Worcester Polytechnic Institute
What WPI says
Exact quotes from WPI’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Send the form with Part I completed to your academic advisor in the Office of Academic Advising to fill out Part II.
— wpi.edu ↗If requested before the semester starts, a leave may be for one semester; once classes have begun, it runs through the remainder of that semester and the next fall or spring semester.
— wpi.edu ↗Leaves may be renewed once for an additional semester. Submit renewal requests before your leave expires by emailing registrar@wpi.edu.
— wpi.edu ↗Undergraduate Request to Return from Leave of Absence Form Deadlines: Fall Semester: July 20th Spring Semester: November 15th Summer Session: May 1st
— wpi.edu ↗opportunities for professional experience; family or community commitments
— wpi.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- WPI appears to use a formal leave form completed with Academic Advising.
- Requesting before the semester starts looks best; a leave seems to run one semester.
- It may be renewed once; note WPI's 7-week terms.
- Reasons accepted: any personal reason.
- Time away allowed: 1 semester, renewable once.
- Classes start Jan 13.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Student founder community
- CEO Club (Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization) ↗Student club for aspiring founders and business leaders, listed on WPI's I&E page.
- Enactus WPI ↗Social-entrepreneurship student club, listed on WPI's I&E page.
Entrepreneurship center
- i3 Lab (Ideate, Innovate, Incubate) ↗WPI's student incubator. Runs GOAT Tank (2026 applications open), Demo Day ($50K+ prize pool) and WIIX pitch nights.
Hard-tech team
- WPI Combat Robotics Club ↗Designs, builds and competes with combat robots.
- WPI VEX U Robotics ↗Builds robots for the VEX U competition.
Why 88
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Some source pages show no date or blocked our automated check. Confirm the details with your school. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.