Housing

Undergraduate Housing

MIT is a residential university at the undergraduate level. Of the total undergraduate student body, more than 3,500 students live in a residence hall on campus, and more than 1,000 students take advantage of living in MIT-approved fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILGs). After the housing lottery for first-year students is complete, transfer students may be able to obtain housing on a space-available basis.

The residential system provides an environment conducive to personal development and academic achievement. Both goals rely greatly on individual initiative and responsibility, as well as on effective shared governance in the residences. Students work with live-in faculty and the professional staff in the Division of Student Life to support and create conditions that enhance student learning and personal growth.

Faculty families live in each Institute residence hall as heads of house. These roles do not have formal academic or operational responsibilities but instead create informal associations with their residents. Area directors are residential staff, each responsible for supporting an undergraduate residence and serving as a support person for the students. They are charged with programmatic responsibilities and are on call for any concerns in the evenings and weekends. In all of the Institute residence halls, graduate resident advisors support the faculty residents in providing personal assistance to undergraduates.

With the exception of the all-female McCormick Hall, Institute residence halls have all-gender living facilities. Although first-year students are not guaranteed an assignment to a particular residence hall or single-gender area, every effort is made to assign students to one of their top three choices.

Student governing groups establish and administer certain "local" residence hall regulations and maintain acceptable standards of community behavior. Residential student governments also organize social, athletic, and intellectual programs for residence hall members. In each Institute residence hall, a tax determined by the residents is collected by MIT and made available to the residence hall government to help support such activities. Individual fraternity, sorority, and independent living group chapters have similar charges to support their extracurricular programs.

The Institute believes it is to the great advantage of all new students to reside on campus in a residence hall. First-year undergraduates particularly gain from associations with upper-level students and participation in residential programs. Therefore, all first-year students are required to live in one of the undergraduate residence halls on campus for the duration of their first year. This excludes any fraternity, sorority, or independent living group housing. Exceptions to this requirement are rare and are made through a petition process reviewed by Housing & Residential Services, the Office of the Vice Chancellor, the Division of Student Life, and the Office of the First Year.

• Baker House

• Burton-Conner House

• East Campus (undergoing a two-year renovation between Summer 2023 and Fall 2025)

• MacGregor House

• Maseeh Hall

• McCormick Hall

• New House—including New House 2, New House 3, New House 4, New House 5, Chocolate City, Juniper, French House, German House, i-House, and Spanish House

• New Vassar 

• Next House

• Random Hall

• Simmons Hall

Rooms in the Institute houses are engaged for the full academic year. For 2024–2025, the rates for the houses range from $5,325 to $7,315 per term.

Fraternities, Sororities, and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs)

Undergraduates affiliated with a fraternity, sorority, or independent living group have the option of residing in their FSILG facility after their first year. These houses are located in the cities of Cambridge, Boston, and Brookline, and are conveniently accessed by public or MIT transportation. Many FSILGs have their own meal plan, some are cook-for-yourself, and others have chefs that cook for the entire group. In addition, members share responsibility for chapter house duties and work closely with alumni and the FSILG Office on the general maintenance and upkeep of the chapter facility. Room and board at FSILGs varies per term and is determined by each FSILG. Each FSILG hosts a live-in graduate residence advisor (a graduate student hired and trained by MIT) who serves as a mentor and support person for the group members in residence. With the exception of Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Sigma, and Pi Beta Phi, Housing & Residential Services does not own or operate the FSILG chapter facilities. The FSILG houses are independently owned and operated by the individual alumni house corporations for each FSILG.

Additional Information

Additional information on undergraduate housing and application procedures is contained in The Guide to Residences and is updated every May. Additional information may be found on the Undergraduate Housing website or by contacting the team at MIT Housing & Residential Services. Information about fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups also may be obtained on the FSILG website and by contacting the FSILG Office, Room W59-200, (617) 253-7546.

Graduate Individual Student Housing

Graduate on-campus housing can accommodate about 48% of the total graduate student community. Residences that offer individual student accommodations include Avery Allen Ashdown House, Ping Yuan Tang Residence Hall, Harold Edgerton House, The Graduate Tower at Site 4, The Warehouse, Sidney-Pacific Residence Hall, and 70 Amherst Street. Students must be registered each term (not including the summer) to reside in on-campus housing. More information about the housing process can be found on the Graduate Residences website.

The graduate residence halls provide a rich living environment in a number of different formats, including single rooms, suites, kitchen suites, and apartments. All of the buildings have active student governments that plan and facilitate social and cultural events, as well as a faculty member serving as head of house in residence who, along with the house operations manager, supports the students. All units are gender-inclusive but single-gender units are available upon request. All buildings except for Edgerton House and Westgate are furnished.

The rent for all graduate residences is charged on a monthly basis and the licenses are from the date of occupancy until July 31 each year. Housing termination policies can be found on the Housing & Residential Services website. All rents include heat, hot water, electricity, internet, and all building amenities, such as low-cost laundry, gym facilities, and front desk services. Some residences have up to a $10 monthly tax to cover residence hall social activities.

Individual student housing rates for the 2024–2025 academic year range from $1,024 to $2,521 per month per student. Family housing options are also available. Details about each of the residences can be found on the Graduate Residences website.

MIT graduate students select housing through a self-selection process. Students can enter the process between April and October to select their desired housing unit, subject to availability. The spring semester housing selection process typically runs from November through March. 

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Student Family Housing

Hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students with children or partners reside in on-campus family housing. Family housing is available at: 

• Graduate Tower at Site 4, a high-rise apartment building in the heart of Kendall Square; 
• Westgate Apartments, a high-rise building and several garden-style buildings in the west part of campus, and; 
• Graduate Junction, a two-building complex located on the west side of campus.
• Sidney Pacific, Edgerton, and 70 Amherst also offer units for couples

Each community has an active student government that plans and facilitates social and cultural events for the entire family. Apartments with up to 2 bedrooms are available in these buildings.

Residence in student family housing is limited to regular graduate and undergraduate students who are registered and attending MIT (on-campus) full time, whose families reside together on a full-time basis, and to single parents with at least one child in residence. Students must be registered each term in order to reside in on-campus student housing (summer excluded). New graduate student assignments are for one year with the option to renew a second year, and a new license agreement is signed each year, which runs from August 1 through July 31. Married undergraduates or undergraduates with children may live in family housing during their eight semesters of guaranteed housing. Returning graduate students in family housing are able to renew their licenses for the duration of their academic program. More information can be found on the Graduate Residences website.

The Graduate Tower at Site 4 and Westgate Apartments each have a faculty member or MIT staff person in residence to provide active support to the community. Both buildings have a playground and school bus stops.

The rent for all family residences is charged monthly, and the licenses are from the date of occupancy until July 31 each year. Termination policies for family housing can be found on the Housing & Residential Services website. All rents include heat, hot water, electricity, and internet. Building amenities include low-cost laundry, playrooms, and other common spaces.

Family housing rates for the 2024–2025 academic year range from $1,807 to $3,535 per month per apartment. Details about each of the residences can be found on the graduate and family housing website.

Student family housing is managed by Housing & Residential Services and students select their desired housing unit through a self-selection process that runs between April and October, subject to housing availability. The spring semester housing selection process typically runs from November through March. Details on how to get housing are available on the Graduate Residences website. 

Affiliated Graduate Housing

Graduate Junction, the newest graduate residence with 675 beds in efficiencies, one-, two- and four-bedroom configurations, is located on Vassar Street and is licensed and operated by American Campus Communities (ACC). Students can contact ACC directly for Graduate Junction housing availability and licensing

Off-Campus Housing

Students who are interested in living off campus are encouraged to consult the Off-Campus Housing Office, which maintains listings of available rentals in the Greater Boston-Cambridge area. The staff provides students with resources for their search and advises and assists them during their tenancy if difficulties arise.

Please visit the off-campus housing website for additional information or send an email.