Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Summary

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private institution that was founded in 1861. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,232, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 168 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's ranking in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 7. Its tuition and fees are $39,212 (2010-11).

MIT is located in Cambridge, Mass., across the Charles River from downtown Boston. Only freshmen students are required to live on campus, but about 70 percent of students choose to remain on campus during their four years. MIT offers housing in one of the coolest dorms in the country, commonly called "The Sponge," designed by architect Steven Holl. The MIT Engineers boast more than 30 NCAA Division III Teams, and their mascot is a beaver, which MIT chose because of its "remarkable engineering and mechanical skill and its habits of industry." Each class designs a unique ring called the "Brass Rat" that is revealed during sophomore year, a tradition that dates back to 1929.

MIT focuses on scientific and technological research and is divided into five schools and one college. Among its graduate schools are the highly ranked School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management, in addition to strong programs in economics, psychology, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, and mathematics. Research expenditures at MIT for 2009 exceeded $700 million, with funding coming from government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense. The "Independent Activities Program," a four-week term between fall and spring semesters 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 Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke.

School mission (as provided by the school):

The essence of MIT is our appetite for problems-especially those big, intractable, complicated problems whose solutions make a permanent difference. While... Read More

Applying

When applying to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it's important to note the application deadline is January 1, and the early action deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due February 15. The application fee at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $75. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 10.7 percent and an early acceptance rate of 11.5 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2009 acceptance rate	11%
Application deadline	January 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	February 15

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is 7:1, and the school has 64.6 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology include: Biology/biological sciences; Computer science; Engineering; Mathematics; and Physical sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97.8 percent.

Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio	7:1
4-year graduation rate	83% - High
Five most popular majors for 2009 graduates
Biology/biological sciences 6% Computer science 15% Engineering 40% Mathematics 8% Physical sciences 10%

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Student Life

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,232, with a gender distribution of 54.7 percent male students and 45.3 percent female students. 92.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 8.0 percent of students live off campus. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Total enrollment	10,384
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Collegiate athletic association	NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, placement service, day care, health service, and 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, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). 5 percent of students have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Students who have cars on campus	5% - Low
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	Yes

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Paying for School

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 63.4 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $35,470.
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.

Tuition and fees	$39,212 (2010-11)
Room and board	$11,234 (2010-11) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

There are a lot of unusual things about MIT that few people know. One of the best, in my opinion, is the amount of freedom the students are allowed to have. It seems like the higher-ups trust us to take care of ourselves. There are many dorms where you are allowed to paint the walls however you want, have cats, and generally you're allowed much more privacy than in many of the other college dorms I've visited. Another unusual aspect of the social scene is that there's a pretty pronounced split between "east campus" and "west campus". The personalities of the living communities are very different,... Read More

Carrie Senior

The best thing about MIT is it's collaborative atmosphere. There are thousands of students who spent all of high school striving to be the best at everything we did, and then we get to MIT and you just can't survive on your own. Even the most antisocial person can be found at a professor's office hours with other students. P-setting (doing homework) until the early hours of the morning is one of the best ways to get to know people. MIT is a good size. It's not so small that you know everyone, but there are definitely ways to meet and get to know lots of people. It's not so huge that it's... Read More

Nora Freshman

MIT is a wild place with intense subcultures. The housing system is somewhat unique and results in strong dorm cultures. Through a prolonged lottery system, new students are given the opportunity to choose one of MIT's many dorms, live there temporarily during resident exploration period, and then opt to either stay or try to lottery into a preferred dorm. Although some students find the process stressful (while others think it's a blast), the opportunity that it gives each student to find a place for him or herself is priceless. On a larger scale, students usually live all four years in their... Read More

Anna Junior