MIT’s founder, William Barton Rogers, wanted to create an independent educational institution that focused on studies relevant to an industrialized America. Founded in 1865, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology held its first classes in a rented building in downtown Boston.
Construction of the first MIT building was completed in 1866; at that time, it was known as Boston Tech. However, the campus moved to Cambridge in 1916, and the name was changed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT as we know it today.
MIT Admissions and MIT Acceptance Rates
We all know that this school is an extremely difficult university to gain acceptance to — a fact that is proven by the MIT acceptance rate. The institute received 33,240 applications for the class of 2025. Of those MIT applications, only 1,340 were approved. These numbers translate into an acceptance rate of just 4.03%.
MIT Admission Qualifications
When you apply to MIT, you need to remember several key tips and suggestions that will help you submit an application that has everything the school is looking for.
GPA Requirements
Even though there is no set cut-off for an acceptable GPA, we do know that the average GPA of students who are accepted is 4.17. If yours isn’t at this level, you’ll need to make up for it elsewhere in your application.
Standardized Testing Requirements
In order to submit an MIT application, you will need to take either the ACT or the SAT and report your scores. The average composite SAT score for students admitted to MIT is 1535.
The 25th percentile score is 1500, and the new 75th percentile score is 1570. MIT follows a policy of “highest section” for scoring. This policy means if you take the SAT multiple times, MIT will consider your highest scores in each section of the test (a process also known as “superscoring”).
As for the ACT, the average score is 35, with 34 and 36 as the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. If you scored a 34 or below on the ACT, you might have to rely on a very strong application in other areas to compensate.
While MIT looks at your highest SAT score (but receives all of them), if you take the ACT instead, the institute will only see the scores you choose to send them. It should be noted that MIT does offer an ACT superscoring policy as well.
Non-Academic Application Must-Haves for MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology states that it looks for students who share a similar purpose, which is to make the world a better place through innovation, research, and education. The school describes its student body as:
- Elite but not elitist
- Talented
- Obsessed with numbers
- Inventive
- Artistic
- Fun and quirky
Even though these traits are not specified in the school’s official mission statement, they do explain the kinds of people it’s looking for to join the student body.
Students should be motivated by discovery and intellectual stimulation; they should “break the mold” and be extremely talented. If you’re a student who displays these qualities and routinely thinks outside the box, MIT just might be the school you’re looking for. Make sure to make these qualities stand out in your application essays!
How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Into MIT
Make sure to consider applying for an early action decision, which has a deadline of November 1st each year. Early deadline applications have a higher acceptance rate than those received before the regular admission deadline.
You will need to submit five short essays as part of your application, two letters of recommendation, your test scores, and official transcripts. Be aware that there are some majors for which applicants are required to submit work portfolios.With so much at stake, can you afford not to seek help from Empowerly to submit the very best MIT application possible? Contact us now and schedule a consultation!
