HEAD-TO-HEAD · 30-YEAR ROI

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute vs Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute clears +$2.99M in 30-year net value, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute +$2.80M — both pay off, Worcester Polytechnic Institute by +$184K.

Two cross-admit private universities at the tuition they charge everyone (in-state and out-of-state are identical at a private). Same sticker, same admit pool — a clean head-to-head.

IPEDS 2023 tuition · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · their (identical) published tuition · same model as /worth-it · both schools NPV-positive.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Troy, NY

30-year net value
+$2.80M
Total cost of attendance
$317,656
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$94,954
Breaks even by age
36

Worcester Polytechnic Institute · Worcester, MA

clears more

30-year net value
+$2.99M
Total cost of attendance
$307,768
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$95,952
Breaks even by age
35
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Each school runs through the /worth-it model at its published tuition (identical in-state and out-of-state at a private), with the same loan assumptions, the same 30-year horizon, and each state’s own cost-of-living. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of the degree over that horizon, in real dollars — the same figure the calculator headlines.

We only publish pairs where both schools clear positive net value, so the comparison is “both pay off, one clears more,” never “this school is a bad bet.” Earnings are rolled up from at least three FREOPP programs per school (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t distort the number.

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute vs Worcester Polytechnic Institute: 30-year ROI head-to-head.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/compare/rpi-vs-wpi

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Questions

Is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute or Worcester Polytechnic Institute a better return on investment?
On a 30-year net-value basis at their (identical) published tuition, Worcester Polytechnic Institute clears +$2.99M and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute +$2.80M — both are solidly positive, so neither is a bad bet; Worcester Polytechnic Institute comes out ahead by +$184K. Figures from IPEDS 2023 tuition, FREOPP 2021 earnings, and BEA 2023 cost-of-living, run through the same model as the LE TEEN calculator.
How much more does Worcester Polytechnic Institute pay off than Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
About +$184K over a 30-year horizon (+$2.99M vs +$2.80M in projected net value). That gap reflects each school's net price and its graduates' median earnings — not a judgment that either degree fails to pay off, since both clear positive.
What is the 30-year net value of a degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute?
+$2.80M at their (identical) published tuition — total cost of attendance $317,656, median earnings ten years out $94,954, breaking even around age 36. Run your own assumptions on the /worth-it calculator.