred to another institution.
WPI lost contact with the remaining 7 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.82% |
| Transferred | 101 | 91.82% |
| Dropped Out | 7 | 6.36% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on WPI first-time, part-time students.
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.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | WPI | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 89% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 89% | 55.07% |
6 non first-time / part-time students or 11% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
2 transferred to another institution.
WPI lost contact with the remaining 4 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 2 | 33.33% |
| Dropped Out | 4 | 66.67% |
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.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | WPI | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 67% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 67% | 37.80% |
1 non first-time / part-time students or 33% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
0 transferred to another institution.
WPI lost contact with the remaining 1 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 0 | 0.00% |
| Dropped Out | 1 | 100.00% |
