Can I restrict access to my thesis to apply for a patent?

Does MIT have an all-but-dissertation status?

Can I restrict access to my thesis to apply for a patent?

Upon written request to the ODGE, you can be granted a three-month thesis hold while you get your patent application underway. Requests for holds of longer duration require closer scrutiny, must be reviewed by the Vice President for Research, and typically need a recommendation from the Institute's Technology Licensing Office.

Does MIT have an all-but-dissertation status?

For all practical purposes, yes; that is, the Nonresident Doctoral Thesis Research status. A student who has completed the doctoral qualifying exam and has only to write the thesis may petition for nonresident status. Like "ABD status," this reduces tuition. Unlike "ABD status" in most other universities, students cannot receive payments from or through MIT, or remain in campus housing.