School Location:

CAMBRIDGE, MA

School Type:

PRIVATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY

How difficult is it to get into MIT?

MIT is a very selective university. Of the 26,914 students who applied to MIT in the 2022-23 cycle, 1,291 were offered admission to the Class of 2027, making the acceptance rate 4.8%. The EA acceptance rate was slightly higher, at 5.7%, as MIT accepted 685 of the 11,924 students who applied for Early Admission. Test scores range near perfection across the board—the 25th and 75th percentiles for the ACT composite were 34 and 36, the SAT Math 780 and 800, and the SAT ERW 740 and 780, respectively.

Although MIT is a STEM-focused school where competitive test scores are a prerequisite for admission, they also care greatly about school fit. They want skilled students who make an impact in an area they are very passionate about, take risks, and work well with others. The most attractive candidates are those who demonstrate initiative and ownership of their own learning and opportunities.

MIT encourages interested applicants to attend an interview in their area or via Skype during the application process. These interviews last anywhere between 30 minutes and two hours. Although an interview is not mandatory and won’t make or break a student’s application, interviews are a helpful tool for showing MIT what makes you a unique and valuable member of their community.

What is the campus like at MIT?

You might imagine a campus full of Nobel Prize-bound scientists to be serious and a bit dull, but MIT is actually the complete opposite. MIT has an open campus, so while you might be in lecture halls with Nobel laureates and MacArthur fellows, when you step outside you’ll be greeted by jugglers and fire spinners alongside the tourists and other students. MIT’s museums and libraries are open to the public, so even those academic spaces are much more diverse than those at a typical college campus.

The campus boasts more than 20 gardens and green spaces to soak up the sun when you’re not braving the legendary New England winters. Cambridge is America’s oldest college town, and Boston is as college-friendly as its neighbor. Throughout the school year, there are events across the city that college students can enjoy, as well as easy transportation to New Haven, Providence, and New York for when you want to break out of the Cambridge bubble.

All MIT freshmen must live in a residence hall, even if they choose to affiliate with an FSILG (Fraternity, Sorority, or Independent Living Groups). The summer before freshman year, students rank the ten residence halls in order of preference. If you end up in a residence hall you don’t love, you can apply to transfer dorms at the beginning of each year. During sophomore–senior year, students have the option to continue living in residential halls or move to an FSILG. More than 3,400 undergraduates live on campus, and nearly half of MIT’s undergraduate students are affiliated with an FSILG, so you won’t be the odd one out if you choose to do so. Keep in mind that each of the residence halls and FSILGs vary in cost and have distinct cultures and rules.

Embracing a work-hard-play-hard attitude, MIT also has a colorful historical tradition of ethical hacks and pranks.

What is MIT known for?

MIT is a world-class institution with particular prestige in science, engineering and mathematics. The U.S. has sent 44 MIT-educated astronauts to space as of 2024, and the institution boasts 101 Nobel Prize winners, 26 Turing Award winners, and 8 Fields Medalists as of October 2023. Notable alumni include astronaut Buzz Aldrin, nuclear physicist Shirley Ann Jackson, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (honorable mention: Marvel Universe character Tony Stark).