Advising and Support

The Institute offers a variety of resources for advising and personal support. Support is available in many formats, from walk-in conversations to scheduled in-person and virtual appointments, and with goals ranging from information dissemination to skilled psychotherapy.

All students have an academic advisor. The Office of the First Year assigns advisors to first-year undergraduate students. Academic departments assign faculty advisors to students who have declared a major. In addition, there are faculty undergraduate and graduate officers in each academic department, as well as academic administrators who consult with students about their academic programs.

Student Support and Wellbeing (SSAW), in the Division of Student Life, supports all MIT students and educates them about living healthy and purposeful lives. SSAW is composed of six offices that partner closely with other Institute partners to provide coordinated care and resources to help students stay well. The offices in SSAW include Student Support Services, Disability and Access Services, Violence Prevention & Response, Alcohol and Other Drug Services, the CARE Team, and the Office of Student Wellbeing.

  • Student Support Services assists undergraduates when personal or medical issues get in the way of their academic obligations, facilitates the processing of OX grades, processes leaves from and returns to the Institute, promotes academic wellbeing, and connects students to campus resources.
  • Disability and Access Services ensures that all students with disabilities have access to MIT’s programs, activities, and services.
  • Violence Prevention & Response works with the campus to educate and raise awareness of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. Survivors can receive support from survivor advocates by calling the helpline at 617-253-2300 or emailing vpradvocate@mit.edu.
  • Alcohol and Other Drug Services prevents high-risk behaviors and promotes healthy communities by working with the community to develop and sustain prevention programming, provide early intervention services, and build coalitions to address MIT-related health issues.
  • The CARE Team supports students through hospitalizations and transitions back to campus, facilitates wellbeing checks, and offers general support to students who are in crisis.
  • The Office of Student Wellbeing works with faculty, staff, and students across the Institute to coordinate programs and resources to help students prioritize DoingWell by taking care of their physical and mental health, developing healthy relationships with others, and clarifying their sense of purpose.
At MIT Health, the Student Mental Health and Counseling Service works with students to identify, understand, and solve problems, and to help transform that understanding into positive action. The service sees close to 20% of the student body each year, and about 30% of all students in a given class by the time they graduate. For more information, call 617-253-2916.
 
In addition, Community Wellness at MIT Health provides classes, resources and programs that can help you make healthy choices. Class offerings include stress management, meditation, sleep techniques, nutrition education, and much more. For more information, call 617-253-1316.

Several campus offices specialize in particular areas, such as Student Financial Services (including student employment); Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life; Career Advising and Professional Development (which also offers prehealth advising); and the Office of the First Year. The MIT Police can also be helpful to students in many ways.