MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA · Private · 4,535 undergrads
- Admit rate: 4.5% (26,904 applicants)
- SAT middle 50%: 1520–1580 (ACT 34–36)
- Undergraduates: 4,535 (11.7% international)
- Average net price: $20,111 (per year after aid)
- Graduation rate: 96% (within 6 years)
Deadlines
- Early Action: Nov. 1, 2026
- Regular Decision: Jan. 4, 2027
Essays
Field of study (About 100-200 words)
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.
Different path (About 100-200 words)
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?
Problems and impact (About 100-200 words)
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?
Unexpected challenge (About 100-200 words)
How did you manage a situation or challenge that you didn't expect? What did you learn from it?
Short response: fun (40-50 words)
What do you do just for fun?
Short response: someone you admire (40-50 words)
Who is someone you admire, whether you know them personally or look up to them from afar? Tell us why.
Short response: topic for hours (40-50 words)
What's a topic, academic or non-academic, that you could talk about for hours?
Short response: generalist or specialist (40-50 words)
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?
Additional information (Open text box)
One final, open-ended, additional-information text box where you can tell us anything else you think we really ought to know.
Editor's notes
- There's no long essay at MIT, so don't try to cram a personal statement into 200 words. Each short essay has one job. Answer that job and stop.
- MIT says outright there's no advantage to EA. The real tradeoffs are timing: EA needs tests done before Nov. 30 and an aid application by the same date, and a denial ends your year. Pick the round where your file is strongest.
- Character is the only factor MIT's CDS rates 'Very important'; grades, tests, essays, letters, activities and the interview are all 'Important'. The essays and short answers are where you show character directly, so write them as yourself.
- You only get four activity slots. Pick the four that mean the most and describe what you did, not just your title.
