Worcester Polytechnic Institute is the fifth-best value among Massachusetts colleges thanks to its high starting pay for graduates and relatively high rate of scholarships and grants, according to an annual report by the financial website SmartAsset.
WPI graduates start with an average salary of $69,200 — matching Harvard University graduates among schools landing on SmartAsset’s top 10 for Massachusetts and behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which topped the list for best value.
The average scholarships and grants at WPI is $20,258, nearly double the state average, according to SmartAsset. The top three colleges on the list — MIT, Harvard and Babson College — offered far more, making the only major distinction between WPI and those schools among factors weighed by the website.
SmartAsset also considered student retention rates, student living costs and tuition. WPI was the only Central Massachusetts college to make the state’s top 10. Listed tuition and fees at WPI for next school year are $50,730.
