Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private institution that was founded in 1861. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,528, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 168 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 7. Its tuition and fees are $45,016 (2014-15).

MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from downtown Boston. Only freshmen students are required to live on campus, but about 70 percent of students choose to remain on campus during their four years. MIT offers housing in one of the coolest dorms in the country, commonly called "The Sponge," designed by architect Steven Holl. The MIT Engineers boast more than 30 NCAA Division III teams, and their mascot is a beaver, which MIT chose because of its "remarkable engineering and mechanical skill and its habits of industry." Each class designs a unique ring called the "Brass Rat" that is revealed during sophomore year, a tradition that dates back to 1929.

MIT focuses on scientific and technological research and is divided into five schools and one college. Among its graduate schools are the highly ranked School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management, in addition to strong programs in economics,psychology, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics andmathematics. Research expenditures at MIT have typically exceeded $650 million each year, with funding coming from government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense. The "Independent Activities Program," a four-week term between fall and spring semesters in January, offers special courses, lectures, competitions and projects. Distinguished alumni include Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school): 

The essence of MIT is our appetite for problems-especially those big, intractable, complicated problems whose solutions make a permanent difference. While MIT is a research university committed to world-class inquiry in math, science, and engineering, MIT has equally distinguished programs in architecture, the humanities, management, and the social sciences. A diverse, supportive campus environment-with an incredible range of student groups and athletic and fitness opportunities-ensures that it's not all about the work. And in MIT's intensely creative atmosphere, the arts flourish in all their forms.

MIT admits some of the most talented students in the world on a need-blind basis. The Institute is committed to meeting the financial need of each admitted undergraduate student through MIT scholarships; the average student scholarship was 33,697 per year in 2013. As a result, the MIT community is incredibly diverse, and organically collaborative, with students coming from many different backgrounds, across the country and around the world.

Students are frequently encouraged to unite MIT's engineering excellence with public service. For example, the required senior capstone design course for mechanical engineering majors centers on making the world a better place through engineering. Recent years have focused on projects using alternative forms of energy, and machines that could be used for sustainable agriculture. Beyond academic coursework, MIT's D-Lab, Poverty Action Lab, and Public Service Center all support students and professors in the research and implementation of culturally sensitive and environmentally responsible technologies and programs that alleviate poverty and improve quality of life in low-income areas locally, nationally, and worldwide.

The MIT community brings its energy and creativity outside the classroom as well with 450+ student-run groups, 33 varsity sports, 23 intramural sports, 30 club sports, and over 500 arts-related events on campus each year. It's just a short walk across the Charles River to Boston where students can enjoy the city's fabulous restaurants or take in Boston culture. Many programs around MIT allow students to get reduced-price tickets to various events, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the American Repertory Theater, and Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox games. Students get free admission daily to the Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, and all Harvard University and MIT museums.77 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139

Phone: (617) 253-1000

2014-2015 Tuition & Fees

$45,016

Students

4,528 enrolled

55% male / 45% female

Admissions

Jan. 1 application deadline

8.2% accepted