Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private institution that was founded in 1861. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,547, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 166 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's ranking in the 2019 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 3. Its tuition and fees are $51,832 (2018-19).
Located outside Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT focuses on scientific and technological research and is divided into five schools. University research expenditures have exceeded $700 million a year, with funding from government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense. MIT’s highly ranked graduate schools include the School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management, in addition to strong programs in economics, psychology, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics and mathematics. Freshmen are required to live on campus, and about 70 percent of all undergraduates live on campus. Architect Steven Holl designed one dorm, commonly called "The Sponge." The Independent Activities Program, a four-week term in January, offers special courses, lectures, competitions and projects. Distinguished alumni include Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke.
What does MIT specialize in?
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers degree programs in a range of subjects, though its mission statement emphasizes science and technology disciplines. The institution’s largest school by far, in terms of enrollment, is the School of Engineering, according to fall 2016 data from the MIT registrar. More than 5,700 of the university’s more than 11,300 students at that time were in the engineering school. The next largest school at MIT is the School of Science, followed closely by the Sloan School of Management.
Is it hard to get into MIT?
Yes. According to U.S. News data, MIT’s acceptance rate for freshmen for fall 2016 was 8 percent, which means fewer than 1 out of every 10 students who applied was admitted. MIT doesn’t use The Common Application, so prospective undergrads will have to apply through the university’s website. MIT offers both early action and regular action deadlines for freshman applicants, and its website states that applying early will not give applicants an advantage in terms of admission.
When does MIT release admissions decisions?
According to the MIT website, prospective first-year undergraduate students who apply early action will hear back from the admissions office in mid-December. Applicants who opt for the regular action deadline will receive a decision in mid-March. Students must decline or accept their admission offer by May 1.
The essence of MIT is our appetite for problems--especially those big, intractable, complicated problems whose solutions make a permanent difference. While MIT is a research university committed to world-class inquiry in math, science, and engineering, MIT has equally distinguished programs in architecture, the humanities, management, and the social sciences. A diverse, supportive campus environment--with an incredible range of student groups and athletic and fitness opportunities--ensures that it's not all about the work. And in MIT's intensely creative atmosphere, the arts flourish in all their forms.MIT admits some of the most talented students in the world on a need-blind basis. The Institute is committed to meeting the financial need of each admitted undergraduate student through MIT scholarships; the average need-based scholarship was $38,871 per year in 2016. As a result, the MIT community is incredibly diverse, and organically collaborative, with students coming from many different backgrounds, across the country and around the world.Students are frequently encouraged to unite MIT's engineering excellence with public service. For example, the required senior capstone design course for mechanical engineering majors centers on making the world a better place through engineering. Recent years have focused on projects using alternative forms of energy, and machines that could be used for sustainable agriculture. Beyond academic coursework, MIT's D-Lab, Poverty Action Lab, and Public Service Center all support students and professors in the research and implementation of culturally sensitive and environmentally responsible technologies and programs that alleviate poverty and improve quality of life in low-income areas locally, nationally, and worldwide.MIT's preeminence in entrepreneurship is rooted in its founding. As one of the first land-grant colleges, the Institute was designed to deliver a practical education rather than to focus on the classical education that was provided by many private universities of that era. This emphasis on practice is infused into the entrepreneurship curriculum and programming, which emphasizes learning by doing. Over the course of the 2015-2016 academic year, more than 60 entrepreneurship courses were offered.Several MIT departments, labs, and centers foster entrepreneurship and innovation at MIT including the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program, and the MIT Innovation Initiative to name a few. MIT also has over 40 student clubs and initiatives involved in entrepreneurship or innovation, among them the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, MIT Clean Energy Prize, and conferences such as Hacking Arts and Hacking Medicine.The MIT community brings its energy and creativity outside the classroom as well with 500+ student-run groups, 33 varsity sports, 18 intramural sports, 33 club sports, and more than 60 music, theater, visual arts, writing, and dance groups. It's just a short walk across the Charles River to Boston where students can enjoy the city's fabulous restaurants or take in Boston culture. Many programs around MIT allow students to get reduced-price tickets to various events, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the American Repertory Theater, and Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox games. Students get free admission daily to the Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, and all Harvard University and MIT museums.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is ranked #3 in National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
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Below are the median starting salaries by major for alumni of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Median starting salary of alumni $79,800* *
By major
U.S. News has a community of students, alumni, staff and others who can provide additional insight into Massachusetts Institute of Technology. View previously asked questions.
When applying to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it's important to note the application deadline is Jan. 1, and the early action deadline is Nov. 1. The application fee at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $75. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due Feb. 15. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 7 percent and an early acceptance rate of 7.8 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
Selectivity Most selective
Fall 2017 acceptance rate 7%
Application deadline Jan. 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by Feb. 15
The student-faculty ratio at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is 3:1, and the school has 69.6 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology include: Engineering; Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services; Mathematics and Statistics; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; and Physical Sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 99 percent.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,547, with a gender distribution of 54 percent male students and 46 percent female students. At this school, 89 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated or -affiliated housing and 11 percent of students live off campus. In sports, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is part of the NCAA III.
Total enrollment 11,466
Collegiate athletic association NCAA III
At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 61 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid, and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $48,440.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs, or use the U.S. News 529 Finder to choose the best tax-advantaged college investment account for you.
Tuition and fees $51,832 (2018-19)
Room and board $15,510 (2018-19)
Campus safety data were reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education and have not been independently verified. The numbers for criminal offenses reflect reports of alleged offenses to campus security and/or law enforcement authorities, not necessarily prosecutions or convictions. Experts advise prospective students and their families to do their own research to evaluate the safety of a campus as well as the surrounding area.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers a number of student services, including nonremedial tutoring, placement service, day care, health service, health insurance. Massachusetts Institute of Technology also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc.). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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