,·Private Research University·Est. 1861
“Mens et manus — where brilliant minds and skilled hands collaborate to solve the world's hardest problems.”
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the world's preeminent science and engineering university, consistently ranked among the top institutions globally for its unparalleled research output and the career outcomes of its graduates. Founded in 1861, MIT's motto — mens et manus (mind and hand) — captures its defining philosophy: theory and practice are inseparable, and knowledge only matters when it is applied to real-world problems. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3:1 and nearly 95% of graduating seniors having participated in undergraduate research through UROP, MIT treats every undergraduate as a potential research pioneer. MIT is organized into five schools and one college: Architecture and Planning; Engineering; Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; Management (Sloan); and Science; plus the Schwarzman College of Computing. Every undergraduate, regardless of major, completes the rigorous General Institute Requirements — a common core covering mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and communication — ensuring a shared scientific foundation. Course numbers rather than department names define majors: Course 6 (EECS), Course 18 (Mathematics), Course 7 (Biology), Course 8 (Physics). The MIT campus sits on the Charles River in Cambridge, directly across from Boston, giving students immediate access to one of the world's great intellectual and entrepreneurial ecosystems. MIT is a magnet for international talent — 3,455 students from 138 countries study here in 2024-25, and MIT is one of only a handful of US universities that is both need-blind and meets full demonstrated need for international undergraduates. The culture is intensely collaborative: students bond over shared difficulty, and the legendary MIT 'hacking' tradition — elaborate, technically sophisticated pranks — reflects a community that approaches creativity with the same rigor as coursework.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
QS World University Rankings
QS 2026
Times Higher Education World Rankings
THE 2025
Academic Ranking of World Universities
ARWU (Shanghai) 2025
Forbes America's Top Colleges
Forbes 2025
Computer Science
US News Graduate 2026
Engineering (overall)
US News Graduate 2026
Economics
US News Graduate 2026
Mathematics
US News Graduate 2026
Test Required — All applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Official SourceEarly Action
Non-binding; tests must be completed by the November testing date; decisions released mid-December
Regular Action
Tests must be completed by the December testing date; decisions released mid-March; enrollment reply by May 1
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$64,050
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
The world's #1 engineering school, home to the largest international graduate population at MIT (1,421 intl students in 2024-25). Offers undergraduate programs in electrical engineering & computer science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace, and more.
Launched in 2019 as MIT's newest academic unit, bridging computer science with every other discipline. Houses EECS jointly with the School of Engineering and drives AI, data science, and computing ethics across MIT.
Home to some of the world's leading physics, mathematics, biology, and brain science departments, with direct access to research labs producing Nobel Prize-winning discoveries. 565 international graduate students enrolled in 2024-25.
One of the world's leading business schools — 852 international graduate students in 2024-25. Primarily graduate-focused, but undergraduates can pursue management science (Course 15) and benefit from Sloan's entrepreneurship, finance, and operations research programs.
Provides MIT students with rigorous training in HASS subjects — required for all undergraduates — and offers majors in economics, linguistics, political science, and more. MIT's Economics department is consistently ranked #1 globally.
The oldest architecture school in the United States (founded 1865). Home to the Media Lab and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning; 281 international graduate students in 2024-25.
4 years
MIT's largest and most competitive major, producing graduates who go on to found companies like Dropbox, Reddit, and Stripe, and lead research at Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and FAIR. The program is renowned for its theoretical depth in algorithms, systems, and AI alongside hands-on lab and project work. All EECS tracks (6-1/6-2/6-3/6-4/6-9/6-14) are STEM-designated for OPT purposes.
4 years
One of the world's most rigorous undergraduate mathematics programs, with options in pure mathematics or applied mathematics with various tracks in data science, economics, and theoretical physics. Many graduates go on to top PhD programs and careers in quantitative finance. STEM-designated.
4 years
A classically broad and deeply experimental engineering program combining solid mechanics, controls, thermodynamics, and design. Students complete the capstone 2.009 product engineering course and often spin ideas out of class into startups. STEM-designated.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $85,960
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
