Graduation

WPI confers degrees and awards diplomas three times per year, in May, August, and December.  Commencement ceremonies for Undergraduate and Graduate students are held in May only.  

Degree Applications

In order to be considered for degree candidacy, each student MUST FILE AN APPLICATION with the Registrar's Office in accordance with respective deadlines below.  Graduate students must be registered in the semester in which the degree requirements are completed.  

Students completing 100% of WPI graduation requirements by the end of A-term or C-term will be eligible for a 50% tuition adjustment for the semester of completion. Eligible students must complete the form available in the Registrar’s Office and submit by the end of B-term (for C-term completion) or D-term (for A-term completion). Qualified students receiving financial aid from WPI will retain 50% of any WPI scholarship, and their loan eligibility will be reviewed on an individual basis. Students living in WPI housing will still be financially responsible for paying the full semester’s worth of room and board. 

Students are permitted to enroll in a maximum of 4/3 units (12 credits), excluding WPE, in either A or C term. 

Commencement Participation Policy

Graduate Students

Master’s degree graduate students who are planning to complete their final courses (maximum 6 credits) in the summer term and graduate in August are eligible to participate in the previous May Commencement ceremony. Students who have thesis or dissertation requirements remaining are not eligible. Students must be registered for all remaining requirements in the summer term by April 1 of the year they will be participating in order to be approved. Students may only participate in one ceremony per degree level. Students approved to walk will not receive their diploma, nor will the degree be conferred, at the May ceremony. They will also not be listed in the Commencement program. PhD students must complete all requirements before participating in a Commencement ceremony and are not eligible to participate in an earlier ceremony. No exceptions will be made to this policy.

Undergraduate Students

The policy for allowing certain undergraduate students who have not completed all degree requirements to participate in Commencement exercises is:

• Undergraduate students who have not met all degree requirements will be eligible to participate in Commencement exercises only if all the following are true:
  • At the end of D term, the student is within 1 unit (9 credits) of completing all requirements for graduation.
  • The student has completed at least 2 of the 3 WPI Project Requirements (HUA, IQP, and MQP).
• Undergraduate students who meet these conditions will be permitted to participate in Commencement exercises but will not receive their diploma. The names of such students will not be included in the Commencement program. The actual degree will be conferred only after all the degree requirements have been completed. The student will not be eligible to participate in any future commencement ceremonies for this degree.
• There are no exceptions to this policy.

Graduation with Honors (Undergraduate Only)

For all degree candidate students graduating from WPI after May 1, 2011, graduation honors will be determined as follows:

Graduation With High Distinction

An A or DIST grade on all four of the following:

• MQP
• IQP
• Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum 
• Eight units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).

Graduation With Distinction

A grade of A or DIST on the following criteria:

• MQP
• IQP
• Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum
• Four units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).

or a grade of A or DIST on the following criteria:

• Two of the three projects: MQP, IQP and the SUFF/ Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum
• Six units of work registered at WPI (exclusive of PE and of the MQP, IQP and the SUFF/Independent Study component of the Sufficiency or Inquiry Seminar/Practicum component of the Humanities and Arts Requirement).

Honors for Double Majors

If a student completes two majors, the student is awarded a degree with "Distinction" or "High Distinction" if the student meets the criteria above in either or both majors; if both awards are received, the degree is awarded with "High Distinction."