Once again, WPI has announced one of the lower increases in undergraduate tuition among private colleges and universities for the upcoming academic year. For 2012-13, WPI's tuition and fees will increase by 3.4 percent, to $41,380. This marks the third year in a row that WPI has kept a tuition increase below the national average, most recently 4.5 percent.
"No price increase is ever welcome, and those of college tuition are of as much concern in the media as at the kitchen table, and even recently in President Obama's State of the Union address," WPI President Dennis Berkey said in a letter to families. "For many students and their families, the cost of higher education is the largest investment, other than for a home, they will ever make. As such, it is an investment that should be examined critically for its value, just as one would do with real property. I am proud to say that the value proposition for an undergraduate education at WPI is very strong, among the strongest in the nation."
Industry demand for WPI graduates remains high. Approximately 90% of last year’s class achieved either fulltime employment or enrollment in graduate programs within six months of graduation, and their average starting salary was $60,000. Furthermore, WPI’s career fairs have been filled to capacity with corporate recruiters, featuring such top employers as General Electric, United Technologies, Raytheon, Intel, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer, National Grid, IBM Rational, Lucent Technologies, Accenture, and Genzyme, among others.
A WPI education is, however, much more than preparation for a career. Students complete at least one-eighth of their entire coursework in the humanities and arts; they do much of their academic work in teams, learning and valuing the skills of collaboration, resourcefulness, communication, and application of knowledge to creative and important ends. They experience a vibrant campus life enriched by extensive engagements in the performing arts, hundreds of clubs and organizations, and extensive service to the campus and greater Worcester communities. They graduate with strong "twenty-first century skills; deep understanding in areas of science, engineering, and technology; and a broad education reflecting WPI's motto, "Theory and Practice."
WPI is consistently ranked among the highest in the nation for starting salaries and for offering the greatest return on investment (see Payscale.com annual rankings). The value of a WPI education was also recognized by Kiplinger's Personal Finance, which named WPI a best value in its "2011-2012 Best Value Private College" rankings. Kiplinger's placed the university 35th among all private colleges nationwide for providing high quality academics and great cost value.
