Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has announced that Alexander O’Brien of Riverbank, a member of the Class of 2017 majoring in robotics engineering, was named to the university’s Dean’s List for academic excellence for the fall 2015 semester.

A total of 1,238 undergraduate students achieved the criteria required for WPI’s fall 2015 Dean’s List. The criteria for the WPI Dean’s List differ from that of most other universities as WPI does not compute a grade point average (GPA). Instead, WPI defines the Dean’s List by the amount of work completed at the A level in courses and projects.

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation’s first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university’s innovative Global Projects Program. There are more than 45 WPI project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.