Welcome to the MIT Grad Community- we’re excited that you’re here. We at the OGE hope to serve as a resource while you navigate your graduate school journey, and we’ve put together some highlights to help you get started.
While some of your onboarding tasks are still forthcoming, you should think of Slate as your one-stop-shop for all things orientation. Here, you can find valuable information ranging from important orientation dates and deadlines to general onboarding and training updates.
If you have any questions as you prepare for this upcoming academic chapter, please reach out to gradorientation@mit.edu.
Onboarding Tasks
Prior to beginning your academic journey at MIT, there are a series of onboarding tasks that must be completed. In May, you will receive access the onboarding section of the Atlas App. There are a series of steps that include completing required trainings, reviewing the Mind and Handbook, completing your I-9 verification, and more! You will also be invited to a helpful Canvas orientation course (Touchstone required) as well as a Slack channel for incoming students. More information will be shared over email and found in the Slate Orientation portal.
Central Graduate Student Orientation
Central orientation for incoming graduate students will begin on Wednesday, August 27th. Some highlights include:
- Wednesday, August 27, 2025: “Choose your own adventure” breakout sessions across campus. A variety of offices are invited to participate and students will be able to register for various sessions based on their interests.
- Thursday, August 28, 2025: Required orientation sessions, which include, but are not limited to, information on MIT values, GradSupport Resources, the Graduate Student Union, and a welcome from President Kornbluth. Lunch will also be provided afterwards.
- Tuesday, September 2, 2025: The annual Graduate Resource Fair. Typically, over 90 departments/organizations from across MIT participate.
Details and registration information for these events (and more!) will be shared in your Slate orientation portal later in the summer.
A note for Sloan Master’s students: We’re excited to welcome you to the MIT community and are working with your program offices to share central Orientation event information. MBA students are required to participate in their departmental orientation.
Departmental Orientations
Information about departmental orientation activities will be sent out directly by the individual departments.
Helpful Links and Resources
The following is helpful information that has been indexed for easy reference. Incoming students should also refer to the Canvas orientation course for additional resources.
ID cards, accounts, certificates
Departments will notify incoming students once they are eligible to create an MIT Kerberos email account. Further instructions about creating an account can be found online at ist.mit.edu/accounts.
At MIT, installed web browser certificates as well as two-factor authentication called Duo are required to access all secure websites. Immediately after you have created your MIT Kerberos account, you should register for Duo. After you have registered for Duo, you will be able to install browser certificates that will grant you access to many secure sites, such as Housing. Further information about each of these steps can be found at ist.mit.edu/students.
For information on receiving your ID card, check your Atlas app’s onboarding tile.
Housing
Check out the Graduate Housing website for up-to-date information.
Health insurance and MIT Health
Visit the MIT Health admitted students page for facts and resources to know.
International students
International students are invited to visit the Office of Graduate Education’s international students page for their homebase on this public-facing website.
Graduate families
Do you have children, or are you thinking of growing your family? Visit the pages designed for graduate students with children for information to help you navigate the MIT community and connect to resources and services designed for you.
MIT academic calendar
Prepare your calendar automatically with the graduate student-specific academic calendar from the Registrar’s Office. You can check the calendar online or download a file to import into your preferred digital calendar platform.
