Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) awards a range of merit-based scholarships to talented students applying to its undergraduate programmes, and the good news is that most of them require no separate application at all. When you apply for admission, you are automatically considered. WPI is a private STEM-focused university in Worcester, Massachusetts, and its merit awards are designed to recognise strong academic records and specific talents, from robotics to the sciences.

Here is a clear breakdown of what WPI offers, who each award is for, and how to be considered.


Automatic Merit Scholarships (No Separate Application)

The core of WPI's merit funding is awarded automatically as part of the admissions review. You do not fill in an extra form for these; being admitted is enough to be considered.

🎓 Presidential Scholarship — WPI's flagship merit award. The amount is variable and determined during the admissions review, and it is renewable for up to four years of study. Applicants who hold an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma with a score of 40 or above are guaranteed a minimum of $25,000.

🔄 Transfer Academic Merit Scholarship — awarded automatically to transfer students on the basis of their academic record, so students joining WPI from another institution are also considered without a separate step.


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Specialty Scholarships by Field of Study

Beyond the general merit awards, WPI offers specialty scholarships tied to particular academic areas. These recognise students pursuing specific STEM disciplines, including:

🧬 Biology and Biotechnology

⚗️ CHESP (Chemical Engineering)

🧪 Chemistry and Biochemistry

🤖 Robotics


Robotics Scholarships (Separate Application Required)

WPI is world-renowned for robotics, and it runs dedicated robotics scholarships that, unlike the awards above, do require a separate application.

🏆 FIRST Robotics Scholarship — one of WPI's most significant awards. It has offered full tuition (approximately $220,000 over four years) plus three additional awards of $40,000. Eligibility has required applicants to be in their final year of high school, to be a member of a 2025-2026 FIRST programme (FRC, FTC or FGC), and to have applied to WPI for Fall 2026 entry. Important timing note: the application deadline for the Fall 2026 cycle was 23 February 2026 and has already passed, and the dates for the next cycle have not yet been released.

🎮 VEX Robotics Scholarship — WPI also runs a separate VEX Robotics award with its own application. Full current details should be confirmed directly on WPI's scholarship page.


Who Can Apply

These scholarships are open to students applying to WPI as first-year (incoming freshman) or transfer applicants. The automatic merit awards are considered as part of the standard admissions review.

🌍 A note for international applicants: eligibility for individual merit awards can vary, so international students should confirm directly with WPI which specific scholarships they qualify for before relying on any single award.

🇺🇸 US-only award to be aware of: the Great Minds Scholars Program is reserved for US students who are Pell-eligible and first-generation, so it is not open to international applicants.


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Deadline

⏳ As soon as possible!

The automatic merit scholarships are tied to your admission application, so the sooner you apply for admission, the sooner you are considered. The robotics scholarships that need a separate application run on their own cycles; the Fall 2026 FIRST deadline has passed and new dates are pending, so check the official page regularly.


Link

🔗 WPI Merit Scholarships: https://www.wpi.edu/admissions/tuition-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships-grants/wpi-merit


⚠️ Important Notice

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