Academic preparation | MIT Admissions (2024)

FAQs

Academic preparation | MIT Admissions? ›

Secondary School Preparation

GPA. There is no minimum required GPA, but competitive applicants generally have a GPA of 3.5 or above, and mostly A's in mathematics and science courses. Testing must be completed by the October test date for spring (February) entry and by the March test date for fall (September) entry.

Even though there are no official MIT GPA requirements, you should aim for a 4.17 weighted GPA. If you're already a junior or senior figuring out how to get into MIT and your GPA is lower than 4.17, know that scores close to the average MIT SAT scores or ACT scores can counterbalance a lower GPA.

A combination of rigorous courses and high grades will help increase your chances of getting into MIT. Take honors classes when you can (especially in math and science courses), and attempt to receive all A's (or equivalent). Doing so won't guarantee your acceptance, but it is necessary to be considered for admission.

The admissions office recommends that students participate in extracurricular activities that truly delight them rather than trying to figure out what activities might appeal to MIT. You should pursue one or more extracurricular activities that you continue with throughout high school.

Since MIT grades on a 5 point scale a 2.75 is below a C average. This GPA would prevent you from entering into the MEng program at MIT.

Final Admissions Verdict

To be safe, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1570 SAT and a 4.19 GPA or higher to be above average.

To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1560 SAT or a 35 ACT. You should also have a 4.14 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score.

If you're already enrolled in a college or community college and have a 3.7 GPA, you may wonder if transferring to MIT is a possibility. The answer is yes, but it's a highly competitive process.

The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University.

Which high school goes to MIT most? ›

By percentage of class to Ivy League, the top 3 high schools are Pingry School (private, 23%), High Technology HS (Public, 22%), and Thomas Jefferson HSST (public, 11%).

According to the acceptance rate, it's harder to get into Harvard than at MIT. The acceptance rate at Harvard is 3.4%, whereas MIT's acceptance rate is 4.8%. These numbers reflect just how competitive it is to get into these schools. With such low acceptance rates, they admit only a tiny fraction of applicants.

The most popular majors at Massachusetts Institute of Technology include: Computer Science; Mechanical Engineering; Mathematics, General; Econometrics and Quantitative Economics; Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Physics, General; Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General; ...

The acceptance rate at MIT is 4%.

For every 100 applicants, only 4 are admitted. This means the school is extremely selective. Meeting their GPA requirements and SAT/ACT requirements is very important to getting past their first round of filters and proving your academic preparation.

Well, to get into MIT you'll need near perfect grades and SAT or ACT scores, strong extracurricular activity involvement demonstrating things like commitment to community and leadership, and essays that help you to stand out from other applicants.

There's no minimum required GPA; however, competitive applicants typically have a 3.5 GPA or above, and mostly As in math and science courses. Ideal preparation includes—at the very least—one year each of college-level calculus and calculus-based physics.

MIT will still consider your application, so the 3.0 will not “completely disqualify” you. But, they admit less than 8% of students, so chances are there will be 10 students who have the same background but better grades for the same spot you are seeking, and they'll award that space to someone else.

While a 3.3 unweighted GPA in your freshman year of high school may be lower than the average GPA of admitted students at highly selective schools like MIT, it is important to understand that admissions decisions are based on a range of factors beyond just GPA.

Farrell Wu in MIT. Photo courtesy of Wu. Filipino math genius Farrell Eldrian Wu once again earned high praise after graduating at the top university in the United States and receiving a perfect grade point average (GPA) of 5.0.