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Massachusetts Institute of Technology Guide

The ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø guide to MIT’s culture, admissions, and other essential information for prospective students and their families.

Location:ÌýCambridge, Massachusetts

Mascot:ÌýTim the Beaver

Type: Private Research Institution

Population:Ìý11,500

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³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø MIT

MIT offers a diverse and vibrant community noted for its intellectual life, history, and thriving innovation climate. With a campus nestled between Central and Kendall Squares, and across the Charles River from Boston’s Back Bay, the Institute is optimally positioned to collaborate with its neighbors and contribute to its community.

MIT

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MIT Statistics

Year Founded:Ìý1861

4 Year Graduation Rate:Ìý82%

Gender Distribution: 54% male, 46% female

Acceptance Rate: 3.9%

Residency: 40% in state, 49% out of state, 11% international

Location Type:Ìý±«°ù²ú²¹²Ô

Schedule System: Semesters

Student/Faculty Ratio:Ìý3:1

Average Class Size: 12

Demographics: 33.4% Caucasian, 26.3% Asian, 14.2% Hispanic, 6.2% Black

National Rankings

US News Rankings:

  • #1 Undergraduate Engineering Program
  • #3 Most Innovative School
  • #3 National Universities
  • #4 Best Value Schools
  • #30 Best Undergraduate Teaching

Independent Rankings:

  • #1 Best Race/Class Interaction per The Princeton Review
  • #2 Most International University in the US per The Princeton Review
  • #2 Best Quality of Life per The Princeton Review
  • #5 Happiest Students per The Princeton Review
  • Top 5 Private Universities in the USA per The Princeton Review
  • #7 Top Schools for Resources per The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher EducationÌý
  • #8 Best Value per Kiplinger

MIT Admissions Statistics

Application Deadlines:

  • Early Action: November 1st
  • Regular Action : January 1st

Notification Dates:

  • Early Action: Mid-December
  • Regular Action:Ìý²Ñ¾±»å-²Ñ²¹°ù³¦³ó

Acceptance Rates:

  • 5.3% EA
  • 2.6% RA

Average Applicant Pool: 33,700

Average Number of Applicants Accepted: 1,300

Average Number Enrolled: 1,100

Application Systems:ÌýMyMIT (not on Common App)

Average GPA: 4.17 weighted

SAT Scores: 25th percentile – 1520, 75th percentile – 1570

ACT Scores:Ìý25th percentile – 35, 75th percentile – 36

*Test mandatory. Writing sections optional.

Demonstrated Interest: MIT does consider demonstrated interest.

Recommendation Letter Policies:ÌýMIT requires two letters of recommendation. One should be from a math or science teacher, and one should be from a humanities, social science, or language teacher.Ìý

MIT Essay Prompts:

  • We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it. (100 words)
  • Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? (100 words)
  • At MIT, we bring people together to better the lives of others. MIT students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc. (200-250 words)
  • Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations? (200-250 words)
  • Tell us about the most significant challenge you’ve faced or something important that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (200-250 words)
  • There is also one final, open-ended additional information text box, where you can tell us anything else you think we really ought to know.

Special Notes:

  • Applicants can choose to submit . This is typically done by students with a fine arts portfolio, those with research experience, and/or those who hope to play a varsity sport for MIT. You can find more information about each of these options on your MyMIT Dashboard. If you choose to complete any of these materials, you’ll submit them separate from the rest of your application.ÌýÌý
  • Interviews are an optional part of the admissions process. As the time frame where they are offered is limited, students wishing to interview are advised to schedule early.

Transfers:

  • Transfer applicants have completed at least one year of college. At time of admission, students may not have completed less than one or more than two and a half years of college coursework.
  • Two evaluations from college professors or instructors are required, one of which must be in math or science. Two supplemental letters from high school teachers or employers are accepted, but not required.
  • Recommendations for .

MIT has its own .

Please click here forÌýÌýfrom ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø.

MIT Academics

Schools:

  • It is relatively easy to change schools and majors once you are admitted.

Core Requirements:

  • (six courses in mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry)
  • (eight subjects in the humanities, arts, and social sciences)
  • (four communication-intensive courses)
  • (12 credit minimum)
  • (two subjects of Restricted Electives in Science and Technology)
  • (a minimum of four physical education courses, plus passing a 100-yard swim test)

Courses of Study:Ìý

  • Option to double major
  • Popular majors include Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Physical Sciences, Information Science, Statistics, Biological and Biomedical Sciences

AP Credit Policies:

  • MIT grants credit for a score of 5 on some AP exams.

Honors Programs:

  • MIT does not have an honors program.

Research Availability:

  • (Undergraduate Research Organization Program, designed to match a student with a research environment that suits their interests and needs).

Study Abroad:Ìý

Business Options:Ìý

  • (Majors in Finance, Business Analytics, and Economics. Minor in Business.)

Pre-Med Options:

  • MIT does not offer a pre-Med major. Students looking to apply to medical school after their undergraduate career are encouraged to complete a pre-health registration meeting with during the spring semester of their sophomore year.

Pre-Law Options:

  • There are several talks given by famous law professors every semester.

Computer Science Options:

  • is the largest department at MIT. They offer in Electrical Science and Engineering; Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering; Computer Science and Molecular Biology; and Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science.
  • A is open to all those except the ones taking a major through the school.
  • in the department.

Additional Specialty Programs:Ìý

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Programs for High Schoolers:

  • (MITES) is a 6-week residential program for around 70 talented Juniors.
  • (RSI) is a 6-week residential program where talented high school students take courses from MIT faculty.
  • (WTP) is a four-week academic and residential program led by female graduate students for female rising seniors.
  • is not on-campus, but it is co-sponsored by MIT. Teams of 3 students explore a research project in either astrophysics or biochemistry.

Student Life at MIT

School Motto: ÌýMind and Hand

Mission:

  • Mission: To advance academic innovation and foster the growth of every MIT student, empowering them to make a positive impact at MIT and beyond.
  • Values: Student-centeredness, Integrity, Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Collaboration, Innovation

Greek Life:Ìý

  • Ìý
  • 45% of students participate in Greek Life.

Housing Statistics:

  • ¾ of undergraduates live in a residence hall with most of the remaining fourth living in MIT approved fraternities, sororities and independent living groups.
  • Transfer students are considered for housing after the first-year lottery is complete.

Campus & Surrounding Area:ÌýÌý

  • In 1916, MIT relocated from Boston to Cambridge, where the campus now extends more than a mile (1.6 km) along the Cambridge side of the Charles River. The main nexus of the campus is a series of interconnecting buildings, which are designed to facilitate interaction among MIT’s many schools and departments.
  • The campus architecture showcases a multiplicity of styles: neoclassical, modernist, brutalist, and deconstructivist. The buildings created by some world-renowned architects such as Alvar Aalto, Frank Gehry, Steven Holl, Fumihiko Maki, I. M. Pei ’40, and Eero Saarinen.Ìý
  • MIT has 18 residence halls, each with its own distinctive personality and community. The campus is urban with nearly everything in walking distance.
  • Safety: , , ,
  • : , , , , ,
  • ,

Transportation:

  • (The Tech Shuttle, EZRide, SafeRide, Airport Shuttle, Boston Daytime Shuttle, Charters, Grocery Shuttle)

Traditions:

  • There is a hacking tradition at MIT where students perpetrate extremely clever but harmless practical jokes on the school’s computer databases.Ìý
  • The MIT is an annual campus-wide puzzle hunt competition in January.
  • In November and January, the setting sun aligns with the Infinite Corridor (a 250 meter long hallway), and lets in a stream of dazzling sunlight called the “â€.

Student-Run Organizations:Ìý

  • Sample Organizations (, , )

Sports:

  • – NEWMAC Conference (among top schools for D3 sports, 1 in 4 students play a sport)

Nightlife:

  • Talented bands play at in Central Square.
  • Students can receive discounts to see concerts.
  • Movie nights run through the MIT for $2.50.
  • There are a plethora of bars and restaurants to explore near .

Financial Information

Yearly Cost of Attendance:

  • Total: $85,960
  • Tuition: $61,990
  • Student Life Fee: $406
  • Housing: $13,060
  • Meals: $7,220
  • Books & Supplies: $910
  • Personal Expenses: $2,374

Financial Aid & Scholarships:

  • MIT provides need-based financial aid. In 2018–2019, 90% of undergraduates received $160.3 million in financial aid total, with MIT being the largest source. For students with a family income under $90,000, the Institute ensures that scholarship funding from all sources will allow them to attend MIT tuition-free.
  • If you are awarded an MIT Scholarship, we will ask you to fill out an annual Student Information Review Form so that we can match you with the right scholarship from the right donor. Our scholarship donors often take an interest in learning about the recipients, so we may also ask you to write to your donor and thank them for their support.
  • First Year Grant: MIT offers low-income first-year students with a $2,000 grant to help with the extra expenses that come with the transition to college.

Fun Facts

  • MIT was founded April 10, 1861, two days before the start of the Civil War.
  • In 1958, Oliver Smoot (class of ’62) and his Lambda Chi Alpha brothers measured the Harvard bridge. Members of the fraternity maintain the painted marks.
  • The first human cancer gene discovery took place at MIT. Weinberg found the ras oncogene.
  • A can be granted to MIT students who complete pistol, archery, fencing and sailing classes. While the license existed unofficially for 20 years, it was made official in 2012.
  • The first computer was invented at MIT in 1928. You can view it at the .Ìý
  • MIT’s architecture program was the first architecture program established in the U.S.
  • MIT has earned 203 Academic All-America citations, the most of any Division 3 program in the nation.
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