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Student status
Regular student | International
student | Listener | Special
student | Part time status | Nonresident
status | Visiting student | Exchange
scholar | Transfer student |
Institute research staff
Regular student
A regular graduate student is an individual who has received
a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and who has been admitted
to and is registered for a program of advanced study and research
leading to any of the postbaccalaureate degrees offered by
MIT. Students may also be registered in MIT programs of study
leading to simultaneous award of both the bachelor's degree
and the master's degree.
Applications for admission should be requested from the Admissions
Office. Applicants to the Sloan School of Management, and
the Departments of Biology and Urban Studies and Planning,
may request materials and information directly from the departmental
graduate office. Many departments offer online applications: check the web site for the department in which you are interested. An application fee must accompany the application
form. Payment must be by check or money order, payable to
the MIT Admissions Office, through a US bank. The fee is not
required of a student who applies for readmission as a candidate
for the same or a higher graduate degree in the same department
within one academic year. A fee is not required of a currently
registered graduate student who applies to another department.
Applications for readmission after an absence of more than
five years must be approved by the Dean for Graduate Students.
Inquiries concerning specific requirements for admission
should be addressed to the chair of the appropriate departmental
graduate committee.
International student
Graduate student applicants who are not citizens or permanent
residents of the US must have received a bachelor's degree
or its equivalent from a college, university, or technical
institute of acceptable standing. The academic record and
all credentials must indicate the ability of the candidate
to achieve distinction in an approved program of study and
research. Admission is granted on a competitive basis by the
departmental admissions committee after evaluation of academic
records and professional promise.
Competence in written and spoken English is expected. Students
whose native language is not English must submit scores from
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Some departments may only accept one of these two exams, so applicants should check with their specific department of interest. In addition,
all incoming graduate students whose native language is not
English are required to take the MIT
English Evaluation Test (EET) offered at the start of each
regular semester. The MIT EET is a proficiency exam designed to indicate
areas where deficiencies may prevent full participation in graduate activities and to recommend
specific subjects in academic English language at MIT if needed.
International students should be aware that academic admission
is only the first step in the admission process. In order
to attend MIT, international students who are already in this
country must be in legal status. If there are any questions
about their status, students should contact the International
Students Office for advice on the procedures to follow for
reinstatement.
International students coming to the US from abroad need
to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility from the International
Students Office. This form is necessary to obtain the appropriate
visa from the American Consulate. In order to obtain a Certificate
of Eligibility (Form I-20 or DS2019), students must document
that they have adequate funds for tuition and living expenses
during the academic year and summer months. Consular officers
normally review the documentation of availability of funds
before issuing the visa. While pursuing their degrees at MIT,
international students are expected to comply with the immigration
regulations pertinent to their visa status and maintain legal
status. The International Students Office should be consulted
for any questions regarding immigration regulations.
International students who fail to register but remain in
the US will lose their legal status. (Before taking a reduced
load, a leave of absence, or withdrawing, international students
should consult one of the international student advisors.)
Listener
Regular graduate students paying full tuition may attend regularly
offered subjects as listeners without payment of additional
fees. Permission for such action must be granted by the instructor
in charge of the subject concerned. Such students must indicate
listener status on the registration form.
Special students are charged tuition for subjects taken as
listeners on a per unit basis. Tuition is charged from Registration
Day and is not prorated unless the individual processes the
appropriate withdrawal or cancellation forms through the Registrar's
Office.
No recognition or certification of such activity is recorded
on the student's external record (transcript).
Special student
A special graduate student is one whose intended program of
study is essentially graduate in nature but who is not a candidate
for an advanced degree. Normally, such a student will have
received a bachelor's degree. All applications are made through
the Graduate Admissions Office. Applications for the desired
Course(s) are evaluated by the Office of Admissions and by the appropriate departmental graduate
committee. The Admissions Office assigns the student to one
department as the department of registration and monitors
all changes in registration made subsequent to admission.
Admission as a special graduate student is valid only for
one term; a new application for each subsequent term during
which such status is desired must be presented and approved.
International special student applicants whose native language
has not been predominantly English must submit scores from
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). In order
to be issued an I-20 or DS2019 by MIT, an international applicant
must register for no fewer than 36 units.
International students must attend an immigration information
session and be cleared by the International Students Office
before they are allowed to register. Returning students who
have a past due student account balance are not permitted
to enroll.
Those applying for special student status for the first time
pay an application fee. Payment must be by check or money
order, payable to the Admissions Office, through a US bank.
A fee is not required for renewal applications within one
academic year. Special graduate students must pay the appropriate
minimum tuition. They are charged tuition for the length of
time they are registered whether their registration is for
credit or as a listener. All special students must obtain
financial clearance from Student Financial Services prior
to registration.
Admission as a special student does not imply any commitment
on the part of MIT toward an individual's admissibility to
regular student status. If a special graduate student is subsequently
admitted as a regular graduate student, subjects completed
may be used in partial fulfillment of requirements for an
advanced degree. The department determines to what extent
such subjects are acceptable. Registration as a special graduate
student does not count toward minimum residence requirements
for an advanced degree nor for eligibility for nonresident
status.
Academic performance of all special graduate students is
reviewed at the end of each term by the Graduate Academic Performance Group. Any individual who has achieved a cumulative
rating lower than 3.5 in one department must get approval
from the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education in order to apply for
admission to another department.
For all US citizens, the application deadlines are:
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Summer session |
May 1 |
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Fall term |
August 1 |
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Spring term |
January 1 |
The deadlines for international students are:
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Summer session |
March 1 |
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Fall term |
June 1 |
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Spring term |
November 1 |
International students on F-1 and J-1 visas who wish to enroll
as special students are required by immigration regulations
to register as full time students.
Part time status
Pursuit of a graduate degree on a part time basis is not permitted.
All graduate students at the Institute are registered on a
full time basis.
Nonresident status
There are two special conditions under which thesis research
may be carried out while not in formal residence at the Institute:
Thesis
Research in Absentia and Nonresident
Doctoral Thesis Research Status. The former is applicable
to all graduate degrees and intended primarily for students
who are on location away from MIT but who in every other respect
maintain full access to and contact with the academic life
of the Institute. The latter is available only to doctoral
students who have completed all requirements other than the
thesis.
Visiting student
Students who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree
at an institution of higher education other than MIT and have
been invited by faculty in an MIT department or laboratory/center to
do research in their fields of study may apply for visiting
student status. Current MIT regular or special students, or
MIT students who have withdrawn or are on a leave of absence,
cannot apply for visiting student status. Faculty sponsors who initiate this process should consult the Office of the Vice President for Research for more information.
Exchange scholar
The Exchange
Scholar Program enables a graduate student enrolled in
a doctoral program in one of the participating institutions
to study at one of the other graduate schools for a limited
period of time so as to take advantage of particular educational
opportunities not available on the home campus.
Transfer student
In some circumstances, students of faculty who are newly hired
to MIT wish to continue their thesis research with the advisor.
Typically, these are students in the advanced stages of degree
candidacy and for whom the continued advisory relationship
would facilitate timely completion of the degree. Such students
may seek to transfer to MIT and obtain a degree. The departmental
graduate committee will review eligibility and progress and,
as appropriate, offer admission as a regular MIT graduate
student and accept transfer credits towards the degree.
The minimum residency requirement of two regular terms for
doctoral candidates, or one regular term for master’s
degree candidates, will apply.
Institute research staff
In view of their full time responsibilities on assigned research
and corresponding nonacademic salary scales, Institute research
staff or employees of Lincoln Laboratory or the Charles Stark
Draper Laboratory may not be full time regular graduate students,
but may, under certain conditions, be granted the status of
special graduate student.
A research staff appointee or an employee of Lincoln Laboratory
or the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory who desires to work
for an advanced degree must be admitted as a regular graduate
student, and must complete the residency and other requirements
of the degree program to which the individual has been admitted.
This individual may not continue to hold a research staff
appointment, and may not include research work performed while
thus employed as part of the thesis for an advanced MIT degree.
Any research staff appointee or employee of Lincoln Laboratory
or the Draper Laboratory may, by written permission from the
director of the division (or his or her designate), apply
for enrollment as a student in one subject other than thesis
per term. This limit applies whether enrollment is as a listener
or for academic credit. Acceptance for such enrollment will
be granted if the instructor in the subject determines that
the individual is qualified to undertake it, and if section
size permits. For this type of enrollment, the student is
assigned to an appropriate graduate registration officer,
pays the fee established at the special student rate whether
registered as a listener or for credit, and is recorded as
a special graduate student.
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