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Graduate Admissions FAQs and Tips
Q. When is my application due? May I submit it late?A. The graduate application deadline for June and September admission is December 15. Late applications will not be accepted. Please complete your graduate admissions application online. By doing so, you can track the status of the application, and your online recommendations. Q. May I apply using the paper application, and send paper materials?A. No. Our system for reviewing applications is completely online, so we must receive all application materials electronically using our electronic application and recommendation service. The only piece of your application that you may submit on paper is your transcript. Q. Where should I send my transcripts?A. Transcripts should be mailed to the MIT Aero-Astro Student Services Office at the following address: Massachusetts Institute of Technology All transcripts must be sent directly to our department from your university in a signed, sealed envelope. We only accept official, confidential transcripts. If your school sends your transcript directly to you, you may still submit it to us, but only if you do not open the signed, sealed envelope. Please send ONLY ONE COPY of each required transcript to the Aero-Astro Department. We do not need multiple copies. Q. May I submit more than three letters of recommendation?A. No. Please submit only three letters of recommendation, preferably using the electronic recommendation service that is part of our online application. Our graduate admissions committee can only guarantee that three letters will be considered during the review of your application. Q. Will applying earlier benefit my application?A. Yes. Submitting and completing your application early in the application period may yield a quicker admissions decision. You may begin the application process as of September 1. Q. Do I have to list in the Record of Subjects Taken section all the courses I have taken in the past?A. At your discretion, you may note every subject you've completed, or only those subjects that you believe have prepared you to do graduate work in our department. Decide what will make you a strong candidate for admission. Q. I can't afford the tuition. Is it worth my time to fill out the application?A. Applicants' financial resources are not considered as part of admission decisions. Your financial situation will have no bearing on your application. Q. Will documents that I have published improve my chances?A. Faculty members do not have the time required to read applicants' publications – please do not include them with your application. Your Statement of Objectives is much more critical to the review process. Be sure to be clear and concise about your research goals and how they relate to the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department. Q. What is the average GPA of accepted graduate students?Because students from all over the world apply to our graduate program, we deal with many different GPA scales and systems. Because of this, we do not keep an official average GPA for accepted students on file. However, we do recommend an 80% GPA or above for application to our program, and typically admit students with at least an 85-90% GPA, or those from the top 5-10% of their class. Q. Is the application process different for International Students?The application process for international students is largely the same. The main difference is that some international students from non-English speaking countires must sit for the TOEFL/IELTS exam (see our TOEFL/IELTS policy here). International students, once admitted, must complete the visa process in order to be eligible to study in the US, but this takes place after the admissions process has been completed and a decision has been received. Q. What are the average GRE, TOEFL and IELTS scores of accepted graduate applicants?The average GRE scores for students accepted to our program for Fall 2009 are: Quantitative - 790, Verbal - 580 (each out of 800) and Analytical - 4.5 (out of 6.0) The average TOEFL score for the same group is 109 (Internet-based, out of 120). The average IELTS score for the same group is 8.0. Please note that while there are no minimum GRE score requirements to apply, you must at least score a 100 on the internet-based TOEFL in order to eligible to apply to our program. If you choose to take the IELTS, you must score at least a 7 total to be eligible. Q. What is the MIT code used by the Educational Testing Service? What is the Aeronautics and Astronautics code? What tests do I need to take?A. Official score reports should be sent to the MIT Office of Admissions, ETS code 3514. The Aeronautics and Astronautics Department code is 1601. The Aero-Astro Department requires scores for the general test. Scores from any GRE subject tests that are taken will not be considered by our committee. To insure that your application is complete, take the GRE and TOEFL tests by our application deadline of December 15 . Don't let your application be inadmissible because our office does not have your test scores. Although test scores usually arrive within 10 days after taking the exam, delays are always possible. Be early! Note: it takes additional time to receive GRE and TOEFL scores for international students. Our office does not accept copies of the score from students. Official scores received directly from ETS are required. Q. How to I get in touch with the Educational Testing Service?A. To learn more about ETS, please visit http://www.ets.org/. For more information about TOEFL, see http://www.ets.org/toefl/. For information on IELTS please visit http://www.ielts.org/. Q. I've been employed for the past few years. Do still I have to take the GRE exam?A. Yes. All applicants must take the GRE exam, with absolutely no exceptions. If you have any questions regarding graduate admission to Aero-Astro that aren't addressed on our site, please email us at aa-studentservices@mit.edu. |
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