DoD Partnership and Compliance

Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (“WPI”) has entered into a Department of Defense (“DoD”) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with the DoD Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. The MOU underscores WPI’s commitment to comply with DoD requirements regarding institutional practices to accept tuition funds through each Military Service Tuition Assistance Program in exchange for educational services. Some of WPI’s key commitments as required by the DoD MOU are described below. 

No Incentive Payments for Student Enrollments or Securing Federal Financial Aid 

WPI does not provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive compensation based directly or indirectly on securing enrollments, or federal financial aid (including Tuition Assistance funds) to any of its employees, vendors or agents who are engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or who make decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance. For more information, see the full policy here.

No High-Pressure Recruitment Tactics 

WPI refrains from using high-pressure recruitment tactics, such as making multiple (three or more) unsolicited contacts with prospective students, including contacts by phone, email, or in-person, and does not engage in same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments.  At WPI, we firmly believe that enrollment decisions are to be made by the applicant and their family.  For more information, see the full policy here. 

Pre-Enrollment Information 

WPI directs Service members to speak with their Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within their Military Service prior to enrolling the student in the institution.   

For further information for potential undergraduate students: https://www.wpi.edu/c/enroll. 

For further information for potential graduate students: https://www.wpi.edu/admissions/graduate/application-requirements.  

Student Cohort Default Rate 

The WPI student loan Cohort Default Rate is located on the Financial Aid Loans and Financing webpage that may be accessed here.  More information may also be found on the WPI’s Data Resources website under the Common Data Set heading, accessible here.  

Points of Contact 

The DoD MOU requires WPI to designate a Point of Contact or office for academic and financial advising, including access to disability counseling, to assist Service members with completion of studies and with job search activities. The Point of Contact will assist Service members seeking information about academic counseling, financial aid counseling, and student support services, or will refer Service members to the appropriate individual/office on campus, and will have a basic understanding of the military tuition assistance program, Title IV Funding, educational benefits offered by the VA, and other institutional services available to Service Members. 

Point of Contact for Veteran Services: 

School Certifying Official 
Patrick LaRiviere 
508-831-5211 
plariviere@wpi.edu  

Point of Contact for Title IV Financial Aid: 

Executive Director, Financial Aid 
Jessica Sabourin  
508-831-5469 
jsabourin@wpi.edu  

Return of Unearned Tuition Assistance Funds 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s (“WPI”) refund policy for military tuition assistance can be found on its website entitled “Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Refund Policy and Schedule, accessible here. 

Transfer Credit Policies and Procedures 

The DoD MOU requires WPI to disclose to Service members our credit transfer agreements and policies regarding transfer credit to Service members before Service members’ enrollment. WPI maintains several transfer articulation agreements with several partner institutions.  A detailed list of those institutions is accessible here. 

WPI awards transfer credit for courses from institutions outside the listed articulation agreements following our transfer credit policies for undergraduate and graduate coursework. Full details as well as information on transfer equivalencies to date can be found here. 

Activations and Readmission of Service Members Returning to the College After Active Duty 

If a student is activated during a semester, they should contact the School Certifying Official (SCO) for next steps. 

Unless precluded by military necessity, a student must provide oral or written notice of a uniformed service obligation to the Office of Veteran Services as far in advance of their activation day as possible. 

Students returning from active service must follow the US Military Readmission Policy, located at: https://www.wpi.edu/offices/registrar/policies-procedures/returning-to-wpi.  

Financial Aid Process 

For information on the financial aid process, including the timeline for the application process, please visit: https://www.wpi.edu/admissions/financial-aid.