Here are the numbers for Spa Tech Institute-Westboro, in Westborough, Massachusetts. I took them from the official reports this school submits to the federal government each year. They are not my opinion. They are what the institution itself reported, organized so that you can understand them without having to learn a system of codes.
You are going to see a small school with a very specific type of student, a clear set of offerings in the areas it does cover, and several areas where the official data simply do not apply—and that is important to understand too. By the end, you will understand what kind of school this is, not whether it is “good” or “bad” for your child. That second question is for you and your child to answer.
What Kind of School It Is, and How Far Away It Is
Let’s start with the basics: Spa Tech Institute-Westboro is a private, for-profit school with programs that last less than two years. It is not a four-year university, it is not a public community college, and it does not award bachelor’s degrees. What IPEDS—the federal system through which all colleges and universities report their data—lists as its highest credential is a certificate or diploma requiring less than one academic year. That is an institutional fact, not the exact credential for every program: before signing anything, ask in writing for the exact name of the credential your child will receive, and ask whether those credits can later be used at a four-year institution.
It is in Westborough, within Worcester County, in the Worcester metropolitan area. The census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area, but outside the principal city’s center. If your child plans to live at home while studying, do not rely on what the map says. Drive the route on a weekday at the exact time your child would have class. The actual travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
A note about labels: in the Carnegie Classification—the system that categorizes the nation’s colleges and universities—this school appears outside the classified universe. That does not say whether it is good or bad. It says Carnegie did not assign it a label, period. It also is not listed as a historically Black college or university, tribal college or university, or land-grant institution; of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this national directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations, and this is not one of them. That tells you nothing about how many Latino students are on campus or how your child will feel there. Ask about that directly: what student organizations exist today, and better yet, talk with someone who is already studying there.
A Small School with Adult Students
Here is one of the facts that most clearly defines this institution: last fall, 194 students were enrolled across the entire school. It is a very small school—it falls within the official band of fewer than 1,000 students—although, compared with the other 362 private short-program schools reporting this information, its size is among the most common in that specific group. It is neither among the largest nor among the smallest within its category.
Of those 194, all are undergraduates; there is no reported graduate enrollment. IPEDS also calculates a full-time-equivalent enrollment of 147 students—a way of combining those who study full time with a fraction of those who study part time—and reports 31 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students. That group of 31 is not the entire entering class: there are many part-time students here. So before assuming a particular schedule, ask when the courses for the program that interests your child are offered.
And here is something every family should know before picturing the campus environment: 54 out of every 100 undergraduate students are between 25 and 64 years old. That is more than half. And 96 out of every 100 are women. That is nearly the entire undergraduate population. If your son or daughter enrolls right after high school, they will be among the youngest people in the classroom, in an environment composed mostly of adult women. The data do not tell you what day-to-day interactions are like there—that is something to ask the school directly—but they do tell you what kind of community your child will encounter.
As for ethnic composition: 23 out of every 100 undergraduate students reported being Hispanic or Latino in the fall of 2023. Compared with the 362 similar schools in this census, it ranks above the midpoint of that group but below the highest quartile. IPEDS does not report where new students came from—which state or which country—for this school in that reporting cycle. That information simply is not available.
How Academics Work
There is no single school year that applies equally to everyone here. The calendar varies from program to program: dates are set by the specific program according to when it begins and how long it lasts, rather than by a general academic calendar. That has a direct consequence for cost: IPEDS asks this type of school to report the cost of the full program, not the cost per academic year. So when you compare prices with another institution, make sure you are comparing the same thing. Ask in writing for the total cost of your child’s program and the exact date it begins.
The school reported that it accepts credit for life experience: learning acquired through independent study, adult courses taken without prior credit, work experience, a portfolio, previous licenses or certifications, and even military or professional opportunities. It does not accept credit through AP examinations. The report confirms that this category exists here, but it does not say how the experience is evaluated, which documents are required, whether there is a maximum number of credits that can be recognized, or whether the process costs anything. Once again, ask about that in writing before counting on it. One more thing: this school does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit, so if you were looking for that option for your child, you will not find it here.
As for degrees awarded: in the most recent federal report, this school did not award any bachelor’s degrees that year. And it is not alone: all 364 of the 364 private short-program schools covered by this census were in the same situation—none awarded bachelor’s degrees, because that is not the type of credential they offer. If your child’s ultimate plan includes earning a bachelor’s degree, ask directly what written transfer agreements exist, and verify the current list of credentials the school offers today, because this is a count from a single year and a new program might not appear yet.
As for class size: the reported ratio is 16 students for each full-time-equivalent faculty member. Compared with 362 similar schools, it falls in the middle—neither among the lowest nor among the highest. This number does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class; it is an institutional ratio, not a classroom measure.
One additional fact about its offerings: the institution reports one complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, a structured option likely intended for someone who works during the day.
Admissions: The Door Is Open, but That Is Not the Same as a Guaranteed Place
Spa Tech Institute-Westboro reported an open-admissions policy for all or most of its first-time students. That means there is no competitive pool of applicants to screen as there would be at a selective institution—which is also why IPEDS does not ask it to report how many people applied and how many were admitted, a subsequent enrollment rate, or a policy on using the SAT or ACT: all of those fields appear as not applicable, not as information the school withheld.
But open admission is not the same as an open program. If the specific program that interests your child has its own requirements or enrollment limit, confirm that directly with the program. The published undergraduate application fee is $50.
As for transfers: in the fall 2023 count, this school did not report any students who had enrolled there for the first time after previously studying at another institution. The count is zero. That describes one fall, not a policy. A count of zero does not mean the school does not accept transfers—it means that nobody entered in that category in that specific count. If your child’s plan includes transferring into or out of this school, ask admissions directly, along with which credits the school would recognize.
The Price: What Is Published and What Is Actually Paid
At Spa Tech Institute-Westboro, among first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the group numbered 13, and its average net price was $17,438. The group from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000 numbered 5, and its average net price was $19,807; the group from the same population with EFC family income above $110,000 numbered 2, and its average net price was $21,442. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
Between the average for the lowest-income band, whose group numbered 13, and the average for the highest-income band, whose group numbered 2, there is a difference of $4,004. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $17,255.
$17,438 was the average net price for the lowest-income families for the largest program, whose reported length was 6 months. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
None of these figures is a price quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grants or scholarships, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the financial aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Grants and Loans: Who Receives Aid and How Much
36 out of every 100 degree- or certificate-seeking students here received some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. The other 64 received none of that aid. Compared with 364 similar private schools, this one falls within the quartile where grants and scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who did receive them, the average for the year was $4,179.
Pell—the federal aid for students with demonstrated financial need—reached 33 out of every 100 students.
Here is the unvarnished truth: at this school, more than half of the students did not receive any grant or scholarship. That does not tell you what you will be offered. It does tell you that here you need to seek aid actively, rather than wait for it to arrive on its own.
As for loans: 41 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the 2022-23 academic year. That is less than half, and compared with 364 similar schools, this school ranks on the lower side—seven out of every ten of those schools had a larger share of students with loans. Among those who borrowed, the average amount for the year was $5,267.
That number covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, debt owed to banks, or credit-card debt. It also is not the total debt someone has upon graduation, because that would require adding together every year of the program, and that information is not included in this report. The institution also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan as an option for managing the cost.
None of these percentages determines how much your child would have to borrow. The written financial aid letter your child receives determines that. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it.
Campus Life: What It Does Not Offer, and What It Does
It is best to be direct here, because there are several things this school simply does not have.
There is no institution-owned housing. The institution reports that it does not offer dormitories or apartments under its control, either on or off campus. It also does not report meal plans. That does not mean the official financial aid budget ignores the cost of living off campus: IPEDS does collect estimates for housing, food, and other expenses to calculate the total cost of attendance. Ask for the specific budget that financial aid would use for your child if your child will be living independently.
There is no ROTC—neither the general category nor any branch—but this is not unique to this school: of the 383 schools offering programs of less than two years in this guide, none reported ROTC. If that path matters to your child, you will need to look for it at another type of institution.
The athletics section is marked not applicable—there is nothing to interpret there, either positively or negatively. If athletics matter to your child, ask about them directly.
There is no distance education. Zero students were taking all their classes online in the most recent count. If your child works or cares for someone at home, the schedule will have to accommodate in-person attendance. And because this information comes from a single year, it is worth confirming whether it remains true when your child is preparing to enroll.
The library component appears as not applicable in the federal source, although the institution does report having an organized collection of printed materials. If this matters, ask directly what is available, where your child can study, and whether the school lends computers.
As for the support services it does report: a combined academic and career counseling service, placement services for those who complete their programs, and a published web address for services for people with disabilities. The fact that these services are reported does not indicate how good they are or how much actual access a student has. Confirm that by asking.
Graduation: The Number That Exists and the Numbers That Do Not Apply
Here is a firm and significant figure: among the cohort that entered in 2020—first-time, full-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students—74 out of every 100 completed a program at this institution within 150% of normal time.
It is a high number, and it is worth saying so clearly. But keep in mind exactly whom it tracks: only students who entered for the first time, attended full time, and were seeking a credential. It does not include students who transferred in or those who started part time. It is a historical cohort from 2020, not a promise for a student enrolling today.
Two additional fields are marked not applicable: retention from one year to the next and the component called Outcome Measures, which at other schools measures outcomes over eight years. Neither one is a zero or an omission by the institution; it is simply the official status in the source for this type of school and this reporting cycle. Do not use them to place this institution above or below others. There simply is no rate there to interpret.
What These Numbers Cannot Tell You
None of this tells you what happens after someone graduates from this school: how much they earn, whether they find work in their field, or how much debt remains after they complete their entire education. That kind of information requires another source, and this article does not have it. Do not invent that answer from the information that is available here.
How to Put All of This Together
You now know one real part of this decision: who Spa Tech Institute-Westboro is according to its own official reports. You know that it is a small, open-admissions school whose students are mostly adults and women, with no housing or residential life, a high graduation rate within its measured cohort, prices calculated by program rather than by year, and financial aid reaching slightly fewer than half of its students.
This part does not decide anything by itself. It is missing what your child wants to study and where your child imagines going afterward. It is missing what your family can afford and is willing to commit. When you bring the three together, you will have not a verdict, but a plan you can follow alongside your child, knowing exactly what to ask before signing anything.
Source note: The information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 reporting cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Spa Tech Institute-Westboro or any government agency; this article organizes public data to help you understand it.