Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a private technological research university based in Worcester, Massachusetts. WPI is a private technological research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, known for project-based education and academic strengths in engineering, computer science, robotics, data science, mathematics, business, life sciences, and interdisciplinary technology. The institution traces its development to 1865, and its present academic identity reflects a long pattern of growth rather than a single modern expansion. WPI was chartered in 1865 as the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science, combining John Boynton’s vision for scientific education with Ichabod Washburn’s emphasis on practical shop experience. The institution opened in 1868 and later developed the WPI Plan, a project-centered curriculum with a major global-project component. Academically, WPI supports a broad mix of undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, certificate, and interdisciplinary study. Representative undergraduate choices include Actuarial Mathematics B.S., Aerospace Engineering B.S., Applied Physics B.S., Artificial Intelligence B.S., Biochemistry B.S., Chemical Engineering B.S.. Graduate study includes options such as Aerospace Engineering M.S., Applied Mathematics M.S., Applied Physics M.S., Data Science M.S., Electrical & Computer Engineering M.S., while doctoral education extends into fields including Aerospace Engineering Ph.D., Applied Physics Ph.D., Data Science Ph.D., Electrical & Computer Engineering Ph.D.. Research spans robotics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, advanced manufacturing, materials, biomedical engineering, fire protection engineering, sustainability, life sciences, mathematics, computational science, energy, and human-robot interaction. WPI’s Worcester campus places students in a major New England education, healthcare, biotechnology, manufacturing, and technology center. Project teams, laboratories, global project centers, internships, entrepreneurship, and faculty research are central to the student experience. For current cost planning, For 2026–27, undergraduate tuition is $63,936 per year. Standard published fees for new first-year students include a $492 Student Life Fee, $810 Health and Wellness Fee, and $200 new-student orientation fee, producing $65,438 in tuition and those standard fees before housing, food, insurance, books, transportation, and other charges. These published amounts are planning figures and can change with residency, program, credit load, housing, insurance, or board action at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. WPI uses a holistic, test-optional undergraduate admissions process. The university was an early national adopter of test-optional admission and continues to evaluate students through academic preparation, context, interests, and program fit without requiring SAT or ACT results. WPI graduates and students work across engineering, software, robotics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, data, consulting, energy, healthcare, construction, and research organizations in New England and beyond. Taken together, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is best understood as an institution whose academic portfolio, research mission, student support, and regional setting are closely connected. WPI also uses certificates, accelerated pathways, online options, and other nontraditional formats to extend selected academic areas beyond the standard four-year or graduate sequence. The university’s location in Worcester gives students access to the civic, research, cultural, health, business, and public-sector networks that shape its surrounding region.