Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Data sourced from IPEDS, Institutional Website · Last verified 2026-09-15. This provenance applies to the record as a whole — figures marked with a star are sourced separately, as noted at the bottom of the page.
Preparation
This is helpful preparation, not a formal admission requirement.
Admissions
How admission works here
- Test scores
- SAT or ACT scores are required. MIT admissions
- Essays
- Essay questions (about 100-200 words each); Short-response questions (40-50 words each). School admissions page
- Deadlines
- Early Action November 1, Regular Decision January 4 (MIT calls this plan Regular Action). MIT admissions
Overall is College Scorecard's verified figure and won't necessarily sit between the separately-reported In-State/Out-of-State rates shown here, which are what My Fit uses to classify your chances.
Applying
Essay questions
about 100-200 words each- 1“What field of study appeals to you the most right now? (Note: Applicants select from a drop-down list.) Reflect on what has led you to this interest.”
- 2“While some reach their goals following well-trodden paths, others blaze their own trails achieving the unexpected. In what ways have you done something different than what was expected in your educational journey?”
- 3“How have your personal and academic experiences influenced the types of problems you would want to tackle with an MIT education and the impact you aim to make on your community?”
- 4“How did you manage a situation or challenge that you didn't expect? What did you learn from it?”
Short-response questions
40-50 words each- 1“What do you do just for fun?”
- 2“Who is someone you admire, whether you know them personally or look up to them from afar? Tell us why.”
- 3“What's a topic, academic or non-academic, that you could talk about for hours?”
- 4“MIT values both “generalists” with varied interests and “specialists” who focus deeply on one or a few passions. Which do you think best describes you, and why?”
- Also has an open-ended box for anything else you want MIT to know
Prompts are quoted from the school's own page, read 2026-09-19 (2026-27 cycle). Schools change their prompts and word limits every year, so check the school's site for the current list before you start writing.
Check the current prompts on the school's siteAcademics
Flagship Programs
Career & Major Pathways
Cost
This is the full yearly cost before any financial aid. What your family would actually pay is in the Financial Aid section. Cost figures are approximate, so confirm current numbers on the college's website.
Financial Aid
What families actually paid, by household income
Average for students who received federal aid. Your own figure depends on your family's finances and the aid this school offers you.
- Under $30,000
- -$2,533
- $30,001 – $48,000
- $93
- $48,001 – $75,000
- $1,480
- $75,001 – $110,000
- $11,555
- Over $110,000
- $48,479
A negative figure means the average aid package was larger than the school's full cost of attendance — those families were paid the difference rather than billed.
College Scorecard (latest.cost.net_price.private.by_income_level.*), 2024
Every school is required to publish a net price calculator. It asks about your family's finances and returns an estimate for you specifically, which is worth more than any average on this page. Your school counselor and the college's financial aid office can also help.
Scholarships and merit aid
MIT awards 100% need-based aid with no merit scholarships at all, so families should treat the net price calculator, not sticker price, as the real planning number.
Campus
Campus Fit
*College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education) · 2024
†MIT admissions · 2026-27 · accessed Sep 20, 2026
‡MIT admissions · 2026-27 · accessed Sep 22, 2026