Admissions

First-Year Admissions

The information provided below contains a broad overview of admissions policies and procedures. For specific information about first-year admissions, please visit the undergraduate Admissions website.

Secondary School Preparation

Although MIT does not have any required high school classes, applicants are expected to have enrolled in a broad, rigorous program in high school. A strong academic foundation in high school prepares students for MIT’s General Institute Requirements and helps students make the most of the Institute while they are here. Advice and suggestions on how to prepare for MIT are available on the Admissions website, as are resources to pursue additional coursework if necessary.

Campus Tours and Information Sessions

Prospective applicants and their families are welcome to learn more about MIT by registering for an information session and tour. MIT Admissions Officers also annually travel the nation to present in public fora.

For those who cannot visit us in person, the Admissions Office also hosts online information sessions, and MIT students write about their education and experiences on the MIT Admissions blogs.

Application Procedures

MIT has its own application, available online from mid-August through the first week of January, with precise dates and deadlines announced each year on the Admissions website. The application fee is $75. If paying the fee presents a hardship for applicants, fee waivers are available upon request.

MIT has two application cycles: Early Action (with a deadline in early November) and Regular Action (with a deadline in early January). Students may apply during either period as is convenient for them. There is no preference awarded to students who apply Early, and Early decisions are non-binding on those admitted.

Early Action decisions are announced in mid-December. At that time, the committee may offer admission, deny admission, or defer the decision. Deferred applications are reconsidered without prejudice during the Regular Action cycle, with decisions announced in mid-March, at which time applicants may be offered admission, denied admission, or placed on a wait list.

Additionally, MIT participates in the QuestBridge National College Match program, which aims to increase the percentage of high-achieving low-income students attending the nation's best universities. Interested applicants should visit the MIT QuestBridge application page to learn how to apply to MIT through the QuestBridge program. MIT has no preference between its own application and the QuestBridge application; it is up to the applicant to decide which application is right for them.

Applicant Interviews

MIT offers most applicants the opportunity to interview with a member of the MIT Educational Council. Educational Counselors are MIT graduates who have volunteered to interview on behalf of the Office of Admissions. Students are given information about interview details during the application process if they have an active application. Interviews are assigned as capacity permits, and are not an indication of progression to a stage of consideration; the goal is to interview all applicants. If, however, there is insufficient capacity among the Council to interview a given applicant, the interview will be waived without prejudice.

Standardized Testing Requirements

Testing requirements are outlined in detail on the Admissions website alongside free and effective test preparation resources.

Transfer Admissions

Transfer students often contribute fresh perspective, maturity, and focus. Students who have completed a minimum of one year with high academic standing at an accredited college, university, technical institute, or community college may be considered for transfer admission. Students with more than two and a half years of study are not eligible. Because few students leave MIT, typically there is only space to admit 20–30 transfer students a year; transfer admissions is thus substantially more selective than the first-year admissions process.

Transfer Application Procedures

MIT has its own online transfer application. The application fee is $75. If paying the fee presents a hardship for applicants, fee waivers are available upon request. The deadlines to submit the application are published on the Admissions website, but are typically mid-October for spring entry and early March for fall entry. International students are only eligible for fall entry (except under extraordinary circumstances, at the discretion of the Admissions Office, due to disasters and disruptions).

Testing requirements are outlined in detail on the transfer deadlines & requirements page of the Admissions website.

Credit Transfer

Students who transfer to MIT may receive credit for subjects of study completed elsewhere which are substantially equivalent to corresponding Institute subjects. Academic credit is not assessed until after a student is admitted. You may compare the courses offered at your institution to subjects offered at MIT this year.

Transfer students typically lose at least one semester of coursework. Most transfer students enter MIT as sophomores, regardless of the amount of coursework they completed at their previous college. You may learn more about Advanced Placement, transfer credit, and the Advanced Standing Examinations through the Office of the First Year website, which also coordinates first-year transfer advising.