Financial Aid Eligibility

The Office of Financial Aid packages financial aid to students who demonstrate financial need (except for Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans and all PLUS Loans). When you complete the FAFSA, the information you report is used in a formula, established by the U.S. Congress, that calculates your Student Aid Index (SAI), prior to 2024-25 this is the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The SAI is used as a guideline to determine what financial aid you are eligible to receive.

There isn't a maximum SAI that defines eligibility for other financial aid programs. Instead, your SAI is used in an equation to determine your financial need:

Cost of Attendance - Student Aid Index (SAI) = Financial Need;

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is the maximum amount of funds that may be borrowed in an academic period. Please note this is not the amount you will be paying on your tuition bill.

Each school determines its own COA. This figure includes direct costs and indirect costs.

Direct costs are for goods and services that you pay directly to the school and are found on your Wentworth bill. Examples of direct costs are tuition, on-campus housing and meal plan.

Indirect costs are for goods and services that you may incur while attending school and are not paid to Wentworth. Examples of indirect costs are travel expenses, books and supplies, off-campus housing and personal expenses.

The amount will vary depending on whether you plan to live on campus or commute from home. Because each school has a different cost of attendance, your financial need will vary from school to school.

The information below reflects the 2024- 25 annual direct(billable) costs to attend Wentworth. Bills are generated on a semester basis.

Full-time Day Student living on campus
Fall and Spring- 12+ credits per semester

Tuition: $41,984 per year
Technology Fee: $600 per year

Comprehensive Fee: $300 per year

Food and Housing: $19,302 (average per year)
Total: $62,186 per year

Part-time Graduate Commuter Student
Fall, Spring, and Summer- 6+ credits per semester

Tuition: $22,680 per year (3 semesters)
Total: $22,680 per year

Depending upon living arrangements and course of study, students should plan to budget an additional estimated $3,250 - $6,050 annually to cover books/supplies, personal and/or travel expenses. These additional costs will be considered when awarding your financial aid.

Food and housing estimates pertain to students living on-campus. Students living off-campus will not have food or housing charges appear on their bill unless they signed an on-campus meal plan contract. The on-campus estimate for Food  & Housing was based on students is based on an average costs of all available room options and the highest available meal plan. If there is a credit on your bill, it may be used to pay for your off-campus housing. If you are living off campus, your estimated Food & Housing for packaging purposes is $19,302.

Graduate Commuter student tuition is based on 18 credits for the year in the Master of Science in Construction Management program.

At the discretion of the Institute, tuition and fees are subject to change at any time.

For institutional aid, such as the Presidential Merit Scholarship, students need to maintain the cumulative GPA requirements to retain eligibility for their scholarships in subsequent years and be enrolled full-time. If conditions are not met in any year, the scholarship may no longer be renewable. Students who fail to meet the requirements can complete a Merit Appeal form.

Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average Required For Scholarships

Undergraduates: 2.0 Cumulative GPA (unrounded)

Graduates: 3.0 Cumulative GPA (unrounded)

President Scholarships are applied toward tuition charges only. In any semester where tuition charges are covered by another scholarship, third-party payment, or agency,  the President Scholarships will be canceled for that semester.

The Financial Aid office is required by federal regulations to periodically review the academic progress of financial aid recipients to ensure that they are moving towards the completion of their program of study.

A student is considered to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) if the student meets both the qualitative and quantitative standards described below.

Qualitative Standard

A student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average as noted below to be considered as making satisfactory academic progress.

Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average Required

Undergraduate 
Total Credits Earned: 0-31    Cumulative GPA -- 1.75
Total Credits Earned: 32+    Cumulative GPA – 2.0

Graduate
Total Credits Earned: 0-31    Cumulative GPA – 3.0
Total Credits Earned: 32+    Cumulative GPA – 3.0

Aid Eligible Certificate Programs
Total Credits Earned: 0-9    Cumulative GPA – 1.75
Total Credits Earned: 10+    Cumulative GPA – 2.0

A student must successfully complete at least 66.67% of the total credits attempted. All attempted credits resulting in either an academic grade or administrative transcript notation may be included in the quantitative calculation.

For example, a student who enrolled and attempted 18 credits in the semester must earn at least 12 credits to be making satisfactory academic progress.

In general, coursework that is taken while in attendance at Wentworth Institute of Technology and applies to the student's academic program is taken into account when reviewing satisfactory academic progress (SAP). However, there are some exceptions. Please refer to the table below for a breakdown of how each type of course or credit is treated in the review.

Type of Course: Regular courses in a program of study
Cumulative GPA: Y
Completion Rate: Y
Maximum Timeframe: Y

Type of Course: Repeat Courses
Cumulative GPA: Y
Completion Rate: Y
Maximum Timeframe: Y

Type of Course: Transfer Credits
Cumulative GPA: N
Completion Rate: Y
Maximum Timeframe: Y

Type of Course: Consortium Credits
Cumulative GPA: N
Completion Rate: Y
Maximum Timeframe: Y

Type of Course: Incompletes
Cumulative GPA: N
Completion Rate: Y
Maximum Timeframe: Y

Type of Course: Pass/Fail
Cumulative GPA: N
Completion Rate: Y
Maximum Timeframe: Y

Type of Course: Remedial
Cumulative GPA: Y
Completion Rate: Y
Maximum Timeframe: Y

Maximum Timeframe

A student may receive student federal aid for any attempted credits towards their program of study as long as those credits do not exceed 150% of the published length of the student's program of study. For example, a student enrolled in an eligible 138 credit baccalaureate program can receive financial aid for up to 207 credits attempted.

• When is my academic progress reviewed? -- At the end of each semester SAP is reviewed and students notified in the following 3 weeks.
• Are there warning periods? -- Yes, there is one warning period during which you will still receive aid while you attempt to regain eligibility. We strongly recommend meeting with your advisor to develop a success plan.
• Is there an appeal process? – Yes. Students can appeal through the online form system and receive a link to their university email of how to appeal and when the deadline is.
• Can I regain financial aid eligibility once I lose it? – Yes. You can regain financial aid eligibility by improving your grades or completion rate to be in alignment with the requirements. You will be reviewed at the end of each semester for federal aid eligibility for the following semester.
• Satisfactory Academic Progress Plan -- Must be completed with an advisor.

Academic Periods Included in the Review

A student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will be evaluated each semester at the end of the payment period and for all periods of enrollment regardless of whether or not Financial Aid was received. Students who meet SAP standards will be coded as making satisfactory academic progress and will retain eligibility for financial assistance funds for the following semester.

Students who do not meet SAP standards will be placed on SAP Warning for one semester. Students placed on SAP Warning will retain their eligibility for Student Federal Aid during the warning semester. The student will be notified of a SAP warning by email to their WIT email address followed by a letter to their permanent address.

At the end of the warning period, SAP standards will be reviewed. If the student meets SAP standards, they will once again be coded as making satisfactory academic progress and will retain eligibility for Student Federal Aid for the following semester

If the student is unable to meet the standards for SAP, they will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will no longer be eligible to receive financial assistance funds at the institution until such time that they are able to meet the standards of SAP. The student will be notified of a SAP suspension by email to their WIT email address.

Students who become ineligible for federal student aid due to not meeting the financial assistance standards of satisfactory academic progress may appeal for a review of that determination. A student who believes he or she has extenuating circumstances that affected his or her ability to progress satisfactorily should appeal utilizing the appeal application within 30 days of the date of the letter indicating a loss of financial aid eligibility. Examples of cases that may be considered are as follows:

• Student becomes seriously ill
• Student’s relative dies
• Student is severely injured

Other cases may be considered and is reviewed on a case-by case basis. The appeal should be addressed to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee and be submitted using Student Forms. The appeal should include a fully completed appeal form, including an uploaded explanation of the student’s past academic performance, what the student has changed to become successful in the future, and the reason the student’s aid eligibility should be reinstated. The student must upload and submit an approved academic plan from their academic advisor as part of their form.

An appeal may be approved only if

• the institute determines that the student will be able to meet SAP standards after the subsequent semester; or
• the student has an approved academic plan that will ensure that the student will be able to meet SAP standards by a specific point in time or successfully complete their academic program.

Appeals will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee for reconsideration based on extenuating circumstances presented by the student. Decisions by this Committee are considered final. If the appeal is approved the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation and will have one semester (or longer if there is an approved academic plan) to meet SAP requirements and remain eligible for financial aid.

Co-op: Unsuccessfully completion of a required Co-op impacts SAP, whether the student withdraws from the Co-op or receives a ‘U’ grade. A student who does not successfully complete a required Co-op will be placed on SAP Warning or SAP Suspension depending upon the SAP standing with which the student started the semester.

Change of Program: A student who changes their academic program may request an appeal in that determination if he or she has changed programs while enrolled at their current school. All courses attempted will be evaluated for the Maximum Timeframe component.

Consortium: All courses taken at an institution other than the home institution through an official consortium are included in the calculation for completion rate and maximum timeframe components, but are excluded from the student's cumulative GPA component.

Course Withdrawal: Course withdrawal may affect a student’s eligibility for financial assistance funds.

Incompletes: All incompletes must be resolved by the midpoint of the semester following the receipt of the incomplete grade. If not resolved, the grade is either automatically changed to an F or is considered to be an F for all components of the satisfactory academic progress review. Financial assistance funds can be withheld until Incompletes are resolved.

Repeat Courses: Only the most recent grade for a course that has been repeated will count towards a student's cumulative GPA. Therefore, grades from prior attempts will be excluded from the student's cumulative GPA. However, all attempts including the most current will be included in the calculation for the completion rate and maximum timeframe components. Financial assistance funds will cover a repeated course only when it is repeated to replace an unacceptable grade as determined by a specific course and/or major.

Transfer Credits: Credits that are transferred in from another institution and apply to the most current major are not included in the student’s cumulative GPA. They will be included in the calculation for the maximum timeframe for both attempted and completed.

Remedial Course Credits: Remedial course credits attempted are included in the calculation for completion rate, cumulative GPA and maximum timeframe components. 

Pass/Fail Grades: Grades of "P" or "F" are awarded to courses with this grade scheme and carry academic credit. "P" or "F" grades do not calculate into the GPA. 

Changes in Major: When a student changes major their eligibility and maximum timeframe is evaluated based on their new major requirements, credits and grades that do not count toward the new major will not be included in the satisfactory progress calculation. 

Students who earned zero credits (all grades of W, U, WA and/or F) during a semester may be subject to the return of 50% of their federal aid. Barring the availability of information to ascertain the student’s last day of attendance at an academically related event, the university may assume the student has ceased participation in academic activities at the midpoint in the semester. The student will be responsible for any balance from the loss of funding.

Financial Aid is often pro-rated when a student is enrolled in less than 12 credits during a semester. Should you plan to enroll less than full-time, please contact your financial aid counselor to determine your eligibility for aid.

Institutional aid, such as Merit Scholarships, is not available to part-time students unless in a part-time program.

Your financial aid will be calculated based on your enrollment as of the Financial Aid Census Date. To ensure your aid is processed as you expect, it is important to finalize your course schedule before the census date.  If you have dropped or withdrawn from a course and need to swap in another course, that must be processed prior to the census date for it to be included in your enrollment.

2024-25 Academic Year Financial Aid Census Dates

• Fall 15-Week - September 19, 2024
• 1st Fall 7-Week -  September 19, 2024
• 2nd Fall 7-Week - October 15, 2024
• Spring 15-Week - January 23, 2025
• 1st Spring 7-Week - January 23, 2025
• 2nd Spring 7-Week - February 18, 2025
• Summer 15-Week - May 29, 2025
• 1st Summer 7-Week - May 29, 2025
• 2nd Summer 7-Week - June 17, 2025

2023-24 Academic Year Financial Aid Census Dates

• Fall 15-Week - September 28, 2023
• Spring 15-Week - February 1, 2024
• 1st Spring 7-Week - February 1, 2024
• 2nd Spring 7-Week - March 8, 2024
• Summer 15-Week - May 30, 2024
• 1st Summer 7-Week - May 30, 2024
• 2nd Summer 7-Week - June 27, 2024

Your Presidential or Merit scholarship can be used for up to a total of 8 semesters, only two academic semesters per academic year. Students must meet the renewal and eligibility terms to receive their scholarship. Scholarships and institutional aid designated for a student's major will be reviewed and may be forfeited if a student changes to a program with different tuition or fee structures.

Transfer students are allowed a number of semesters prorated for the amount of credits transferred in. For example, if you transfer in 15 credits, your merit scholarship can be used for up to a total of 7 semesters.

If you are graduating earlier, you will not receive both semesters in one term as the scholarship amount is allocated on a semester basis, based on enrollment.