New to MIT

Hello and welcome to MIT’s graduate family community! We’re glad you’re here — you make our community even more vibrant and close-knit.

Sign up for the Grad Families Newsletter
Tell us about your family

This information is used by the Office of Graduate Education to inform you about family-oriented programming, engage with you about policies that impact graduate student parents, and, on an aggregate level, helps MIT better understand the graduate student family needs.

Here is a quick list of highlights offered for graduate student families:

More information on getting acclimated to the MIT campus and Cambridge/Boston community is below:

Timeline for admitted students

Upon acceptance of your offer

April

  • April 16 – April 24, 2024: Apply for on-campus housing
  • April 25 – April 30, 2024: Select on-campus housing unit

June

  • June 5, 12-1pm: Pre-orientation webinar for incoming grad students with children. Hosted by Program Administrator for Grad Students with Children, Sarah Galison. Registration link coming soon!

August

  • [Date TBD] Move into MIT housing
  • August 25-30:  Attend orientation
  • For students with children 5 and up: register for public schools and after school programs
  • If you are new to the area, establish your family with health care providers. See MIT Health to search providers in the MIT system.
  • For those with spouses and partners: check out MIT Spouses and Partners Connect

September

  • September 3: Attend the Grad Resource fair
  • September 7: Attend MIT families orientation event
  • Apply for the Grant for Graduate Students with Children (application will be open September 1-30)
  • Optional: Sign up to be matched with another student parent for lunch

Housing information

MIT offers two on-campus housing options for families with children as well as an off-campus housing office to facilitate your housing search. 

Housing for couples
& families with children

  • MIT – Site 4
  • MIT – Westgate housing
  • MIT affiliated residences – Grad Junction
Learn more

Housing for couples

  • MIT – 70 Amherst
  • MIT – Edgerton House
  • MIT – Sydney-Pacific
Learn more

Off-campus housing

MIT also provides resources to support those looking to live off-campus, including rental listings and reviews of lease documents.

Learn more

Getting to know your city/town

Getting around town

Public spaces in town 

Public safety

For the quickest response to on-campus emergencies, the MIT Police Department is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (617) 253-1212 or dialing 100 from any MIT phone. You may wish to save the number on your mobile phone.

If you live off-campus and are experiencing an emergency, dial 911.

Questions from the 2024 New Families webinar

Content updated on June 6, 2024.

When do we typically set up the MIT Student Health Insurance Plan (MIT SHIP) for our family?  Do we seek that out, or will we be contacted to do it?

For 2024, the open enrollment period is July 15–August 15. Students will get an email on July 15 inviting them to enroll family members.

If you’re not on the MIT SHIP, can you use resources at MIT Health?

Yes, you can use some MIT Health resources! See which services are included in your tuition on the MIT Health site. However, this applies to the enrolled student, not to their family members.

If your family is not on an MIT health plan and you need help finding health care providers, MIT GAIN can offer assistance locating providers within your health insurance network.

Does MIT SHIP cover a partner and children?

Yes, if you select the family plan and pay the additional premium.

How can I sign up for the grad families newsletter? 

All you have to do is fill out the newsletter signup form!

It looks like MBAs are not eligible for the Grant for Graduate Students with Children (GGSC) grant. Is that correct?

Yes; please see this page for more information on eligibility. If you are not eligible for these grants but are experiencing financial challenges with family-focused expenses for your children’s childcare, healthcare, or housing, please contact your degree program office.

Is the GGSC available for international students who don’t have SSN?

Yes, as long as you meet the other eligibility criteria. 

Are there courses or certificates that spouses and partners can utilize? Are there other professional development opportunities for spouses?

Yes! There are many resources available in the Boston and Cambridge area, as well as these key opportunities from MIT:

How do we get connected to the MIT Families Slack?

Contact Sarah at gradfamilies@mit.edu to be added!

Do you know who the best person to reach out to would be regarding sign up for back up care?

Connect with MIT GAIN staff for any technical issues with backup childcare. 

Please note: Enrollment in the backup care benefit is subject to a benefits verification process, and it may take up to two weeks after your start date for your eligibility to be verified in the system. The benefit is not accessible prior to the completion of this verification process, therefore, enrollment is not guaranteed during the first two weeks of your graduate program. If you receive the message, “eligibility check failed,” while enrolling at mitstudents.care.com, your benefits-eligibility has not yet been verified in the system.

If you are unable to enroll in the backup care benefit two weeks after your start date, please reach out to worklife@mit.edu to troubleshoot.

In the meantime, if you need assistance locating temporary or ongoing child care options, you may contact MIT GAIN at 844-648-4246

How do I find daycare or childcare centers?

We’ve collected advice and resources for finding childcare on the grad families website.

Office of the Vice Chancellor
ovc@mit.edu