Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ / Academics and research
What is the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab?

The Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS) was created to coordinate and promote water and food research at MIT. MIT’s efforts are aimed at a future…
FAQ / Life and culture
Who was the first woman graduate?

In 1873, shortly after MIT’s opening in 1865, Ellen Swallow Richards became MIT’s first woman graduate (and later its first woman instructor). Richards’ work testing drinking water supplies and water contaminants…
FAQ / First-year application
Do I have to submit my final grades?

Most students apply to college at the beginning of their last year of high school, so final grades aren’t available. Only admitted students are required to submit their final grades.…
FAQ / Life and culture
What’s the Infinite Corridor?

The Infinite Corridor is MIT’s spinal cord. Many of our departments, classrooms, and labs radiate from here. Whatever you do, stay to the right when traveling the corridor and note…
FAQ / First-year application
Does MIT consider legacy?

MIT doesn’t consider legacy or alumni relations in our admissions process. If you’d like to read more about this policy, check out the blog Just to Be Clear: We Don’t Do…
FAQ / First-year application
How does MIT select students for admission?

The selection process at MIT is holistic and student centered: each application is evaluated within its unique context. No school, state, or regional quotas are applied; neither is preference given…
FAQ / Academics and research
How can I get a course catalog?

MIT has an online course catalog called the Bulletin that provides details about MIT, the campus, and undergraduate programs, including requirements and course descriptions for majors/minors.
FAQ / First-year application
Where can I find info on Graduate Admissions/Masters/PhD?

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions handles first-year and transfer admissions. To pursue graduate study at MIT, you need to apply to one of our departmental programs(opens in new window). Each…
FAQ / Academics and research
What is Interphase Edge?

Interphase Edge is a two-year scholar enrichment program that includes an eight-week summer session as well as programming during the academic year to help ease the transition to MIT and…
FAQ / Prepare for MIT
What is MITES Summer?

MITES Summer is a rigorous six-week residential academic enrichment program for rising high school seniors—many of whom come from underrepresented or underserved communities—who have a strong academic record and are interested…
FAQ / Prepare for MIT
What programs does MITES (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science) offer?

MITES (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science) runs outreach programs under the School of Engineering at MIT for underrepresented and underserved students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.…
FAQ / Life and culture
Is MIT a diverse community?

At MIT diversity isn’t simply a word, it is an integral part of the MIT experience. MIT Admissions is committed to reaching students from all backgrounds. We know that while…
FAQ / Prepare for MIT
What is Weekend Immersion in Science & Engineering?

WISE (Weekend Immersion in Science and Engineering) is a three-day experience for rising seniors to learn what it is like to be an MIT student. The program is completely free,…
FAQ / Prepare for MIT
What is MITES Semester (formerly MOSTEC)?

MITES Semester (formerly known as MIT Online Science, Technology, and Engineering Community, MOSTEC) is a six-month hybrid learning STEM and college preparation experience, free of charge, for rising high school…
FAQ / Life and culture
What programs does Office of Minority Education offer?

The MIT Office of Minority Education (OME) provides a home base for many of MIT’s underrepresented minority students. OME’s mission is to promote academic excellence, build strong communities, and develop professional mindsets among…
FAQ / Life and culture
Are the Arts active on campus?

More than 50 percent of incoming first-years have prior training in the arts, and more than half of all MIT undergrads enroll in arts courses each year—with nearly half of…
FAQ / Academics and research
What’s the Deshpande Center?

The Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation provides grants and resources to help MIT faculty and students move their ideas from the lab to the marketplace. The center empowers some of…
FAQ / Life and culture
What is Battlecode?

The 6.9610 Battlecode programming competition is a unique challenge that combines battle strategy, software engineering, and artificial intelligence. Student teams aim to write the best player program for the Battlecode…
FAQ / Academics and research
What’s happening at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies?

At the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, MIT, the Army, and industry partners work together to develop technologies that advance soldier protection and survivability capabilities. Team members collaborate on basic research to create new materials,…
FAQ / Academics and research
What is the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory?

The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT focuses the talents of a diverse array of brain scientists on a single mission: unraveling the mechanisms that drive the quintessentially…

Frequently Asked Questions

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