At MIT, a regular graduate student is one who is registered for a program of advanced study and research leading to a post-baccalaureate degree.
A regular graduate student may concurrently hold an appointment as a research assistant, a teaching assistant, or an instructor.
All graduate-level applicants must apply through the online application portal. Each department has its own application website and its own detailed set of requirements. Further department information can be found in the Programs section.
Eligibility to apply
The only requirement to be admitted as a regular graduate student at MIT is an applicant must have earned a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college, university, or technical school of acceptable standing. Students in their final year of undergraduate study may be admitted on the condition that their bachelor’s degree is awarded before they enroll at MIT.
The Institute does not require applicants to hold a master’s or other advanced degree in order to apply to a Ph.D program. Any applicant may apply to a doctoral degree program so long as they will have attained a bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree prior to enrolling at MIT. However, some departments may require applicants without a master’s degree to start in a master’s-level program prior to continuing on to the doctoral-level program.
Departments may have specific eligibility requirements related to the applicant’s major, coursework, degrees, or academic performance. These limitations will be listed on the department or program website.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. Please review MIT’s Nondiscrimination Policy online for more information.
Requirements to apply
Online application
Applicants must complete, submit, and pay for their application(s) via GradSlate or SloanSlate in order to be considered for admission. All degree program applications on GradSlate have a $90 application fee. Applications to the MIT Sloan School of Management may have application fees between $90 and $250.
Qualified applicants interested in more than one department must submit separate applications to each department of interest. This will require filling out a completely new application and submitting an additional application fee. Applicants who applied in previous years cannot use their previous application to apply in the current cycle. However you will use your previous login credentials to access your application portal.
For more details regarding application fee waivers and eligibility, please visit our Application fee waiver page.
Application materials
Each department oversees their own application process. Specific admission requirements vary significantly between departments and degree programs; please visit the Degree programs page for the requirements of individual departments. In general, most departments require significant work in mathematics and the physical sciences in addition to preparation in a specific field of interest; however, some departments admit students with as little as one year each of college-level mathematics and physical science.
Below are some examples of application materials you may be required to submit:
1. Letters of recommendation
Most departments require 3 letters of recommendation.
Applicants may submit their application prior to receiving all of their letters of recommendation. Most departments grant leniency if recommenders are late turning in their recommendation, but applicants should always check department policy prior to the application deadline.
Be mindful of the following letter of recommendation policies:
- Applicants cannot change the contact information for any of their recommenders after they have submitted their application.
- Applicants cannot add new recommenders after they have submitted their application.
- If you exclude a recommender after you submit your application, you will not be able to add a new recommender or undo your exclusion.
- Letters of recommendation cannot be shared between multiple applications. Each application will require unique letters of recommendation in order to be considered for admission to MIT.
- Applicants cannot change their response to the “waiver of rights” question after the request for a recommendation has been sent. Requests for recommendation letters are automatically sent via the application portal, and initiating the request process will automatically lock in your response to the “waiver of rights.”
Please note: due to the volume of applications MIT receives, we cannot make any exceptions to the above policies.
2. Statement(s)
Most departments will require a statement of objectives and/or a personal statement. Some departments may also require additional written responses, such as a writing sample or essay.
3. CV and/or Resume
An updated CV and/or resume will be required for most departments. Some departments may allow for CV/resume updates after submission of your application. Should the department(s) to which you are applying allow these updates, you will see an option to submit an updated CV/Resume on the status page of your application.
4. Unofficial Transcripts
Unofficial transcripts are required in order to submit your application for consideration. Some departments may request official transcripts after the application deadline or if you are admitted to the program.
Applicants will be required to submit unofficial transcripts for all institutions from which they received a letter grade. The exceptions to this rule include travel abroad semesters and any AP/IB credits transferred from high school to your bachelor’s degree.
Some departments may allow applicants to submit transcripts with updated fall grades. Should the department(s) to which you are applying allow transcript updates, you will see an option to submit an updated transcript on the status page of your application.
5. Publications, awards, experiences
In addition to or in lieu of your CV/resume, some departments ask applicants to list out their accomplishments in a designated section of their application for review.
Our application software has limitations to the length of titles for each item you list. If you find that the title of your accomplishment is too long, please use the most commonly used citation style of your field to shorten the length of your title.
As part of our anti-fraud measures in our application software, you may find that you have trouble submitting similar items within your list. If you have multiple items within the same category (for instance, being on the Dean’s list for multiple semesters), please indicate the differentiation between the items in the title of each item. Example: Fall 2024 Dean’s List, Spring 2025 Dean’s list recipient, etc.,
6. GRE test scores
Some departments require GRE test scores to be submitted in order to submit your application for review. You will need to self-report your test scores and have them verified to complete your application. To see if your program of interest requires the GRE, please visit the Degree programs page and select your program of interest.
- Self-reporting your scores: If you are required to submit GRE scores, your application will prompt you to “self-report” your test scores. This process is used for verification purposes. Please list your test scores in the space provided on your application, and the ETS certification system will verify your scores.
- Verifying scores: In order to verify your scores, you must send your official GRE score report digitally to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 3514.
- Please note: As part of our anti-fraud software, if there is a discrepancy between the scores you self-report in your application and the scores sent to MIT by ETS, your application will be flagged for a discrepancy in test scores.
7. Official English proficiency test scores *International applicants only
Nearly all international applicants will be required to list their English proficiency test scores in order to submit their application for review. Test scores must be valid in order to submit your application.
- Self-reporting your scores: If you are required to submit English proficiency test scores, your application will prompt you to self-report test scores. Self-reported scores must have a testing date within the last 2 years.
- Please note: As part of our anti-fraud software, our application system will prevent you from submitting your application if you try to list a future test date for your English proficiency test.
- Verifying scores: Test scores will be verified automatically by the ETS or IELTS system, depending on the test scores you submit.
- Please note: As part of our anti-fraud software, if there is a discrepancy between the scores you self-report in your application and the scores sent to MIT by the testing organization, your application will be flagged for a discrepancy in test scores.
8. A portfolio of previous work
Some departments at MIT require applicants to submit a portfolio of their previous work for consideration. Please note: MIT applications does support Interfolio for sharing portfolios.
Expectations and considerations
Behavior and language expectations
All applicants are expected to behave in a manner in alignment with the MIT Mind and Hand Book. This includes behavior and language used when engaging with faculty, staff, and current MIT students. Please note, all communications associated with your application are logged within your application for review.
When you apply to a graduate degree program, you will be required to attest to legal considerations prior to submitting. Applicants will be required to attest that the information they provide in their application and all application materials are accurate and truthful.
Letters of recommendation
Letters of recommendation will be submitted through the online application portal. Letters of recommendation may not be sent by applicants on behalf of their recommenders via email, mail, or other service.
Applicants will be required to list their recommenders within each application. It is the responsibility of the applicant to assure all contact information is correct for their recommenders prior to submitting your application.
Letters of recommendation cannot be shared between two different applications. If you plan to use the same recommenders for different applications, we recommend letting them know ahead of time to avoid confusion.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Enrolled students are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to view all of their educational records. As such, applications become an educational record if/when an applicant is enrolled as a regular graduate student.
Waiving your right vs. reserving your right to view your recommendation letter: the question to waive your right to view your letter of recommendation is a personal choice. You should consider this question carefully and in collaboration with your recommenders. Some recommenders will not write a letter of recommendation unless the applicant waives their right to view.
Note: you will not be able to change your choice to waive/not waive your right once you submit your application; GradAdmissions will not be able to change your answer on your behalf because it is a legally-binding answer. Below is a brief overview of your options.
- By waiving your right to view your letter(s), you waive your FERPA protection to request to see your letter(s) of recommendation even if you are admitted and enrolled in MIT.
- By reserving your right to view your letter(s), you do not waive your FERPA protection to request to see your letter(s) and can request to see these materials if you are admitted and enrolled in MIT.
Requesting application materials after decisions are released: applicants who are not admitted to and enrolled in a graduate program at MIT may not request any application materials after decisions are released. FERPA rights extend only to enrolled students.
Changes to applications after submission
Application materials cannot be changed after submission. Please thoroughly check all admissions requirements and procedures for each degree program prior to submitting your application. It is the responsibility of the applicant to check that their application has met all requirements necessary.
Due to the volume of applications we receive, GradAdmissions cannot make any changes to your application once you have hit “Submit Application.”
Application review/decisions
MIT graduate applications are reviewed by committee. Applicants are evaluated by the individual department to which they applied on the basis of their prior performance and professional promise, as evidenced by their academic records, letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with their capabilities, and any other pertinent information they submit. While high academic achievement does not guarantee admission, MIT expects students to be able to meet the rigorous academic demands of graduate education.
Admission notifications are communicated through our application system. All admission decisions will show up on the status page of your application.
All admission decisions released by the MIT departments are final. GradAdmissions, as part of the Office of Graduate Education (OGE), will not consider requests for an appeal to application decisions.
Terms of admission
Admission to graduate study is contingent upon meeting Institute expectations of appropriate conduct.* Any offer of admission you may receive is based on the premise that you have conducted and will continue to conduct yourself, academically and otherwise, in accordance with MIT’s community values, policies, and standards of behavior.
By submitting a graduate application, you understand and affirm that all the information you have provided is accurate, complete, and your own work, and you agree that the Institute may verify this information. If there is new information that changes the accuracy of your answers after you submit your application, you are obligated to inform the MIT Graduate Admissions Office immediately. Should we learn of any misrepresentation or omission of the facts on your application––whether at the time of submission or later––we reserve the right to rescind your offer of admission.
Per Institute policy, you must report any conduct that may result, or has resulted, in any disciplinary or other similar negative action against you, including actions that occur after receiving your admissions offer. MIT Graduate Admissions has the right to rescind or defer your offer of admission if your conduct at any time does not meet the high levels of personal and academic integrity that you demonstrated in your application, or if we learn of information that changes the underlying basis for our admissions decision. Some examples include, but are not limited to, changes in your academic performance; a failure to graduate from your current institution; recent disciplinary action or disciplinary action that was not previously disclosed; or engaging in conduct that indicates a serious lack of judgment or integrity.
Readmission
If you were previously admitted to and enrolled in a graduate degree program, and you would like to resume pursuing your degree after being interrupted by an absence of one or more terms, please download the Readmission Form. Submit the form directly to your department. Additional information about readmission can be found on the OGE Graduate Policies and Procedures website.
Useful Links
- MIT Nondiscrimination Policy
- MIT Annual Security and Fire Safety Report
- Council of Graduate Schools April 15 Resolution
Downloadable Forms
*Please note that these terms are separate from and unrelated to conditional admissions, a practice at some universities in which an applicant may be permitted to skip select application requirements. MIT Graduate Admissions does not offer conditional admissions.
