The Massachusetts Institute of Technology may have a well-earned reputation for coaching STEM majors into their most successful career fields, but that is far from the beginning and end of life on this well-rounded campus.
Each year, about half of all students participate in one of the many flourishing arts programs on campus. All year round, these programs– from dance to music– present hundreds of opportunities for students of any interest to engage in a moving, thrilling performance.
Just as this school takes a holistic approach to selecting the best possible students, it takes a holistic approach to education as a whole, encouraging students to embrace opportunities that lay outside of the classroom.
When not engaged in rigorous lessons, students at MIT have the opportunity to further their education through one of over 400 clubs and organizations, all designed to spark their curiosity and help them gain the skills they need to step into a successful future.
At the Priscilla King Gray Public Service, students collaborate with other like-minded individuals to partner in service projects, tackling real-world problems with the same passion and fervor that first gained them admittance into this renowned learning community.
Is it any wonder that every semester, thousands of hopeful applicants do whatever they can to better their chances of admission?
In this article, we address the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s early action acceptance rate, as well as other topics that might prove useful to an applicant hoping to gain the best possible edge.
Read on to learn more about the MIT early action acceptance rate!
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Early Action Acceptance Rate
The early action acceptance rate for MIT is 4.7 percent.
This percentage may seem incredibly small, but it presents a fairly strong advantage compared to the regular admission rate.
To keep class sizes small and ensure that each student has access to the kind of personalized education that makes this university so great, MIT maintains the lowest acceptance rates in the country.
Generally speaking, only around 4% of students in all rounds of admission combined are accepted each year.
Recently, over 30,000 applicants pursued their dream of joining the world-renowned alumni at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Of those, only 1,337 were admitted.
However, the process behind how these lucky students were selected may be much more complex than would have initially been apparent.
Nearly half of all applicants came to this process by applying for early action. Of those, nearly 9,500 were deferred to regular action, where they were reviewed a second time along with all other regular applicants.
From here, those applicants waited to see if they would be selected as one of the 640 students accepted from the regular admissions process. Though over 700 students were placed on a waitlist, none of the applicants on this waitlist went on to be accepted into the school.
In truth, it is no wonder that so many students would clamor for any additional chance to gain acceptance into this school.
After all, for thousands of students all across the nation– and the world– MIT is nothing short of a “first pick.”
MIT Early Action Decision Date
The MIT early action decision date is in mid-December.
Any student who doesn’t receive the answer they are hoping for can expect to look forward to a final notice of acceptance or rejection in mid-March, along with all other applicants.
The process of waiting for this notice can naturally be a nerve-wracking experience, but in the downtime, students can keep the fires of their interest stoked by learning more about the amazing men and women who have passed through this historic university.
Before Jonah Peretti went on to become the internet entrepreneur is he today, he was just another student vying for admission into MIT.
Now, after receiving the education and connections he needed on this famed campus, he celebrates a role as co-founder of both Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post.
Alumni Sal Kahn found similar success on the internet.
He incidentally became a household name after creating Khan Academy, a free online educational platform that offers curious young minds all over the world access to over 6,000 lessons in subjects ranging from computer programming to economics.
In 2003, Esther Duflo– a professor on campus– co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Here, she puts her economics knowledge to work by conducting impact evaluations designed to help tackle the most pressing issues in stopping worldwide poverty.
All across the world, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is making strides to make this world a better place.
In the face of all this renowned institution has accomplished, what harm comes from a short– if anxious– wait for an acceptance decision?
MIT Early Action Deadline
The deadline to apply for MIT’s early action option is November 1st.
Though students are all required to complete their applications by this date, standardized test scores are not due until mid-November, giving even early-action students the best possible chance to present their highest scores.
While many top schools operate on a simple policy that students who truly deserve admission will “figure it out” on their own, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology takes a wholly different mindset.
Instead of leaving students to muddle through the often confusing and intimidating application process on their own, this school provides seemingly unlimited resources to help coach students along.
In the name of assisting prospective applicants to reach their dreams of admission, MIT has published over 6,000 blog posts on the topic, aiming to help students “get” the process behind gaining acceptance.
In his article titled “It’s More than a Job,” former MIT communications director Ben Jones breaks down the process of how each application is reviewed.
Before going to a selection committee each application is reviewed by two highly-trained senior staff members.
These professionals sift through thousands of applications, removing any with clear “red flags” that would prove an issue.
From here, each application is reviewed by the twelve-person committee, which carefully reads through every single personal essay, letter of recommendation, and any other component that may have been submitted.
As they read, they consider all aspects of the student’s story, from their hardships to the very style with which they communicate.
MIT EA Deferral Rate
The deferral rate for MIT early action candidates is 64 percent.
In their drive to accept the best and brightest young minds in the nation, the admissions committee takes pride in taking their time through the highly significant selection process.
Rather than writing off what could be some of the best overall candidates for acceptance, they defer a large portion of early action applicants into the regular admissions process.
In the most recent year, the admissions committee received 14,781 early action applications.
Of these, around thirty-one percent contained the kinds of “red flags” that resulted in their removal altogether: low test scores or GPA, lack of community involvement, or other poor qualifications.
After offering acceptance to the very top percentage of applicants, any student who may just need an extra boost or second glance is deferred to the next step of the process.
This does not mean that these students should lose hope; recently, over 150 students who were first deferred from early action were later accepted regardless.
Though MIT takes a holistic approach towards acceptance and does not technically require standardized test scores, low scores may be enough to result in a student’s immediate disqualification from the process. After all, as the number two university in the entire nation, MIT can afford to be selective.
The average ACT score of an incoming freshman student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is 35, and it’s not unusual to encounter entire classrooms of students who have all received the rare “perfect score” of 36.
Should You Apply to MIT for Early Action?
Without a doubt, the structure of MIT’s early action program makes it a highly beneficial process for any student hoping to gain admission.
Every tiny percentage of likelihood counts when it comes to joining a school as prestigious and renowned as this one!
On nearly every possible list of national college rankings, MIT always rises to the occasion, earning accolades and praise as one of the top schools in the entire world.
In addition to being one of the best schools in the nation, MIT is also praised as having one of the best values, ranking fifth according to the US News and World Report.
Though a college degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may be far from cheap, the average starting salary of successful graduates more than makes up for the investment.
Unsurprisingly, MIT’s reputation as a math and science school is well-earned. It currently stands as the number one computer science and engineering school, with a business program that falls just shy of number one.
Though the application process may seem daunting, it is for good reason. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology stands as one of the most valuable educational experiences in the world!