Graduate Admissions FAQ’s - GRE and TOEFL Exam Information

Is the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) mandatory?
Yes, the GRE General Test is required of all applicants. GRE Subject Exams are not required but scores may be submitted.  You are encouraged to take your GRE before December. Students who must take them in December should put a note in their applications stating when the official scores will arrive.  Test scores should be sent directly to MIT from ETS. Photocopies of GRE scores will not be accepted. GRE scores are valid for 5 years. Once scores are received by MIT we will continue to have them on record as long as the scores are still valid. We can not check to see if your GRE scores are here until you have submitted your online application.

The institution code for MIT is 3514, Department of Biological Engineering code is 1699

Is the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) mandatory?
All applicants whose first language is not English are required to take the TOEFL, including students who have received degrees from English speaking institutions. In a limited number of cases a TOEFL waiver may be granted.  Photocopies of TOEFL scores will not be accepted. TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years.

Minimum score required: PBT: 600, CBT: 250, iBT: 95 or higher
The institution code for MIT is 3514, Department of Biological Engineering code is 45

Is my TOFEL/GRE score as XXX, good enough?
We do not give applicants advice on whether their scores are good enough to apply to MIT.