Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) vs United States Naval Academy (USNA)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the United States Naval Academy (USNA) are two distinct institutions of higher learning that offer unique educational experiences. WPI, a private research university, boasts a 48% acceptance rate and is renowned for its project-based learning approach, while USNA, a federal service academy, has a highly selective 10% acceptance rate and emphasizes leadership development and military training. Both institutions excel in STEM fields, with popular majors at WPI including engineering, computer science, and robotics, and popular majors at USNA including engineering, operations research, and information technology. While WPI's student body is predominantly male (63%), USNA's student body is predominantly male (80%). Additionally, WPI has a higher graduation rate (88%) compared to USNA (83%). To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more.

	United States Naval Academy	Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Overview
Location	Annapolis, Maryland	Worcester, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	94.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.4%	60.2%
Application fees		$70
SAT range	1200 - 1420	N/A
ACT range	26 - 32	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	69.0%
Students submitting ACT score	48.0%
Total number of applicants	16,265	11,092
Total number of admissions given out	1,374	6,679
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,183	1,410
Yield rate	86.1%	21.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price		$74,271
Average net price		$48,230
Tuition		$54,640
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $9,250 Meal plan: $7,030
Available payment plans		Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		98.0% Average amount $23,821
Students receiving federal student loan		51.0% Average amount $5,212
Students taking out private loans		39.0% Average amount $13,871

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,528 Men 71.3% Women 28.7%	5,224 Men 60.3% Women 39.7%
Graduate students	N/A	2,006 Men 68.8% Women 31.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	92.6%	N/A
International students	1.3%	13.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,667	2,508
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Maryland Virginia Florida	Connecticut New York New Hampshire New Jersey Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Social Sciences Military Technologies Physical Science English Language and Literature	Engineering Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Business Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	N/A	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.3%	87.2%
Dropout rate	8.7%	12.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,634 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $127,598 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,509 Year 2: $96,405 Year 3: $113,831 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $86,601 Year 2: $95,207 Year 3: $109,222 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,114 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $101,375 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,644 Year 2: $79,598 Year 3: $91,716 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,311 Year 2: $78,814 Year 3: $91,318 Engineering, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,688 Year 3: $91,034 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,720 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $82,909 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,868 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $81,510 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,310 Year 2: $72,507 Year 3: $80,789

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) vs United States Naval Academy (USNA)

United States Naval Academy

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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