Tomorrow, I expect MIT's student newspaper, The Tech, will publish our admissions statistics. But why wait until then? Here's an overview of the year to date in MIT Admissions.
This year, we had 13,396 applicants, an 8% increase over last year. However, we couldn't admit many more students than last year: an increase of 1 student, to 1554. Thus, our admit rate fell nearly a percentage point, from 12.5% to 11.6%. This year's rate, approximately 1 in 9, is a lot lower than when I applied in 1996 (1 in 4) and is even notably lower than it was for this year's MIT seniors (1 in 6).
MIT has traditionally been among the more conservative colleges in terms of waitlist size, usually keeping one of the proportionally smallest waitlists of our peer group. However, this year, with increased uncertainty around yield, we decided to significantly increase the size of our waitlist, to 739 students. We do not know how many will accept their offer of a waitlist place, or how many students we will ultimately admit from the waitlist. [More soon regarding the waitlist]
Applications from international students saw a marked increase. There were 3,086 international applications, up 12% from last year. To keep to MIT's international student quota of 8% of the class, we admitted 121 international students. In total, citizens of 138 countries applied; we admitted students from 60 of those countries, residing in 66 different nations. Needless to say, it was an extremely challenging year in choosing from the many, many awesome international applicants.
Given the competition, it should come as no surprise that this year's academic metrics are very high. For example, 92% of admitted students are in the top 5% of their class, the highest percentage in at least 5 years. The median SAT scores were 780 math (up 10 points from last year) and 730 critical reading.
But I think that this year's class is even more impressive in non-quantitative realms. Ben has been saying that this year's class feels perfect, and I don't think that's far from the truth. I really feel like this class has an incredible set of skills, qualities, and experiences that should make for a really exciting and enriching four years at MIT. I'm more than a little jealous!
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
Posted by: Stephen Rigsby on March 17, 2008
Posted by: Granton on March 17, 2008
Posted by: John Curtice on March 17, 2008
Ouch, 3.9% of international students admitted. I had a better chance of getting admitted to Stanford and Harvard! Had I known that, I wouldn't have applied. Or maybe I would.. just for the sake of knowing whether I could get in.
With so many of the best people in the world applying, a perfect class is certainly possible. Too bad I'm not a part of it :(
Posted by: Muz on March 17, 2008
Posted by: Nerd '12 on March 17, 2008
And I'm sure wherever you end up will turn out to be just perfect for YOU and you'll be like "wow why was I ever upset about not getting into MIT".
Posted by: Chelsea on March 17, 2008
Posted by: Omar '12 on March 17, 2008
I guess that's possible. Before decisions came out, I was a bit worried that I'd get into MIT because it'd mean that I won't likely pick MIT for graduate studies. I believe in destiny, and that it was my destiny not to get accepted, but I've still rather unhappy at spending so much money and time on applications and still have no idea why I wasn't accepted :/
Posted by: Muz on March 17, 2008
considering thier population lol
Posted by: :P on March 17, 2008
I applied to 6 excellent universities in the U.S. and I got into Caltech, turned down by MIT, waitign for others.
This is probably my last comment in this website but, I want to thank all of you guys in the admission office especially Matt who has the best blogs, in my opinion:D. you guys mitigated the agonizing pain on us by your blogs, I sincerely appriciate that.
by the way I'm from Iran, and HAPPY IRANIAN NEW YEAR!
Posted by: Manou on March 18, 2008
I usually track your weblog and think It's a we nice and useful place for undergrad student. But my case is different. I want to apply for your grad program at EECS. Can you suggest me a similar weblog but more useful for grad students?
Posted by: PaT on March 18, 2008
Posted by: AR on March 18, 2008
i am alireza from iran too.I got waitlisted at both MIT and caltech.I went to allameh helli high school and have a silver medal in biology olympiad .Where did you go to school?
and happy iranian new year to all iranians as well,
Posted by: 0 on March 18, 2008
Posted by: Georgia on March 18, 2008
Posted by: Isshak on March 18, 2008
Posted by: Zeina Siam'12 on March 18, 2008
I second Omar!
This really makes me feel special
Its taking everything I've got to not feel rather vain
Posted by: Aditi on March 18, 2008
I think the large waitlist is due to the changes in the admissions process at other schools, like Harvard and Princeton. They aren't too sure of exactly how many students will decide to go in the end. Having a larger waitlist allows for that fluctuation.
@MIT
getting accepted seem like a fairytale at times! To think/know that I am that 11.6%. Wow! definitely feel more special now!
Posted by: Yuzhi '12 on March 18, 2008
Aww...can't wait to get to MIT!!!
Posted by: senna '12 on March 18, 2008
Why there is no fun facts here?
i would suggest some questions
who is the last applicant to be admitted(the 1554th lucky guy)? and when did the admission committee make that last decision?
Is the longest distance traveled still Indonesia?
Posted by: Kh_'12 on March 18, 2008
Posted by: Almani on March 18, 2008
Posted by: SeamusW on March 18, 2008
Anything that stands out in particular?
Posted by: Class 2012 on March 18, 2008
Id appreciate it if anyone could kindley let me know! thanks
Posted by: nazi on March 18, 2008
Also, those statistics are ridiculous.
Posted by: Shannon '12 on March 18, 2008
*rolls eyes* *shrugs* ;P
Is it possible enough people decline a waitlist place that some rejected people get bumped up to the waitlist position? Ha ha ;D Not that it would matter, since you seem to have reached you international quota (-3, if I may
I must add one more thing about the admit rate: the 1-in-9 is a bit misleading.
- For US students, the admit rate was 13.9% (under 1 in 7 by less than a hair).
- For international students the admit rate was 3.9% (very slightly above 1 in 26).
So, fellow international "not-admits", if you're not comforted by words, I hope numbers will do the trick (as they should, if you applied to MIT ;D).
Is there anywhere we can see a detailed statistics page, with information about individual countries and the like? I remember seeing something like that once on this site, but I wasn't able to find it again.
While waiting for the more detailed statistics, I had a few misc. questions (some of which might not be answered even in the detailed statistics, but which some admissions officers might know none-the-less) off the top of my head:
- What country had the highest number of admits (other than the US, of course)?
- What state were most of the 1433 US admits from?
- Of those 138 countries, how many have never been represented at MIT?
- How many of the 138 countries have never even been applied from before this year?
- How was the male-to-female ratio this year?
Posted by: Jay on March 18, 2008
By the way, I also feel that this one is perfect ! ^^
Posted by: Isshak on March 18, 2008
I advocate MIT relocate its campus to a more nation neutral place like Geneva.
Posted by: 0 on March 18, 2008
But I do realize why I wasn't accepted. Good luck to all international students who got in, use this chance well!
Posted by: Eirik on March 18, 2008
thank god at least there is someone from my country in the wait list, I hope you get in.
I went to Allame Helli but in Shiraz :D, I'm not a huge fan of Biology though, I have Silver medal in Chemistry but the national one, I'm not in the final team.
I'm pretty sure you deserve to be in MIT and you will make us all proud of you
Posted by: Manou on March 18, 2008
Second, I feel SO bad for all the internationals. I thought 1 in 9 were bad odds...
And third, WOW to the stats. I feel even luckier than I did before. And that's saying something.
Posted by: Becky '12 on March 18, 2008
Posted by: Derek on March 18, 2008
Hi,I have a national silver medal just like you and
i am from tehran.I don't think I get in.I am struggling right now to be honest.I am really happy for you,at least your in a good place.I wish the best for you and I am sure I will be hearing from your success in the future.Good luck, I hope I can get into some place good like you,happy nooroz and many congrats to you, Best regards,
Posted by: alireza on March 18, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 18, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 18, 2008
(Not that I'm good at any of these games.
Posted by: José P. on March 18, 2008
Posted by: Everson on March 18, 2008
My name is Tara and my dad is from Iran. I was admitted early action to MIT and Caltech. So, hopefully I'll get to meet you--that would be really cool!
Good luck and of course, Happy Norouz!
Posted by: Tara on March 18, 2008
I have never seen a more disheartening or upsetting mentality than I did at MITCO, and I am shocked that I found it at such a well-respected institution. We pay $42,000 a year to live and work in one of the most intense and challenging environments out there, and we deserve to get the world-class help we were promised on the first day of orientation.
Where is that help now?"
"http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N13/mitco.html"
so do you fail to deliver the promises you make in the start?
If this is the true state of MIT i am glad i was rejected.
Thanks,
Rejected but not dejected.
Posted by: 0 on March 18, 2008
I'm so intimidated by my crazy amazing peers...
Posted by: Unknown '12 on March 18, 2008
And good luck to those who got admitted. And good luck to those who will have to deal with those who got admitted.
Posted by: Vytautas on March 18, 2008
Posted by: texas '12 on March 19, 2008
Posted by: Li on March 19, 2008
Faithfully Yours,
THANG LAM TUANG
Posted by: THANG LAM TUANG on March 19, 2008
@Unknown '12 : me too =)
I'm afraid I might end up with the dubious distinction of 'stupidest person in the class of '12' though!
Posted by: Aditi on March 19, 2008
I guess we should have faith in the admissions committee; if they admit us, there must be something about us that assure them we'll flourish at MIT =)
And, statistics are statistics! And it's median, after all, not mean...Haha...xD
C'mooon!! MIT admits us!! ^^ be confident!! ^^
Posted by: senna '12 on March 19, 2008
Posted by: Nicole '10 on March 19, 2008
I gather that some/many MIT classes determine the class average to be a 'C.' I read, in the Tech (http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N13/mitco.html), that MITCO is less than encouraging. And, on the other hand, I learn from you that MIT's classes comprise some of the most talented national and internationl students. BUT -- what happens to those students who are just "average" for MIT? Do they get into top tier grad schools? Do they get into US Med. Schools with C grades on their transcripts? Is this why MITCO is so reserved in dealing with MIT students? In short, might an "average" MIT student be better off going to a less prestigious instituion -- better off in terms of post graduate placement, that is? Does the MIT average sabotage students' futures?
Please provide some hard facts -- and not (sorry if this sounds impolite) knee-jerk reassurances about the next four years being about the "journey" and not the "end product;" or unsubstantiated assurances about MIT providing enough "status" to compensate for "average" "C" grades.
I'm just very concerned that, after tons of work and a quarter of a million dollars, I shall be at an educational, as well as a financial, disadvantage to my high school friends who were not "lucky" enough to get into MIT.
Thanks (hopefully I shall not have to ask this question again!).
Posted by: 0 on March 19, 2008
"Once you arrive at MIT, you realize that everyone is just as stupid as you are."
Judging from what I've heard from everyone so far, I have great faith that we'll be an amazing class. MIT '12 for the win! =)
Thanks for the stats, Matt! I know a lot of people have been wondering about the accept/wait/reject percentages both at CC and in other corners of the Interwebs
Posted by: Vivi '12 on March 19, 2008
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N13/mitco.html
You were undecided for your major in your junior year in a school where most people choose a major a year and a half earlier at the end of freshman year, though the official expectation is middle of sophomore year. Furthermore, you seemed to be doing nothing outside of academics and had not even chosen to take advantage of the UROP program.
MITCO may have seemed less than encouraging, but try to see it from their point of view. They are not miracle workers. Your college counselor got you into MIT with slightly above average grades and one extracurricular. THAT counselor was a miracle worker, and you should seriously re-evaluate what it means to be realistic.
'we, at MIT, have the world at our feet'.
Uh, no. The fact that you're in MIT does not guarantee you anything; you still have to work like everyone else. you are only given an advantage because of the academic rigor associated with the name, and the opportunities that MIT is known for. $42,000 pays for these opportunities, but not the initiative to take advantage of them. It is the drive to take advantage of these opportunities and all that life has to offer that moves you forward in life, 'to touch the stars'.
and if you have reached junior year of college and still expect people to 'hand' success to you, you are still a child no matter what your birth certificate says.
(I'm sorry, for this rant of my own, but its ticking me off how many people actually take this author seriously)
'nuf said
Posted by: cirrus on March 19, 2008
What I suspect is happening is that reality is finally catching up with expectations and the "hype" that inhabits (somewhat inevitably, perhaps) these blogs. These blogs are invariably "rah, rah" MIT, and everyone pats eachother on the back: MIT is great, the students are great, all who can should attend, etc. etc.
But wait... what about the reality? Some very large classes, Noble Prize Winners who lecture -- but do they teach?, abundant t.a.s of varying teaching ability, and a harsh grading policy that, given the current emphasis on GPAs, might sabotage the professional dreams of 50% of the class (remember, 'C' is an average grade at MIT -- this is not Harvard).
I thank Sarah Levin and Campbell Proehl for two reality checks. With just over a month to go before we make our final decisions, it's helpful to have some honest insights and not uncritical, blanket statements of adulation.
Posted by: 0 on March 19, 2008
I know that at least one person wants me to address the Tech op-ed, and I will try to do so in a timely manner. I don't have the time now to write a detailed, thoughtful response, but I do have time to quickly respond to one aspect of the comments. In my experience, MIT is not a C median place. I have seen lots of statistics about grade distributions, and while it may be the case that As are not given out like candy, it is also the case that MIT is not grade deflated to the point of harming a significant number of students. More than two-thirds of MIT students will earn advanced degrees, and even most students who want to earn medical degrees have the opportunity to do so. Further, I don't think that grading in science and engineering at MIT is as far off from the grading at Harvard as Anonymous suggests. I can speak from experience as my wife is a graduate student at Harvard in a science/engineering field. Further, I feel that these blogs do often convey both good and bad aspects of MIT, and aren't simply "rah rah." Have you been reading about how hosed the student bloggers are lately? But yes, most MIT students are, as are the bloggers, happy on the whole with MIT and wouldn't trade this education for any other. Could there be improvements in MITCO, in teaching, in other aspects? Sure. But on balance, I believe in MIT, and believe it is an amazing school for what it is. It's not the best for everyone, but for a select set of students, there's no better place in the world.
Posted by: madmatt on March 19, 2008
I didn't mind not getting admitted too badly, but this? This is outrageous. To think that even MIT uses quotas for admissions is... well, disappointing. I'd hate to think what kinds of (more) qualified people were turned down simply because others of a different nationality, race, gender, etc, were needed to fulfill quotas.
Posted by: 0 on March 19, 2008
Posted by: madmatt on March 19, 2008
"What makes our class so 'perfect'?"... I do!! jkjk
@ Aditi:
Don't worry, I'll definitely be with you; we'll form a club! Although, this girl from MIT called me today, and I expressed the same concern, and she said that a majority of freshmen felt that way, but now feel right at home. I guess we have to trust that admissions people like Matt know what they're doing! lol
Posted by: Dot on March 20, 2008
WOW, If we all denied international students decided to go to one school, we could make that school better than MIT.
This quota of 8% is totally disappointing. I feel terrible that I even applied.
There is no discrimination? WHAT IS QUOTA FOR?
It's not just MIT; it's all teh American Schools.
My admission was delayed simply because I dindn't have a green card/citizenship even though I live in USA.
To be accepted to MIT as an international student, the 3.9 % is misleading. From so many amazing applicants, only 120ish were supposed to be selected and that means that to get accepted, you had to better than 3/4th of the students getting accepted.
I know a friend who got accepted yet I have done way more than him. Why, because he is American.
By the way, I am Indian and am certainly not disappointed.
I'll apply again only if the acceptance rate is same as any other American.
Thanks for reading this!
Posted by: C Singh on March 20, 2008
WOW, If we all denied international students decided to go to one school, we could make that school better than MIT.
This quota of 8% is totally disappointing. I feel terrible that I even applied.
There is no discrimination? WHAT IS QUOTA FOR?
It's not just MIT; it's all teh American Schools.
My admission was delayed simply because I dindn't have a green card/citizenship even though I live in USA.
To be accepted to MIT as an international student, the 3.9 % is misleading. From so many amazing applicants, only 120ish were supposed to be selected and that means that to get accepted, you had to better than 3/4th of the students getting accepted.
I know a friend who got accepted yet I have done way more than him. Why, because he is American.
By the way, I am Indian and am certainly not disappointed.
I'll apply again only if the acceptance rate is same as any other American.
Thanks for reading this!
Posted by: 0 on March 20, 2008
So if we add-in my homeschooling factor, in addition to being a Caucasian male, I sit around 1 out of 70 chances of getting in? Let's just say wow! I was considering legally changing my ethnicity to some other race to get a 1 in 10 chances, but is it even worth it?
Even if I was one of the most successful kids my age pulling in an income and recognized way above the average MIT undergraduate and even few graduates, but the fact that my SATs scored would hinder me from coming to a school like this is almost depressing.
I understand that MIT is highly competitive and that they are a LOT better than other Ivy league schools about not just looking at SAT scores (about all that Stanford does is look at that), but they won't take into account business and success at all. Theoretically speaking: If upon graduating, coming from a low-income family, and bringing up a multi-million dollar company isn't proof enough to get into an Ivy league school, what happen to the days when people looked up to Bill Gates (and others) for his success outside of college? I would love to see MIT, in all it's brilliance and popularity to have some focus on people who might not have the best SAT scores, or the best recommendations, but who have the willingness to learn and try hard and are extremely successful outside of any college experience.
I love MIT, I really do. The students that are admitted are absolutely brilliant and are changing our lives every day, but I really don't think a moderate-scored SAT person should be given a less opportunity to be apart of such a masterpiece if they were successful in other areas of life. Areas that matter more after college life.
I haven't applied to MIT, nor probably will unless I could speak to an MIT representative who did not bash my homeschooling or my race (*cough* the tour to Winter Park, Florida a couple months ago was a disgrace to any Caucasian, it was a focus on only the "minorities" and high school education), but I will always keep up to date with what MIT is doing to change our everyday lives, as I will forever respect the school.
If you have read this far, I thank you.
Posted by: James on March 20, 2008
Posted by: Chris '00 on March 21, 2008
P.S. the dorms at MIT suck
Posted by: Andrew BS '96, PhD '01 on March 21, 2008
I am an EC from Winter Park, FL. I attended the second half of the presentation of which you wrote. Although the presentation you were shown had pictures of students of many different ethnicities, I do not feel that "bashes" anyone's race at all. On the contrary, I appreciated classes at MIT with students from many different ethnicities. Class discussions took on a much more global view than they did in my high school classes.
If I spoke to you, I know that I personally did not "bash" home-schooling. I can't speak to what others may have said individually. In the presentation itself, I don't remember anything said that was particularly negative towards home-schooling.
Compared to other selective schools, MIT does a very good job of not making the SAT the only benchmark for acceptance. Several of my classmates with lower SAT scores were accepted at MIT and not by other selective universities. I imagine this is because MIT looked at other aspects of their application and determined that they would fit in with MIT culture well.
Although this is a minor point, since I'm a math teacher, I would feel remiss if I didn't point it out. You stated that your chance of getting in would be 1 out of 70. It looks like you determined that by multiplying probabilities. But, you can only do this if the two items are independent. I don't think the posted statistics confirm or deny that the probability of getting in for homeschooled applicants and white male applicants are independent of one another.
To echo James, I went to other institutions and have had the pleasure of teaching about 700 high school students and several thousand college students over the past 9 years. It's very important to understand that your college experience and your life are not dictated by the specific university you attend. I've seen students go to MIT and succeed with their goals and I have seen students go to community college and also succeed at their goals. (Would you believe that an acquaintance of mine who started off in CC is now a well-respected physics prof at Caltech?) What you do in life has more to do with the initiative you take to achieve your goals than where you go to school. Where ever you end up for college and beyond, take hold of the opportunities at each step of the way.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Arup Guha (You can just search for my name on google)
Posted by: Arup on March 21, 2008
To the whiners complaining that their academic medals didn't get them in---when the admission rates are this low, your academics get you only into the maybe pile, but who you are as a human being is what gets you admitted to MIT, or not. Olympiads or other forms of test-taking don't show much about the risk-taking and initiative that MIT wants to see in you. Remind yourself that almost everyone who was rejected by MIT would have done fine here. REALLY. But when the decisions have to get made, MIT has learned that above a certain level, grades and scores and tests are irrelvant in determining who will make the most out of the MIT education. It is the subjective part of your application that makes the difference. Apparently, other applicants had more compelling stories than yours, this time. There are hundreds of colleges around the globe where you can get an amazing undergraduate education. Then if MIT is still high on your list, reapply for grad school. Success in life is far more about how you live your life than about where your academic credentials come from.
Posted by: Alice'78 on March 21, 2008
I got 800 on SAT1 Maths & did not get in.And I knew all the questions.So whats the big deal!
Posted by: Anon on March 23, 2008
Posted by: 0 on March 23, 2008
Posted by: BK on March 23, 2008
Yes I am a genius and I know that I can walk into the best schools in my country.And I know that people from these schools are all over the world and in some of the best schools including MIT as graduate, Phd students, professors etc.
So congrats to you and all the best!
Posted by: Anon on March 23, 2008
Posted by: Rob B on April 1, 2008
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