WPI Removes Undergraduate Application Fee
NEC member Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced it has dropped its $70 undergraduate application fee. The decision to remove the application fee is intended to make the application more accessible to prospective students interested in STEM education.
Dropping the application fee follows WPI’s removal of standardized testing requirements. The school no longer considers standardized testing in either admissions or in awarding financial aid packages. After eliminating standardized testing, WPI has seen percentages of female students and students of color increase almost twofold since 2008.
“As with our work to remove other barriers to access, our decision to eliminate the application fee started with us taking a step back and considering what this admissions process is like for students and their families,” said Andrew Palumbo, WPI assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions and financial aid, in a statement. “Requiring students to pay a fee to receive an admissions decision is in direct conflict with our mission to increase access to a high-quality STEM education.”
The New England Council commends Worcester Polytechnic Institute for increasing access to world-renowned higher education. Read more from the Worcester Business Journal.