New to MIT

Hello and welcome to MIT’s graduate family community! 

I would like to extend an especially warm hello to all the new students with children joining our community. As the Graduate Families Program Administrator, I am looking forward to connecting with you and sharing family-specific and family-friendly services and resources on and off-campus.

The first days, weeks, and months of your time here will be filled with excitement, a lot of information, and many questions. This site is a great place to get connected and find resources on family-specific programming and policies.

If you have any questions or information to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Sarah Gallison
Office of Graduate Education
gradfamilies@mit.edu

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.

We’re glad you’re here! You make our community even more vibrant and close-knit

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

• Childbirth and Parental Accommodation Policy 
• Grant for Graduate Students with Children (eligibility restrictions apply)
• 15 days of back-up childcare service 
• One-on-one meeting to learn about family resources
• Graduate families newsletter with family-focused programming and policies
• The Graduate Assistance Information Network – (GAIN)

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. 

Getting to know your city/town

• Explore the MIT campus and the surrounding area with this map
• Explore local restaurants and grocers
• Local city and town pages
  • Arlington
  • Boston
  • Brookline
  • Cambridge: Cambridge’s local government and FindItCambridge
  • Malden
  • Medford
  • Somerville
  • Quincy

Getting around town

• Shuttle services are available
• Public transportation, or the MBTA (“The T”), for getting around town

Public spaces in town 

• Local playgrounds
• Swimming pools, wading pools, and spray decks
• Public libraries with kids programming:
  • Cambridge Public Libraries
  • Somerville Public Libraries

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.