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  • Discover

    We are makers. We are thinkers. We are explorers. In all that we do. The MIT community is driven by a shared purpose to make a better world through education, research, and innovation. We are fun and quirky

  • Request a group tour

    Thank you for your interest in a private group tour of MIT! Please ... Groups of 6–50 students are welcome to submit a request for a private group tour led by a current MIT student. Tours last approximately 60 minutes
  • Discover / The MIT education

    Independent Activities Period

    [intro]Independent Activities Period (IAP) is a four-week period in ... regularly scheduled classes to do...whatever they want![/intro] [annotation ... ,[/annotation] IAP has grown to be a unique feature of the MIT education, offering
  • Apply / Understanding the process

    Our selection process

    -centered process, not a school- or region-centered process. This means that we do not ... like your application has entered a black hole. So what really happens ... application is complete, it will first be read by a senior admissions officer
  • Apply / First-year applicants

    Early vs Regular

    fine to apply during either cycle. We do not have a preference, and there ... cycles for two reasons: 1) it helps us spread our work out over a longer ... anything like that. If you choose to apply to MIT during Early Action, we do
  • Apply / First-year applicants

    Transcripts

    We require an official transcript sent by a school counselor or ... school does not have a school counselor, your transcript may be submitted ... uploading them directly into the MIT application portal By using a third
  • Apply / Preparing for MIT

    Be yourself!

    , love to learn, and want to work on big problems to make the world a ... and capable of in a college application.  As admissions officers, we ... application as a chance to share your personal context: what has shaped you into
  • Apply / First-year applicants

    Letters of recommendation

    one evaluation from a math/science teacher, and one from a humanities ...  and—when available—a School Profile and letter of recommendation). You will be able to ... ! (If you're a teacher looking for guides on how to write good letters of
  • Apply / Transfer applicants

    Transfer deadlines & requirements

    instructors. We recommend that one be from a math or science instructor. We ... applicant well as both a student and a person. You are also welcome (but not ... school teachers, employers, etc. School Official Report We also require a
  • About

    About MITAdmissions.org

    name in order to do so. Since then, we've built up a following and sense of home at this domain, so we've just stayed here. This website is a resource about first-year and transfer admissions. We do not conduct
  • Discover / The MIT education

    MIT’s educational philosophy

    -motivated and engaged participants in a dynamic community of learners. We combine rigorous academics with a learning-by-doing approach.[/intro] Our guiding principles Since the first classes were offered in a storage warehouse in
  • Apply / First-year applicants

    International applicants

    MIT has a very long history of educating international students, and ... colleges, including MIT. This is a quick overview to help you understand how ... significant time in the United States, or those who have a liminal status as
  • Apply / Transfer applicants

    Returning students

    need to evaluate students against a common baseline of preparation for a rigorous MIT education. Even though you may have been away from school for a ... that non-traditional applicants take some courses at a community college
  • Apply / First-year applicants

    Essays, activities & academics

    get to know you. Remember that this is not a writing test. Be honest, be ... too much—spending a lot of time stressing or strategizing about what ... —you're doing it wrong. Our questions For the 2025–2026 application, we're asking
  • Apply / Parents and educators

    For home educators

    that we do not require a high school diploma or GED from our applicants ... [intro]MIT has a long history of admitting homeschooled students, and ... .[/intro] Over the past decade, we have seen a surge in homeschooled applicants
  • Apply / Understanding the process

    What we look for

    enjoy doing. Intensity, curiosity, and excitement In a nutshell, you ... quantity—you don't have to do a million things to get into college. Put your ... about something you do simply for the pleasure of it.) is not a trick
  • Pages

    First-year learning communities

    a whole lot of change happening at once. In the span of a few weeks, you move to a new city, live with a new roommate, enroll in new classes, find your way around a new school. We get it, it can be overwhelming
  • Apply / First-year applicants

    Creative portfolios

    /playwrights only. While MIT values creative writing, we do not currently offer a ... transfer applicants. Research Supplement Students who have worked on a ... to you. Research questionnaire: Complete a brief questionnaire
  • Discover / Life and culture

    Eating at MIT

    learn to do eventually. There is no right or wrong answer overall, just a ... [intro]You can choose to join a conventional meal plan with access to dining halls, or cook for yourself (and often, your friends) in a community