What is the MIT acceptance rate?
The MIT acceptance rate is 4.8%. The acceptance rate for MIT means that MIT admissions accepted approximately 5 out of every 100 students who applied. While this number can feel intimidating, it is comparable to other extremely selective colleges in the United States. This includes those in the Ivy League.
Don’t be discouraged by the low Massachusetts Institute of Technology acceptance rate. It’s just one part of the broader college application puzzle. Keep in mind that the MIT acceptance rate is calculated based on all students who apply. So, you can improve your own personal odds of admission by strengthening your profile.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology acceptance rate: how it measures up?
The results are in, and the MIT class of 2026 was the most competitive yet – meaning that the MIT acceptance rate was less than 4%. Officially, 3.9% of all applicants were accepted for MIT enrollment. Those applicants who applied by the Early Action deadline had a slight advantage, yielding a 4.7% MIT acceptance rate. However, the most recent admissions cycle showed a higher acceptance rate of 4.8% for the Class of 2027.
U.S. News designates MIT as a “most selective” school, ranking #2 on their list of top National Universities. MIT’s undergraduate engineering and computer science programs ranked #1 in the nation, and the school’s undergraduate business program ranked #2. Of the many thousands of students who applied for MIT enrollment, only a select few were admitted. This makes MIT one of the most competitive schools outside of the Ivy League.
The statistics are staggering. For the class of 2027, MIT admissions received 26,914 applications and only 1,291 applicants were accepted.
Understanding college acceptance rates
You’ve probably heard your guidance counselor, parents, and teachers discuss college acceptance rates. But what exactly are they, and how will they affect your odds of MIT enrollment?
The MIT acceptance acceptance rate represents the number of students MIT accepts in a given year divided by the number of students who apply that same year. The MIT acceptance rate is extremely low—in the single digits.
This college acceptance rate can be challenging to interpret, mostly because the Massachusetts Institute of Technology acceptance rate does not necessarily represent the probability that MIT admissions will admit you. As more students apply to college —– and more students apply to more colleges—the number of available spots in the next incoming class does not change. This means that across the board acceptance rates are declining. Colleges can’t simply expand to meet the demand!
This has resulted in extremely low acceptance rates at some colleges and universities. While some think of a low acceptance rate as a hallmark of prestige, don’t get too caught up in the numbers. There is far more that goes into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology acceptance rate than meets the eye. This includes the informal MIT GPA requirements, MIT SAT requirements, geographical considerations, intended major selections, and more.
MIT acceptance rate and your college list
It is all too easy to fixate on the MIT acceptance rate and waste energy that could be spent on improving your application. Instead, use the acceptance rate for MIT as a data point to help shape your college list.
You’ve probably heard that you should have “reach,” “target,” and “safety” schools on your college list. Given the low MIT acceptance rate, this university is a “reach” school for all applicants. Simply stated, there’s nothing you can do to make MIT fall into the “target” category. But, you can focus on making your application the best it can be. Achieve top grades in challenging classes, tailor your extracurriculars to your MIT application, demonstrate leadership in your school and community, and study hard for standardized tests.
Don’t be too overwhelmed by the MIT acceptance rate. After all, it’s out of your control. Instead, make sure to craft a well-balanced college list with a variety of exciting choices. This will give you options for where to attend.
MIT acceptance rate vs. Harvard acceptance rate
Based in part on their college acceptance rates, Both MIT and Harvard rank among the hardest schools to get into. According to Niche, MIT is the #6 hardest school to get into, and Harvard is the #1 hardest school to get into.
Harvard has a college acceptance rate of 3.41% compared to the MIT acceptance rate of 4.8%. So, while Harvard is part of the Ivy League and MIT is not, they both have extremely selective acceptance rates. As an applicant, you should focus more on comparing the offerings of the two schools rather than comparing their college acceptance rates.
Both MIT admissions and Harvard admissions use a holistic application review process. So, don’t put too much emphasis on the MIT acceptance rate and rankings.
MIT acceptance rate and their admissions process
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology acceptance rate may seem important in your application process. To some extent, it is—its primary role is to shape your college list and motivate you. The informal MIT GPA requirements and MIT SAT requirements also factor into the discussion and contribute to MIT’s low acceptance rate.
The middle 50% of SAT scores for MIT is 1520-1580, and the middle 50% ACT range is 34-36. MIT admissions has decided to reinstate standardized testing requirements for students applying for entry in the fall of 2023. There are no published MIT GPA requirements. However, you should assume that the average MIT GPA is at least a 4.0 due to the acceptance rate for MIT.
Remember, college acceptance rates aren’t the only important element in your college search. Work hard, and good luck!
This guide to the MIT acceptance rate was written by Caroline Marapese. If you want to learn more about MIT including how to get into MIT, we’ve got you covered. CollegeAdvisor.com’s network of 300+ Admissions Experts (and former admissions officers) includes graduates from top universities like MIT. Create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 576-0953.
