Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Founded to accelerate the nation’s industrial revolution, MIT is profoundly American. With ingenuity and drive, our graduates have invented fundamental technologies, launched new industries, and created millions of American jobs. At the same time, and without the slightest sense of contradiction, MIT is profoundly global(opens in new window). Our community gains tremendous strength as a magnet for talent from around the world. Through teaching, research, and innovation, MIT’s exceptional community pursues its mission of service to the nation and the world.

If you attended high school outside of the United States, your grades and subjects of study might have been very different than those of most American students. However, this will not negatively impact your application to MIT.

MIT admissions counselors are trained to understand the educational system in your part of the world. We do not try to convert your grades to the American system, or to find other sorts of equivalence. You will not be competing against your classmates or students in other parts of the world; we do not have caps or quotas for countries. We consider each student as an individual as they proceed through our process.

However, all students need to demonstrate minimum competence in fields they will continue to study at MIT. We recommend that all international students study:

• Four years of English
• Mathematics, at least to the level of calculus
• Two or more years of history/social studies
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics

While these courses are not required, studying them will increase the chances that you will be sufficiently prepared academically to attend MIT. Students without all of the listed recommended classes are welcome to apply.

International students—or domestic students who do not speak English natively—have two options for testing. We have no preference between these options. It is your choice, and you should take the set of tests with which you feel the most comfortable. All November testing is allowed for Early Action consideration and December testing is allowed for Regular Action consideration.

Scholarships are awarded based solely on financial need and come from our endowment, gifts from MIT alumni and friends, and MIT general funds. 59% of our undergraduates receive MIT Scholarships. The average grant was $47,593 for 2018–2019.

All students who apply for financial aid and fill out the CSS Profile⁠01   are automatically considered for an MIT Scholarship.