PHOTO/GRANT WELKER
Andrew Palumbo, dean of admissions and financial aid at WPI
October 13, 2020
WPI drops $70 undergraduate application fee
Photo | Grant Welker
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Prospective undergraduate students interested in attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute will no longer have to pay an application fee, the college announced on Monday.
The move is intended to make the application process more accessible to those interested in receiving a STEM education. The application fee at WPI was previously $70.
“As with our work to remove other barriers to access, our decision to eliminate the application fee started with us taking a step back and considering what this admissions process is like for students and their families,” said Andrew Palumbo, WPI assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions and financial aid, in a statement. “Requiring students to pay a fee to receive an admissions decision is in direct conflict with our mission to increase access to a high-quality STEM education.”
WPI has already ceased requiring students to provide standardized test scores as part of the admissions process, and has stopped considering standardized test scores when determining financial aid packages.
After the elimination of the standardized test requirement in 2007, WPI saw the percentage of women in its undergraduate students increase from 27% to 40% between 2008 and 2019, according to WPI. The percentage of students of color also increased from 8% to 13%.
Those who have already paid the application fee this fall will be contacted for reimbursement, according to WPI.
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