Policies

All full time students are expected to register and enroll in the equivalent of 36 credits (12 classes) each academic year*.   

A student must pass a minimum of 24 academic credits each academic year (A through D term) to keep the same level of WPI institutional funding for the following academic year. 

AP courses, transfer credit, incomplete grades or extensions are not counted in the number of credits passed.  The student is responsible for resolving any incomplete grades with the faculty member assigning the grade.

If a student does not meet the minimum number of academic credits required in an academic year (A-D term), their WPI merit based scholarships will be reviewed and a percentage of their merit scholarship may be reduced based on the number of courses they did not pass.

Reductions to WPI merit-based scholarships begin at having passed only 21 credits, which results in a 5% decrease in funding.  WPI merit-based scholarships will continue to be reduced by 5% for every 3 credits not passed.* 

*There are exceptions for students on an approved reduced course load, participating in a Co-Op experience, or returning from a Leave of Absence, for example. 

For retention of federal and/or state financial aid funding, please refer to the Federal SAP section below.

All full time students are expected to register and enroll in twelve 36 credits per academic year *. 

Students  must pass a minimum of 24 academic credits to keep the same level of funding the following year. 

Please note that AP courses, transfer credit, incompletes or extensions cannot be counted in the number of credits passed.  The student is responsible for resolving any incomplete grades with the faculty member assigning the grade. 

All need-based scholarship awards administered by WPI are available as credits against charges incurred during the normal academic year (terms A through D): half for terms A and B and half for terms C and D. 

Scholarships, other than global scholarships, may not be used as credit against charges during term E (summer session). 

In addition to conditions itemized above, scholarships are available for the shorter of two periods: sixteen terms of enrollment or until the end of the billing period in which your undergraduate degree is completed. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits per semester to be eligible for WPI need-based scholarships and grants (there are exceptions for participation in a Co-Op experience or students returning from a leave of absence). No combination of WPI scholarship awards may exceed tuition.

WPI merit scholarships will not increase or decrease based on changes to a student’s financial need.  However, a student’s merit scholarship will decrease or be eliminated if a student does not pass a minimum of 24 academic credits per year. If this occurs, a student must first appeal to the Office of Financial Aid.  The appeal should include an academic plan, and will be reviewed prior to reinstatement of scholarships/grants.

All WPI merit-based scholarship awards administered by WPI are available as credits against charges incurred during the normal academic year (terms A through D): half for terms A and B and half for terms C and D. 

Scholarships may not be used as credit against charges during term E (summer session). 

In addition to conditions itemized above, scholarships are available for the shorter of two periods: sixteen terms of enrollment or until the end of the billing period in which your undergraduate degree is completed. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits per semester to be eligible for WPI merit scholarship aid (there are exceptions for participation in a Co-OP experience or students returning from a leave of absence). No combination of WPI scholarship awards may exceed tuition.

Students awarded WPI Merit based funds and then withdraw from WPI, (officially or unofficially, see Registrar's website for withdrawal and leave policies) will NOT be eligible to receive the merit funds if they are readmitted to WPI more than 1 year after their date of last enrollment at WPI.  Students taking a leave of absence will NOT be eligible to receive the merit funds if they do not return to WPI within maximum time allotted by the leave of absence (which may be more than a year).

If your situation extends beyond the timelines listed above please contact our office for further discussion.

If a student is not on academic probation or suspension, but has lost a portion of their merit scholarship(s), they may petition to receive their WPI funding by completing the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Financial Aid Appeal Form.

If a student is placed on Academic Probation by the WPI Registrar’s Office, they may petition to receive their WPI funding by completing the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Financial Aid Appeal Form and submitting it by the deadlines listed on the form.

If a student is placed on Suspension by the WPI Registrar’s Office, they must first appeal to the University Registrar and follow the appropriate suspension guidelines. If a student is allowed to return to WPI, they may petition to receive their WPI funding by completing the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Financial Aid Appeal Form and submitting it by the deadlines listed on the form.

If a student earns additional credits during E Term, which may improve their Federal SAP, please email finaid@wpi.edu at the end of E Term to alert the office.

If a student NR’s additional courses during E Term, and if the student has Title IV (federal) funding, they may be subject to a loss of federal funding and will need to submit an appeal to finaid@wpi.edu.

If a student takes an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence, or is suspended during the semester, tuition, fees, room, and board charges will be prorated per WPI’s Withdrawal and Refund Policy.

The following items will not be reduced: health insurance fees, health and wellness fee, student life fees, new student fee and other general student fees.

The recalculation of each student’s financial aid package will be unique and is dependent on many factors (e.g., time of withdrawal, charges incurred, and financial aid package components). 

Leaving WPI because of an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence or suspension may have an impact on your financial aid package.  Early notification to the WPI Registrar’s Office will help ensure that your financial aid is appropriately recalculated, and that any required adjustments are made to your student account as soon as possible. Leave of absence refers to the WPI leave of absence, not federal.

Adjustment to Charges (Tuition & Fees; Room & Board)

If a student takes an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence, or is suspended during the semester, tuition, fees, room, and board charges will be prorated per WPI’s Withdrawal and Refund Policy.

The following items will not be reduced: health insurance fees, health and wellness fee, student life fees, new student fee and other general student fees.

Adjustment to Financial Aid

In general, an official/approved withdrawal, leave of absence, or suspension will result in a reduction to a student’s financial aid package (including WPI, federal and/or state funding):

• Federal Funds:  If federal funds are required to be returned to the Federal Department of Education, they will be returned before any other forms of aid and in the following order per federal guidelines: Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan, Subsidized Federal Direct Loan, Federal PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants.
• Institutional Financial Aid:  All WPI institutional financial aid (e.g., WPI grants, scholarships, and institutional loans) will be prorated based on the tuition refund schedule for withdrawal during a semester.
• State Funding:  State funding regulations vary, and any adjustments will be performed in accordance with the specific requirements of the sponsoring state.

The student will receive notification from the Office of Financial Aid when the adjustments to their charges and financial aid are complete.

Early Degree Completion is only available to Undergraduate Students.  Undergraduate students completing 100% of WPI graduation requirements by the end of A-term or C-term will be eligible for a 50% adjustment of tuition for the semester of completion.  Eligible students must complete the Undergraduate Application for Early Degree Completion form available on the Registrar’s Office website and submit it by the end of B-term (for C-term completion) or D-term (for A-term completion).  Please ensure you have read and fully understand the policies set forth in that form and discuss any questions with the appropriate office(s) (Registrar, Bursar, Housing & Residential Experience, or Financial Aid) before submitting the form.

Qualified students receiving financial aid from WPI will retain 50% of any WPI scholarships (merit and need based), and their loan eligibility will be reviewed on an individual basis.  Federal and State Grants that require full time enrollment (minimum of 12 credits per semester) may also be impacted by an early completion.

Aid adjustments may not be fully complete until after the Add/Drop period for A or C terms as some Federal and State aid requires confirmation of enrollment before aid can be adjusted.  Adjustments after Add/Drop may result in a balance due for the semester depending on the types of adjustments that need to be made.

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress, mandates that institutions of higher education monitor the academic progress of students who receive federal financial aid. Recipients of both federal (Title IV) and state financial aid funds must maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward their degrees in order to remain eligible for financial aid assistance.

Federal Financial Aid SAP is defined both qualitatively and quantitatively. Federal regulations state that the SAP standards for students receiving Title IV aid must be the same as or more strict than the school’s standards for a student enrolled in the same educational program who is not receiving Title IV aid.

WPI’s Academic SAP standards differ from its Federal Financial Aid SAP standards. For more information on WPI’s Academic SAP policies, please visit the WPI Registrar's Office page.

WPI has established the following minimum standards to be eligible for and continue to receive federal and state financial aid. This policy reflects the changes to federal regulations that are effective as of July 1, 2011.

In order to assist the student, parents, and the academic advisor in determining whether a student is making federal financial aid satisfactory academic progress, WPI has adopted the following guidelines: Federal Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will be reviewed at the end of the academic year (term D) and is based on the student meeting qualitative and quantitative criteria.

Students need to meet all three criteria listed below in order to maintain Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

• Students must maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA, which will be reviewed at the end of each academic year.
• NR grades are not included in the GPA

Students must earn a cumulative minimum of 66.67% of the cumulative credits they attempt at the end of each academic year (term D).

• Students must complete their degree program within a 150% of the published program length.
• For federal aid purposes, students who do not attain their WPI Bachelor's Degree after 202.50 credits (150% x 135 credits) will no longer be eligible to apply for federal financial aid funding.

Withdrawals, NR grades, incomplete courses, and transfer course work are not counted towards the qualitative portion of the SAP review. Quantitative - A grade of A, B, C, and SP, transfer coursework, courses taken during the summer term, and repeated courses (only allowed once) are counted towards classes passed (earned).

Withdrawals, NR grades, incomplete courses, repeated courses, course taken during the WPI summer term, and transfer course work are counted towards attempted hours in the Federal Financial Aid SAP review

• Courses transferred to WPI are counted as both passed (credits earned) and attempted classes when measuring pace (quantitative measure). These classes are not counted as part of the qualitative SAP measure
• Counted in next evaluation period following receipt and review of transcript
• Admitted transfers are considered SAP eligible initially

• WPI does not accept remedial transfer credit hours and does not include remedial coursework in # classes passed.

• Incomplete grades will be considered as an NR grade when calculating the GPA for qualitative component of the SAP and as attempted classes when calculating the Pace component of Federal Financial Aid SAP.
• If/when incomplete grades are assigned a grade of A, B, C, or SP, the SAP measures will be adjusted for the term in which the class was taken.
• It is the student’s responsibility to notify the WPI Office of Financial Aid of any grade change after the review period.

• Students may repeat a passed course only one time to improve the grade. This repeated class will be included in the Federal Financial Aid SAP review.
• A passed course that has been taken more than once to improve the grade will not count in the enrollment status for federal financial aid purposes and will not be included in the Federal Financial Aid SAP review.

• After the add/drop period has ended for each term, any class in which a student no longer attends (and receives an NR grade) will be counted as attempted classes in determining Federal Financial Aid SAP.

• Federal Financial Aid SAP regulations do not recognize any provision for academic amnesty. All academic course work must be included in determining Federal Financial Aid SAP taken anytime a student is enrolled at WPI.
• When a student officially or unofficially withdraws from WPI, all classes showing as attempted will be included in the Federal Financial Aid SAP review.

At the end of the academic year (end of term D), if Financial Aid SAP standards have been met, students will be eligible to apply for financial aid funds for the upcoming academic year.

At the end of the academic year (end of term D), if Federal Financial Aid SAP standards have not been met, students will be sent notification by the WPI Office of Financial Aid informing them they have been placed on Federal Financial Aid Suspension due to not meeting Federal Financial Aid SAP standards.

The notification will include information concerning the loss of federal and state financial aid for the upcoming enrollment period (academic year) due to failure to meet the Federal Financial Aid SAP minimum standards as well as explain the financial aid appeal process.

If the student is placed on Federal Financial Aid Suspension, an appeal process is available for those students who had a personal injury or illness, death of a relative, or believe they had other mitigating circumstances that affected their ability to meet Federal Financial Aid SAP standards. Students can obtain the SAP Financial Aid Appeal Form by visiting the WPI Office of Financial Aid or downloading the form from the WPI Office of Financial Aid Forms page.

Step One: Students who choose to follow the appeal process must:

• Submit SAP Financial Aid Appeal Form to the WPI Financial Aid Appeal Committee (mail to WPI Office of Financial Aid) by the stated deadline date
• Student must state why he or she was placed on Federal Financial Aid Suspension (i.e. failed to meet Federal Financial Aid SAP requirements).
• Student must state what has changed so that he or she will improve his/her academic performance (i.e. meet Federal Financial Aid SAP at the next review).

Step Two: WPI Financial Aid Appeal Committee will:

• Review the SAP Financial Aid Appeal Form
• Send results of appeal decision to the student
• Approved appeals include:
  • Approval and terms of reinstatement of federal financial aid eligibility
  • Requirement to meet Federal Financial Aid SAP in next enrollment period (semester) or requirement to follow an academic plan over an extended period of time
  • Consequences for not meeting terms of approval
  • Approved appeals will result in federal financial aid being awarded for the enrollment period
• Denied appeals include:
  • Reasons for denial
  • What the student must do to meet Federal Financial Aid SAP
  • Denied appeals will not be awarded federal financial aid until Federal Financial Aid SAP is met

Step Three: Students must continue to meet terms, as established, until Federal Financial Aid SAP is met in order to continue receiving federal financial aid on a probationary basis. Once Federal Financial Aid SAP is met, students are no longer considered to be on Federal Financial Aid Probation. Failure to maintain Federal Financial Aid SAP in a subsequent semester will result in the student being placed on Federal Financial Aid Suspension for the upcoming enrollment period (semester).

The U.S. Higher Education Act require universities participating in federally funded financial aid programs to make certain information about the institution is available to current and prospective students and other interested parties. This page aggregates links to a wide range of such information available online from a variety of sources on campus. This list is still a work in progress and links will be edited and updated as information becomes available.

Students who have their SAP Financial Aid Appeal approved are placed on Federal Financial Aid Probation and may apply for federal financial aid funding for the semester in which they are on Federal Financial Aid Probation. Continuation of federal financial aid while on Financial Aid Probation is contingent on the student successfully meeting Federal Financial Aid SAP standards and/or an academic plan of action provided with the approved appeal.

Federal regulations require students who are receiving financial aid to make deliberate and measurable progress toward your degree in order to continue to receive financial aid. This requirement is referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress or SAP.

WPI will monitor your academic progress to ensure that you maintain a minimum cumulative GPA and make steady progress toward degree completion. This policy applies to federal and state aid. Students who do not meet the SAP requirements may lose their financial aid eligibility. If extenuating circumstances led to your noncompliance, you may submit an appeal to the Office of Financial Aid.

Only students with a current year FAFSA on file will be evaluated. If you do not have a current FAFSA on file, you will not be evaluated until a FAFSA is received for the upcoming academic year. The SAP review is based on the entire academic record, even if you did not receive financial aid for previous semesters of enrollment.

WPI measures your academic performance, in relation to financial aid, based on three standards: grade point average (GPA), pace, and maximum timeframe.

Refer to the WPI Registrar’s page for the school’s academic standing definitions and policies.

To be eligible for financial aid, Graduate students must comply with the following requirements:

Maintain a 3.0 minimum cumulative grade point average. In the event that your program of study requires a higher GPA, it will supersede the minimum in this policy

Students must earn a cumulative minimum of 66.67% of the cumulative credits they attempt at the end of each academic year (term D).

Earn your degree within the timeframe and maximum credits established in the Academic Regulations and Policies as specified in the graduate catalogue.

Satisfactory academic progress is evaluated annually in June.  Students who fail to meet the minimum SAP standards will be notified electronically via your WPI email account.

The SAP policy applies to financial aid eligibility; it does not impact registration or academic standing.  It is separate from the academic standard required by the University for continued enrollment.

Students not meeting the minimum SAP requirements have the right to petition the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee to have their aid reinstated when extenuating circumstances exist. Circumstances which are considered extenuating are those which are unusual or unforeseen at the beginning of the enrollment period such as death of a relative, injury, illness, family or financial difficulties.  An appeal may not be based upon the need for assistance or lack of knowledge that assistance was in jeopardy. The committee will review the appeal and notify the student of their decision in writing at your WPI email account.

• Graduate student SAP Appeal Form
• Appeals must be in writing using the form above and include an explanation of why you were unable to meet the SAP requirements, and the circumstances that have changed which would allow you to make SAP at the next evaluation. You may include supporting documents. 
• You must also meet with your academic advisor to create an academic plan.  This plan must demonstrate that, if followed, you will be meeting SAP standards at the next evaluation or by a specified point in time. This plan must be presented with your appeal letter.
• Written appeals must be filed within 30 days of notification or prior to the last day of add/drop for the semester in which aid is desired, whichever comes first.
• Appeal documentation can be scanned and emailed to finaid@wpi.edu.

Students should not assume that a SAP appeal will be approved and must accept responsibility for paying tuition and fees if the appeal is denied. SAP Appeals Committee decisions are final and may not be appealed to another source. Students may submit one appeal.

The law specifies how your school must determine the amount of Title IV program assistance that you earn if you withdraw from school.  The Title IV programs that are covered by this law are Federal Pell Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, TEACH Grants, Direct Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs).

Though your aid is posted to your account at the start of each period, you earn the funds as you complete the period. If you withdraw during your payment period or period of enrollment (your school can define these for you and tell you which one applies to you), the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula.  If you received (or your school or parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or you.

The amount of assistance that you have earned is determined on a pro rata basis.  For example, if you completed 30% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive.  Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period.

If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement.  If your post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, your school must get your permission before it can disburse them.  You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt.  Your school may automatically use all or a portion of your post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition, fees, and room and board charges (as contracted with the school).  The school needs your permission to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other institutional charges.  If you do not give your permission (some schools ask for this when you enroll), you will be offered the funds. However, it may be in your best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the school.

There are some Title IV funds that you were scheduled to receive that cannot be disbursed to you once you withdraw because of other eligibility requirements.  For example, if you are a first-time, first-year undergraduate student and you have not completed the first 30 days of your program before you withdraw, you will not receive any Direct Loan funds that you would have received had you remained enrolled past the 30th day.  If you receive (or your school or parent receive on your behalf) excess Title IV program funds that must be returned, your school must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of 1) your institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of your funds, or 2) the entire amount of excess funds.  The school must return this amount even if it didn’t keep this amount of your Title IV program funds.  If your school is not required to return all of the excess funds, you must return the remaining amount.

For any loan funds that you must return, you (or your parent for a Direct PLUS Loan) repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note.  That is, you make scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.

Any amount of unearned grant funds that you must return is called an overpayment.  The maximum amount of a grant overpayment that you must repay is half of the grant funds you received or were scheduled to receive.  You do not have to repay a grant overpayment if the original amount of the overpayment is $50 or less.  You must make arrangements with your school or the Department of Education to return the unearned grant funds.

The requirements for Title IV program funds when you withdraw are separate from any refund policy that your school may have.  Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges.  Your school may also charge you for any Title IV program funds that the school was required to return.  If you don’t already know your school’s refund policy, you should ask your school for a copy.  Your school can also provide you with the requirements and procedures for officially withdrawing from school.

If you have questions about your Title IV program funds, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. Information is also available on Student Aid on the Web at https://studentaid.gov/.