How to Get into MIT? What Do You Need to Get Admission?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, United States, is a world-renowned technology college in the world that is considered one of the most demanding colleges. The college is very selective about its students and has high criteria for selecting students in admissions.
If you have always dreamt of being admitted to MIT and now is the time, you must be worried about how to get into the college and what the requirements are for getting enrolled there.
Well, I have got you covered!
I am here to tell you everything in detail with a precise description so you can understand what you have to do to get admission to the college and what the selection criteria of the college are. I can guide you because I was a professor in a similar college, but most importantly, I interviewed over 20 MIT graduates for this specific blog post.
Put all of your focus in the details below so you can understand how to prepare and what the dos and don’ts of taking admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) US.
Remember that the acceptance rate at MIT College is about 4.1% of the students who submit applications. This makes it one of the most selective universities not only in the US but also all over the world.
And because MIT is one of the most selective colleges in the world, it demands perfect or almost perfect grades with high ACT and SAT scores to give you admission. Let’s look at some of the general information about the college before focusing on what you need to get admission and what you should focus on to increase your chances of getting admission to the college.

Requirements To Get Admission To MIT
The decision of admission by admission officers in the college does not revolve around a GPA and test scores, but there are other considerations that the institute also considers before enrolling you. Besides scores and grades, your admission also relies on extracurricular activities, a letter of recommendation, coursework difficulty, and your personal statement that tells the institute about you, your writing skills, and your interests. We will focus on some of the essential things below.
Let’s look at the details of SAT and ACT scores, cumulative GPA, extracurricular activities, and all you need to get into this highly selective college. Try your best to impress the institute with your inspiring application and high grades so they can find no reason to reject you.
GPA And SAT/ ACT Scores

Although MIT has not stated the minimum GPA or test scores to get enrolled in the college, it does state that the most competitive applications have at least 4 CGPA with most As in major courses like science and math. In order to increase your chances of getting into a college, you need to ensure that you have high SAT and ACT scores.
It becomes compulsory for you if you are really very excited about getting enrolled at MIT. There are high chances of rejection if you don’t pass the requirements of the college when it comes to SAT and ACT scores. You must aim for 75% in both of these tests to increase your chances. 75% for the SAT is 1570, whereas for the ACT, it is 36.
Similarly, you must have a CGPA equal to or more than 4.17 to get into college. In case you have a lower GPA than this, then you have to compensate for it by getting higher SAT and ACT scores. So that these, when combined, make higher grades.
Remember this so you can increase your chances of getting admission to MIT. Since there are so many students who have higher scores on the SAT and ACT, you have to try your best to score as much as you can to increase your chances and minimize other students’ chances. This is because there is intense competition between you and other applicants, and you have to be intelligent enough to get higher grades in both ACT/SAT tests and your overall GPA.
Well, not only this, I do have other relevant information for you so that you can keep in mind everything and enhance your chances of getting admission. Let’s discuss them in the next part.
Personal Statement
Writing a personal statement about yourself is another important document you must submit with your test scores and GPA details. The institute does not ask the students to write long essays about themselves; instead, it prefers applications that have short paragraphs.
Keep in mind there is no strict formula that you must follow. Instead, you just have to write inspiring information about yourself that tells the institute and admission officer about the achievements you have made, your accomplishments, the things that you are interested in, and that you are a thoughtful person who should be on campus. Try your best to create a personal statement that inspires the officers to prioritize you as a student on their campus.
Since your personal statement would be something that will make you stand out, make sure to make it more unique and distinct from others and never submit the same personal statement again and again for admissions in different colleges.
Here is a tip for you!
- Write an inspiring essay for admission purposes at MIT. Try to write multiple drafts.
- Select someone who you trust the most to take a look over your essay draft.
- Make sure he is checking the essay with a critical analysis.
- Now ask him what is the thing that is lacking in your essay, what can be better, and how can you make it better.
- After writing several drafts, checking them, and recreating them, you will definitely end up finding the best one for you that you can rely on.
- Now, you can confidently submit your personal statement with other documents.
Extra Curricular Activities

The major focus of MIT College is to find out the students who can make life better and beneficial for both themselves and everyone around them. And when it comes to extracurricular activities that the officials focus on while selecting the students, let me tell you, there is no specific one.
Taking part in extracurricular activities just because you have to provide a certificate of participation while taking admission to MIT is not something the officers are looking for. Instead, officials of MIT focus mainly on the intelligence and high level of creativity in the students.
The students who are intelligent, creative, and have taken part in extracurricular activities because of their interests are preferred to those who have no genuine passion and only take part in extracurricular activities just because they need a certificate. Focus on these and make sure that you have the credentials of the actions you have taken part in due to your passion, dedication, and interest.
Moreover, the extracurricular activities you are taking part in should be the one that depicts your personality and your leadership skills. The primary aim of the college is to stand up to the leaders and innovators for the betterment of the world, so they mainly focus on leadership skills in their students and select those who have good leadership skills.
Things Admission Officials Consider During Admissions At MIT
- To be admitted to MIT, you must be intelligent enough to get a higher GPA and ACT and SAT scores.
- You have to ensure that you have a firm grasp of extracurricular activities, several certificates, a perfect GPA, and high SAT and ACT scores.
- Moreover, you must write an appealing essay about yourself and your thoughts to increase your chances of enrolling in college.
What Does The University Look For in The Students?

The admission officials of MIT use the holistic approach when they check the applications. Although your test scores on the SAT and ACT and your GPA are very important, they are not the only things that admission officials focus on.
The admission official also focuses on your abilities and your personal statement and prefers those applications that show the applicant is more creative, innovative, and a problem solver. MIT itself has said that the key factor admission officers focus on while selecting students is whether the applicant is the best match for MIT or not. This identification is done by focusing on the following components of the application and applicant.
- Collaboration and cooperation spirit
- Willingness and strength to take risks
- Alignment with the college’s mission
- The applicant is passionate, curious, adventurous, and excited about his career
- Ability to balance
- A creative thinker
- Ability to take initiative
Do You Have To Give An Interview When It Comes to Taking Admission At MIT?
No, not every applicant is interviewed. Sometimes, the institute is unable to interview all the applicants, and this is because there is a limited number of interviewers on the campus, and there are thousands of applications.
If you are selected for an interview, you will receive an email. You have to respond to the email to schedule a day and time for the interview. If you have not received the email for an interview, that does not mean you will not be selected.
So don’t worry if you don’t receive the email of the interview. Also, keep in mind the discussions are not conducted on campus; the interview will be done in a selective location in your area, at which both you and the interviewer agree. Common locations for the interviews are coffee shops, libraries, bookstores, and restaurants.
Moreover, sometimes, the interviewer and interviewee also arrange the interview via Skype. For your information, a network of 5,000 MIT graduates is hired to conduct interviews with the applicants. Interviews are usually done in order to know more about you beyond the application, your grades, and other documents you have submitted.
Tips To Give A Successful Interview
- Do not over-dress, and make sure that you are wearing a casual dress appropriate according to the area where you are having your interview.
- Search online and read articles and blogs about the MIT interviews. This will give you an idea of what type of questions you will be asked.
- Think and concentrate on your answers, practice, and make sure to deliver what you exactly are.
- Do not try to be fake. Be yourself!
- Do not bring your parents or friends to the interview.
- Make sure to come early, behave friendly, and come prepared.
- One of the most essential things in the interview is to be yourself and make sure you are delivering authentic explanations and details about yourself.
Tips from an MIT Graduate
I interviewed an MIT graduate and here are the tips he gave me, you can follow these in high school To increase the chances of getting into MIT
- Make sure to get high grades and start taking the courses that can help you increase your GPA.
- Take advanced courses.
- Take part in the public service projects.
- Make sure also to take part in the extracurricular activities.
- Try your best to take part in the qualitative extracurricular activities instead of taking part just because you want to increase the number of certificates you have.
- Try your best to participate in the research opportunities and enrichment activities.
- Work hard and study for the ACT and SAT.
- Make sure to take practice tests so that you can get high scores at the end.
Be Yourself!
What do MIT admission officers look for?
Admission officers, while selecting the students to enroll in MIT, focus mainly on the intelligence level and creativity of the students. They try their best to choose the best match for the institute. They select the students who are problem solvers with a critical approach and those who have shown curiosity, open-mindedness, and genuine passion for being good and doing good.
How to increase the chances of getting admission to college?
A combination of intelligence, rigorous courses, and higher grades plays an essential role in increasing your chances of getting admission to MIT. Try your best to get a higher GPA and higher SAT and ACT scores to increase your chances of getting access. Moreover, try your best to take classes mainly in the science and math subjects and also ensure you are receiving all As in these significant subjects.
How does MIT decide who to accept?
This Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT does not focus on school, regional quota, or state while selecting the students, nor does it give preference to those who are related to the staff. Instead, the selection of admission is done on the basis of excellent academic achievements and focuses on the solid match between the institute and the applicant.
Is there any application fee that you have to submit while submitting an application?
Yes, you have to submit an application fee of $75 while submitting an application to get admission at MIT. Keep in mind this because, after entry, the institute itself covers most of the studying costs of the students. But until then, you have to submit this admission fee on your own.
Well, now you must have an idea of how to gain admission at one of the most selective universities in the world, MIT. This above-mentioned article tells you everything about the procedure and what you have to do in order to be admitted to the college. Make sure to understand the concepts that will help you get admission and get your higher education from such a world-renowned university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States.
Disclaimer & Thanks: Before I end this article, I would like to thank Connor Gillivan, who helped me collect data related to MIT for this article on “How to Get into MIT? What Do You Need to Get Admission?”. Connor is an incredible guy, and as an MIT graduate, he knows the ins and outs of MIT. His knowledge helped me collect facts about MIT and interview multiple other students.