Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) vs University of Maryland-College Park (UMD)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) are two esteemed institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. WPI, a private research university, boasts a strong focus on project-based learning and hands-on experiences, while UMD, a public research university, is renowned for its extensive academic offerings and vibrant campus life. With acceptance rates of 48% and 43%, respectively, both universities are moderately selective. WPI's student body is predominantly male (63%), while UMD's is more evenly distributed (52% male, 48% female). Engineering and computer science are popular majors at WPI, while UMD offers a wider range of disciplines, including business, engineering, and life sciences. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with WPI's at 88% and UMD's at 86%. To help you make an informed decision, we'

	University of Maryland-College Park	Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Overview
Location	College Park, 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 and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.0%	60.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75	$70
SAT range	1330 - 1510	N/A
ACT range	30 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	9.0%
Total number of applicants	50,183	11,092
Total number of admissions given out	26,109	6,679
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,072	1,410
Yield rate	23.3%	21.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,997 Out of state: $58,678	$74,271
Average net price	$17,146	$48,230
Tuition	In state: $9,000 Out of state: $36,681	$54,640
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,072 Meal plan: $5,578	Room/dormitory: $9,250 Meal plan: $7,030
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	56.0% Average amount $10,645	98.0% Average amount $23,821
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $5,065	51.0% Average amount $5,212
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $22,924	39.0% Average amount $13,871

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	30,922 Men 50.8% Women 49.2%	5,224 Men 60.3% Women 39.7%
Graduate students	10,350 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%	2,006 Men 68.8% Women 31.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	29.5%	N/A
International students	10.3%	13.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	11,846	2,508
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia	Connecticut New York New Hampshire New Jersey Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Education Computer and Information Science Social Sciences	Engineering Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Business Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.7%	87.2%
Dropout rate	4.0%	12.2%
Transferred out	7.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,765 Year 2: $106,102 Year 3: $116,295 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $125,155 Year 2: $112,923 Year 3: $112,074 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,533 Year 2: $94,112 Year 3: $102,555 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,018 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,716 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,727 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $99,501 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,899 Year 3: $92,830 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,418 Year 2: $80,466 Year 3: $92,230 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,675 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $83,667 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,798 Year 2: $71,761 Year 3: $82,867 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,391 Year 2: $66,485 Year 3: $82,784	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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