#1 in the world · QS 2027

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A hands-on science and engineering university on the Charles River where 'Mind and Hand' is the operating manual.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States Private research university Founded 1861 Official website

Acceptance rate: 4.6%; Class of 2029 (entered fall 2025)
Students: 11,816; 4,561 undergraduates
International: 29%; of students
Student–faculty: 8:1; ratio
Tuition: $66,720; International undergraduates · 2026-27

About MIT

MIT was founded in Boston in 1861 and moved across the river to Cambridge in 1916. Today it enrolls about 4,600 undergraduates and 7,300 graduate students on a 168-acre campus along the Charles River, which makes it smaller than most people expect for a university with its research footprint. The motto Mens et Manus, mind and hand, is taken literally: students are expected to build, test and break things, not only study them.

Academics are organised into five schools (Engineering; Science; Architecture and Planning; the Sloan School of Management; and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) plus the Schwarzman College of Computing. Undergraduates choose a major ("course", identified by number) at the end of the first year, and every student takes a common science core alongside humanities requirements. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program puts first-years into real labs, and the January Independent Activities Period gives a month for short courses, projects and experiments outside the normal curriculum.

MIT suits students who like hard problem sets, collaborative work and making things with their hands, and who are comfortable being surrounded by people as driven as they are. Humanities and arts are taken seriously, but most students come for science, engineering, computing or economics. Admission is need-blind for everyone, including international applicants, and the Institute meets full demonstrated need.

Mens et Manus

“Mind and Hand” — university motto

Why students choose MIT

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program lets students join faculty research at labs such as CSAIL, the Media Lab and the Koch Institute from their first year.

Admission is need-blind and full-need for all undergraduates, including international students, and families earning under $200,000 typically pay no tuition.

The Independent Activities Period each January is a month set aside for short courses, hackathons, externships and personal projects.

Optional Maker, Research, Visual Art and Architecture, and Music and Theater Arts portfolios let applicants show work that grades and scores miss.

Admissions

Class of 2029 (entered fall 2025)

About 1 in 22 applicants is admitted

1,334 admitted from 29,281 applicants

SAT 1520–1570

1000120014001600

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

ACT 34–35

2024283236

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

Of 6,926 international applicants for the Class of 2029, 136 were admitted; 721 of 12,052 Early Action applicants were admitted in December.

Testing Required: SAT or ACT. MIT superscores by section; scores are self-reported and verified on enrollment.

Grades MIT does not publish a GPA range; it looks for the most rigorous math and science available at your school.

Deadlines

Early Action Non-binding Next deadline · In 26 days

November 1, 2026

Non-binding; decisions released mid-December. SAT/ACT must be taken by November 30.
Regular Action Non-binding In ~3 months

January 4, 2027

Decisions released mid-March. SAT/ACT must be taken by December 31; English proficiency tests by January 31.

MIT's deadlines page lists November 1 and January 4 for the 2026-27 application cycle (entry fall 2027); enrollment reply is due May 1.

How to apply

MIT's own online application (not the Common App) with a $75 fee; four short essays of about 100-200 words plus short responses; activities list; two teacher recommendations (one math/science, one humanities/social science/language); Secondary School Report and transcript; SAT or ACT; interview with an alumni Educational Counselor where available.

What admissions looks for

Alignment with MIT's mission of using science, technology and other scholarship to make the world better.
A collaborative, cooperative spirit and comfort solving problems in teams.
Initiative and risk-taking: going after challenges even when failure is possible.
Hands-on creativity, applying theory to real problems through experimentation.
Intensity and curiosity balanced with activities that bring you fulfilment beyond academics.

Tips for applying to MIT

1 Use the optional Maker Portfolio (submitted via SlideRoom, $10 fee) if you have built something substantial and original; document the build process, not just the finished object, with at most two minutes of video.
2 The activities section only has room for four activities, so choose the ones that mean the most to you and explain them well.
3 Say yes to the Educational Counselor interview if offered; most Early Action interviews happen in November and Regular Action ones in January, and a waived interview does not hurt you.
4 Self-report full test sittings rather than a calculated superscore; MIT combines the best sections itself.
5 Recommenders matter: MIT asks for one math or science teacher and one humanities, social science or language teacher.

What are your chances?

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in USD

All undergraduates Tuition $66,720

+ housing ($14,090) and food ($8,104) $22,194 ≈ $88,914 per year

Tuition Housing ($14,090) and food ($8,104)

Official cost of attendance $92,760

Financial aid

MIT is need-blind and meets full demonstrated need for all undergraduates, domestic and international. Students from families earning under $200,000 typically attend tuition-free, and parents earning under $100,000 can expect to pay nothing.

57%
Undergraduates receiving an MIT Scholarship (2024-25): $10,268
Median annual price paid by scholarship recipients (2024-25): 88%
Students graduating debt-free: $420
Student life fee (2026-27)

Academics

Academic calendar: Two semesters plus the January Independent Activities Period (IAP)

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Course 6)

Run jointly with the Schwarzman College of Computing and tied to CSAIL, one of the largest computing research labs in the world.

Mechanical Engineering (Course 2)

The embodiment of Mens et Manus, with design-and-build classes that feed directly into the Maker culture MIT admissions looks for.

Physics (Course 8)

Alumni include Richard Feynman, and undergraduates join research across astrophysics, nuclear and condensed-matter labs.

Aeronautics and Astronautics (Course 16)

The department where Buzz Aldrin earned his doctorate in astronautics.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Paid or for-credit research with faculty, open to first-years.

Research

MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a federally funded research center for national security technology.
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).
MIT Media Lab, known for interdisciplinary work across technology, design and the arts.
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.

Schools & faculties

School of Architecture and Planning
School of Engineering
School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
School of Science
MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Graduation rate

96%

First-year students who return

99%

Student life

All first-years live on campus, and MIT has 11 undergraduate residence halls plus a network of fraternities, sororities and independent living groups (FSILGs), each with its own strong identity, so where you live shapes your social circle. Culture mixes intense problem-set collaboration with play: elaborate, harmless pranks known as hacks are a long-running tradition, and the Brass Rat class ring is redesigned by every class. The Independent Activities Period in January is the time for short courses, projects and experiments that have nothing to do with your major.

Hacks: anonymous, elaborate pranks that are a long-running MIT tradition.
The Brass Rat class ring, redesigned by each graduating class.
Independent Activities Period (IAP) every January.
NCAA Division III athletics in the NEWMAC conference.
11 undergraduate residence halls plus fraternities, sororities and independent living groups (FSILGs).

Housing. First-year students live on campus in MIT's undergraduate residence halls.

Location

MIT sits on the Cambridge bank of the Charles River, directly across from Boston's Back Bay. Kendall Square next to campus is packed with biotech and tech companies, which makes internships and startup work easy to find. Harvard is two subway stops away on the Red Line, and Boston's museums, sports and neighbourhoods are a short walk over the Harvard Bridge. Winters are cold and snowy; autumns and springs are beautiful.

Nearest airport: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

Notable alumni

BA
Buzz Aldrin

Apollo 11 astronaut; earned an Sc.D. in astronautics at MIT in 1963
KA
Kofi Annan

Seventh UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; M.S. in management
RF
Richard Feynman

Nobel Prize-winning physicist; bachelor's degree 1939
IM
I. M. Pei

Architect of the Louvre Pyramid; BArch 1940
KD
Katharine Dexter McCormick

Biologist and philanthropist who funded development of the birth control pill; B.S. 1904
DH
Drew Houston

Co-founder and CEO of Dropbox; B.S. 2006
AB
Amar Bose

Founder of Bose Corporation
BN
Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel; B.S. in architecture and M.S. in management

Frequently asked questions

What is MIT's acceptance rate?

For the Class of 2029, MIT admitted 1,334 of 29,281 first-year applicants, a rate of 4.6%. International admission was more competitive: 136 of 6,926 applicants.

Does MIT require the SAT or ACT?

Yes. MIT requires the SAT or ACT and superscores by section. The middle 50% of enrolled students in fall 2025 scored 1520-1570 on the SAT and 34-35 on the ACT.

Is MIT need-blind for international students?

Yes. MIT is need-blind and meets full demonstrated need for all undergraduates, including international students.

Does MIT use the Common App?

No. MIT uses its own application, with short essays of about 100-200 words, two teacher recommendations and an optional interview with an alumni Educational Counselor.

How much does MIT cost in 2026-27?

The published cost of attendance is $92,760, including $66,720 tuition, before travel. Families earning under $200,000 typically pay no tuition.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.