Grades & Coursework
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. Werecommend 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.
When To Apply
Most US students apply to MIT at the beginning of their final year of high school, and international applicants should do the same. Only accepted students are required to send final grades, and we understand that they will not be available until the summer months. Most applicants are 17-19 years of age. Some may be younger, especially if they have studied ahead; some may be older, especially if their countries have mandatory military service after secondary school.
Students who have already enrolled at another university - either in America or abroad - must apply to MIT as a transfer student.
How MIT Considers International Applicants
MIT receives many applications from very smart and talented international citizens. From this great pool of candidates, we may only take a small cupful. Every year more than 4,000 international students apply to MIT, and we can admit fewer than 150.
We limit the number of international students we can accept because of our generous financial aid. MIT is one of the few schools in the US that offers need-blind admissions and meets their full financial need. "Need-blind" means you will not be disadvantaged in the admissions process because of your financial need. "Meeting your full financial need" means MIT will give you enough financial aid so that you can afford to attend, no matter how much or how little your family can pay.
Even though the international application process is very competitive, we still admit wonderful students from all over the world every year. There are students from 116 countries at MIT. Approximately 9% of our undergraduates are international, and 40% of graduate students are citizens of other countries. There is a strong international community here at MIT, so no matter how far you are from home, you can still feel at home here.
What You Need To Do
To apply to MIT, you must take some standardized tests and complete our application. Due to capacity issues only a limited number of interviews are available in some regions outside the US. If you live outside the US and your interview is initially waived, you will be notified if an interviewer becomes available. Requesting an interview will not ensure that you will receive an interview. If it is not possible to provide an interview for you, we will not hold it against you.
Tests To Take
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 EA consideration and January testing is allowed for RA consideration.):
Option 1: The SAT or the ACT, as well as two SAT Subject Tests: one in math (level 1 or 2), and one in science (physics, chemistry, or biology e/m).
Option 2: The TOEFL (we do not accept IELTS) as well as two SAT Subject Tests: one in math (level 1 or 2) and one in science (physics, chemistry, or biology e/m). This option is especially recommended for students who do not speak English at home or in school, or who have been speaking English for fewer than five years.
Native English speakers must take either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT; and two SAT Subject Tests: one in math (level 1 or 2), and one in science (physics, chemistry, or biology e/m).
All students must meet the testing requirements. You may not substitute other exams (such as IB, A-Levels, etc.) for the above testing requirements. Students from countries where the SAT and ACT are not offered for all students (such as Iran and the People's Republic of China) will be considered without a full set of required test scores on a case-by-case basis.
We have no minimum or recommended scores for the SAT Reasoning Test, the ACT, or the SAT Subject Tests. You may wish to view testing statistics from the most recent admissions cycle here.
However, we do have minimum and recommended scores for the TOEFL. These minimums are in place to ensure your level of English proficiency. Because MIT offers no English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, and English is the language of MIT, all students must show that they will thrive in our community. The minimum TOEFL scores are:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| Paper Based Test (PBT) | 577 | 600+ |
| Internet Based Test (iBT) | 90 | 100+ |
Your scores must be reported to us officially from the testing agency; scores you list on your application and scores appearing on your school transcript will not be considered official. We recommend you list MIT as a school to receive your scores when you take the test. If you take the January test, you must list MIT as a school to receive your scores or we will not receive your scores in time for our review. Our SAT and TOEFL code is 3514, and our ACT code is 1858.
