Student Policies
Tuition & Fees: Tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate students are set by the Board of Trustees annually. All fees are mandatory. A student that may be studying away on project for a term will be charged as a full time student including all mandatory fees.
Cash in Person: Although online payments are recommended, cash payments may be made in the Bursar's Office. WPI is required to report any cash payments over a 12 month period that are received in the amount of $10,000.00 or greater via the IRS form 8300. Please have identification with you, including your government issued ID – i.e. Passport, Driver’s License and SSN (if applicable). For specific information on this regulation, please visit the IRS site. For your protection and safety, never mail cash.
Credit Card Payments: WPI does not accept credit cards over the phone or in person in the Bursar’s Office for any balance due on a student account. Credit card payments (fee applies) can be made via Workday which will link you out to Nelnet.
International Payments: Payments must use Flywire, our international payment processor. WPI will allow a student with a credit balance of up to $5,000 per semester to be refunded for living expenses directly to the student. For credits in excess of $5,000, the refund will go back through Flywire to the originating bank. If the student is not actively enrolled or registered for any credits, funds will be returned to the originating bank account. WPI will also not refund wires that exceed the number of terms a student attends at WPI, any late wires (after the student has graduated or departed WPI), all wires will be returned to the originating bank.
Refunds: Students must request a refund each semester from the Bursar’s Office using the online submission form. No refunds will be released prior to the end of the add/drop in a semester.
Refunds will be issued in the full amount available on the account; no partial refunds will be issued.
Refunds will be held for 14 days and will be sent first to the direct deposit account on file, else a paper check to the home address. Refunds may not be picked up by anyone other than the student.
Students using the monthly Nelnet payment plan, or have a pending credit from an outside agency (including the VA), are not eligible for refunds until all funds are received by WPI.
Students with federal financial aid are required to have a refund issued. If you wish us to hold these funds, you must email bursar@wpi.edu. All federal funds may be held until the end of the award year and then refunded to the student. Any Parent PLUS loan will be refunded to the parent, unless the parent has indicated on their PLUS loan application to refund the student directly.
WPI reserves the right to hold a refund if the student is not registered for sufficient credits, or if the student is in an overload status (over 21 credits).
No refund will be processed for less than $10.00, unless requested.
Outside Scholarships/Third Party Financial Support (Matriculated Students Only): WPI will extend a credit to the student account when information is sent via the Outside Scholarship Reporting Form and approved by the Bursar's Office. Credit is based upon the information received. Financial Support letters, where payment is contingent on a grade or will not be paid until the end of a semester, are not accepted. The student must pay for the class(es) and be reimbursed by the agency. In some instances WPI will bill the agency. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all funds are received by WPI. Additionally, a student will be responsible for any balance due on the student account in the event that the scholarship is rescinded or the funds are not received by WPI. The student is the responsible party for any and all charges associated with the student account. In the event that the scholarship or funds are not received, the credit will be removed from the student account and payment will be due immediately. The Bursar's Office reserves the right to place a registration hold on the student account as well as refuse future support letters and/or scholarship awards. Students with a pending scholarship credit are not eligible for a refund. Financial Guarantee/Support letters are not accepted for non-matriculated students.
Veterans Benefits: WPI will grant a credit toward a semester bill to students awaiting funds to be disbursed to WPI through Veteran’s Affairs (VA). An estimated amount will be used in determining the anticip[ated credit. If a balance due results from the estimate, the payment will need to be paid by the semester due date. Once funds are received from the VA and the student account is reviewed, the student will be responsible to pay any balance due immediately, or by the due date. Due to the complexity of estimating the funds to be received from the VA, WPI will always estimate this amount and will not guarantee any amount that we expect from the VA. No refunds will be issued with a pending credit on a student account until all funds have been received and disbursed to the student account and a credit is available. WPI fully supports the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, which was passed on 12/31/18. Sec. 103 amends US code to prevent schools from penalizing Ch. 31 or 33 students if/when the VA is late making payments. WPI policy supports and agrees to the VA recommendations of the following, while waiting for VA payments: WPI agrees to not prevent enrollment, charge a late penalty fee, require alternative or additional sources of funding or deny access to school resources. For details on the certification process and more information regarding the process, please visit the Registrar’s Office Veterans Affairs page.
ROTC Scholarship Awards: WPI will extend a credit to students awarded an ROTC scholarship based on information received. If the student becomes ineligible at any point in the semester, their award will be removed and payment for any balance due to WPI will become due immediately. The student may be subject to holds and late fees. The student is responsible for verifying their eligibility and ensuring they have completed all requirements with the ROTC Command Office.
Financial Aid: WPI will use accepted and approved financial aid as anticipated credit toward your amount due for the semester. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all requirements are met through the Financial Aid office. In the event that the aid is canceled, changed, declined, or decreased, payment to WPI will be due immediately. All private loans must be certified and approved through the Financial Aid office to be used as anticipated credit.
WPI Student Enrolled Payment Plan: WPI offers a monthly payment plan to students to assist in allowing payments to be made over several months. WPI will extend anticipated credit toward the balance due. WPI reserves the right to cancel a payment plan if the plan becomes delinquent. Additionally, if the account becomes delinquent, any balance due must be made directly to WPI and the account may be placed on hold (which prevents transcripts and registration add/drops) until the account has been cleared. WPI will impose a $20 late installment fee.
Important: NO refunds are issued on a student account credit balance with a Nelnet Payment Plan. WPI will decrease the budget accordingly. In the event that all Nelnet payments have been received by WPI and a credit balance is available due to a late disbursement of Financial Aid, a refund may be issued. Nelnet payments require a 10 business day waiting period before any refund is issued. WPI also reserves the right to hold any Nelnet credit balance for future terms.
Withdrawals: Students are responsible to officially withdraw from WPI through the Registrar's Office and refunds will be calculated based on the withdrawal date per the WPI refund policy. In the event that a student fails to officially withdraw they will be responsible for any and all tuition, fees, housing and meal plan charges, including any fines and or additional fees assessed. Never attending classes or "walking-away" will not absolve the student of these financial obligations. Consider tuition insurance for unexpected withdrawals.
Goat Bucks: Requests for adding funds to a student ID card for Goat Bucks will be limited to $1,000.00 cumulatively. Students may request additional funds to be added, if available, when the balance on the ID card is below $1,000.00. Refunds for Goat Bucks will only be available when the student graduates or leaves WPI permanently. Refunds will only be processed for $10.00 or more if funds remain on the student ID, additionally, any credit from Goat Bucks may be used to offset any charge on the student account.
Return Payments ACH/Check Payments: Students that have two ACH/Check payments returned will be restricted from using these methods. The student will need to pay with a credit card (fee applies) or submit a bank/tellers check to WPI for future payments. Additionally, an return check fee of $30 will be posted to the student account.
Graduating with a Balance Due: Students graduating with a balance due on their student account will have any balance due offset by GoatBucks remaining on the student ID. Additionally the student's transcript will not be released until all amounts have been paid and have cleared the bank. Students with a balance due will have a hold (which prevents transcripts and future registrations) placed on their student account until the account is cleared. Students may participate in all graduation activities.