Is that… R2-D2 from Star Wars, watching over campus? No, it’s just the Great Dome of Building 10, dressed up once again. Your classes may be tough, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for fun, or space to be creative. After all, it’s college, not rocket science… although at MIT, sometimes the two are one and the same.



MIT: The Basics

Public

Private

Liberal Arts

Research University

Affiliation: Secular (nonreligious)



The Location (Cambridge, MA):

Welcome to Student City! The Cambridge area of Boston is known for academics, being home not only to MIT and Harvard, but also Boston University, Tufts, Boston College, Northeastern and more, all within a stone’s throw. You’ll have no trouble meeting fellow students from all walks of life — and for even more adventures, the lively and beautiful city of Boston is right on your doorstep.

The Numbers

Admission Rate

 4.1%

Average High School GPA

 3.96

Preferred Standardized Test 

 Either

Average SAT Score 

 780-800 Math, 730-780 ERW

Average ACT Score 

 34-36

Accepts ACT Superscore?

 Yes

Application Deadline

 January 5

Accepts Common App?

 No

Tuition (Annual)

 $53,790

Enrollment

 11,376

Average Class Size

 17



You’d Make a Great Beaver If:

  • You have a passion for research. MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (OUROP) allows undergraduates to collaborate directly with faculty on original research for course credit, which can lead to getting published, or even founding your own startup!
  • You love being up-to-date on the latest technology. MIT has been at the forefront of developments in computer science for decades, and helped set the modern standards for international organization of the World Wide Web. Remember Boston Dynamics’ dancing robots? Boston Dynamics was founded at MIT!
  • You have an entrepreneurial spirit. MIT alumni have gone on to found major companies based on the newest technological developments, ranging from Intel to HuffPost to Zipcar.

Fun Fact(s):

Did you know MIT has its own unit of measurement? Meet the smoot! Oliver R. Smoot, an MIT fraternity pledge in 1958, lay on the Harvard Bridge several times, to allow his brothers to measure his height as compared to the length of the bridge. One smoot is equal to Mr. Smoot’s height: five feet, seven inches. Harvard Bridge is 364.4 smoots — a lot of measuring for Oliver!

Famous Alumni

Buzz Aldrin:
Astronaut

I. M. Pei:
Architect

Richard Feynman:
Physicist, Nobel laureate, author

Paul Krugman:
Economist, Nobel laureate

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