I didn’t get to visit either school and I don’t think I’ll be able to due to money. Does anyone know anything about these schools, good or bad, that I should be aware of?
WPI: Smaller school, academically strong, closer to Boston = More opportunities for internships Worcester is a better location than RPI.
RPI: Larger school than WPI, Great academically, good research opportunities, location and weather can be a downer.
Look under the W alphabetical listing in Colleges and Universities on this forum to find a lot of threads about WPI (and likely RPI, under “R”) 
PM me if you have specific questions. My kid is a very happy freshman at WPI. (And RPI was originally her top choice, but after several visits, chose WPI.) Congrats on having great schools to choose from!
WPI was one of our favorite schools out of very many, maybe the favorite. Beautiful campus, nice part of Worcester, which is undergoing a pretty large transformation, great campus vibe. You probably know about the WPI Plan–3 classes at a time, very hands-on, project-oriented approach, and that’s not just an empty claim. Recent classes have a male majority, but it’s not overwhelming as previously.
https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/wpi-plan
RPI is beautifully sited high above the Hudson, though it is in a pretty rough area. The campus is fine, but I’d have to give that one to WPI. It is pretty close to Bennington, VT and ski resorts like Stratton Mountain. Great academic program and successful grads. When we were looking at it a few years ago it was very predominately male, and I’m not sure that’s changed. You could research that.
It’s two great choices. It’s good to check here. Also research them online and try to see if anything important to you jumps out from the info. Good luck!
Check on the male/female ratios.
WPI is less stressful, more project based, and generally less analytical. RPI is academically more demanding and rigorous and an R1 research institution.
Which is better for you depends on your preparation, ability, work ethic and confidence level.
@ClassicRockerDad what would be the benefit of a more academically demanding school?
If you can excel, you can learn more in the same amount of time and gain more capabilities.
Personally, I also think that more rigor exposes you to some of the hottest areas in computer science like machine learning. I also think that you can build a stronger foundation for paradigms that don’t exist yet. I think it’s easier to get involved with cutting edge research at a more rigorous school.
Really, you can get a good job without so much rigor, but some people LIKE to be challenged to their capacity.
Like I said, which is better for you depends on YOU.
Do you love math or tolerate it?
“Which is better for you depends on your preparation, ability, work ethic and confidence level.”
And goals.
RPI would be better preparation for PhD programs. Also the more heavily analytical/theoretical fields. WPI will give you more experience in more (typical) real-world projects than most tech/engineering schools.
What major?
We’ve looked at both schools and my D has been accepted at both. I feel like the question about which is better is getting less relevant. They are both great schools. Worcester is nicer than Troy and getting nicer more rapidly. The commuter rail provides a 50 minute trip to Boston, WPI now has a presents in the Seaport district, and recruiters love WPIs project based curriculum. Don’t get me wrong, RPI is also great.
Just a minor correction - RPI is classified as an R2 Research institution, as is WPI. RPI has more research going on and it just feels like a larger institution than WPI. WPI is currently working hard to increase its research presence. Funding has doubled in the last 5 years or so and is continuing to increase. The school has, in the last year, invested in new research faculty, infrastructure, and developing new partnerships. There is a strong upward trend. Though today, RPI is ahead of WPI when it comes to research.
Does anyone have an opinion on which would be better for someone who has high functioning autism? My son is trying to decide between these two.
@navyterpx2 I think WPI would be a much better fitting community for that - not to say RPI couldn’t accommodate, but WPI is a very collaborative and practical setting with a better community feel in my experience.