Graduate Admissions

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Application Overview

Admissions Timeline

September 15: Applications open for all programs

October 29 (9 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST): Fall Open House (virtual)

January 7 (11:59 p.m. EST): Applications due for all programs 

Dec. 23—Jan 3: Staff on break (no email responses during this time)

March 10—April 1: Application results released

April 1, 2025: Admitted Students Open House 
(View a recording of our 2024 Admitted Students Open House)

April 15 (5 p.m. EST): Decisions due from admitted students

There are no rolling admissions. Applications for all degrees are reviewed in January for programs beginning the following September.

Application Links

Applicants to the Department of Architecture can create a user profile with MIT, then create an application in that system for our programs. To create your profile, go to apply.mit.edu/apply. If you are admitted and planning to enroll, you can find information here: New Graduate Student Enrollment.
 

Contact Us

If you have reviewed the admissions information on this site, and find that you have additional questions, we have developed an interactive form to help you better understand our programs: Architecture Admissions Information Portal

We have a team of dedicated students who conduct tours of the Department during the academic year, both in-person and virtual. You can request a tour here: Tour Request Form (We do not currently have a student who can provide tours, so these are suspended until further notice.)

Admissions Information

Applicant Mentorship Program

Applying to More Than One Program

Dual Degree Options

STEM Classifications

Transferring Into MIT

Taking Classes Outside of a Degree Program

Summer and Online Courses

Finances

Diversity

Once Admitted

Requirements

Application Instructions

  • Letters of recommendation (3-4)
  • Transcripts for all relevant degrees
  • IELTS, TOEFL, or Cambridge English exam score (if English is not your first language)
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Statement of Objectives
  • $90 application fee
  • Portfolio (or writing sample as appropriate, such as SMArchS HTC, and PhD programs)
  • The GRE is NOT required for any Architecture program

Letters of Recommendation

Letters from instructors are preferred unless you have been working for several years, in which case supervisors may be included. The application can be submitted on the deadline with fewer than three letters, but be sure to remind your instructors to complete their letters. 

We encourage you to ask for three letters of recommendation, but do not penalize applicants for missing letters; applications with fewer than three letters will be considered without a penalty. Applicants may include up to four recommenders if necessary. Notify your letter writers as early as possible to let them know you will be requesting letters. This will give them time to prepare and submit their letters by the deadline. Letters submitted one year may not be used to apply again in subsequent years unless uploaded by the recommender.

If your recommender has trouble with the online system, be sure to complete their contact information and have them email the letter to arch@mit.edu. In this case make sure that you have completed the form in the system with their information and check whether or not you have waived your right to view the letter. Inform the recommender of your choice. 

You should return to your online application to check the status of your letters, and remind your recommenders. You may submit your application even if all your recommendation letters have not yet been submitted. Review begins about a week after the deadline, so any letters not received by then will not be viewed.

Transcripts

Transcripts for all relevant degrees, official or unofficial, must be uploaded to the application system. PDFs must be clearly readable and oriented correctly on the screen. Only those applicants who are accepted for admission will be required to send a hard copy of an official, sealed transcript (with English translation) from each school attended. Please do not have official copies of transcripts sent to our office unless you are admitted. Certificates, study abroad, and community college transcripts do not need to be sent unless the courses are not also listed on your primary college transcripts. Non-English transcripts must be translated into English, and if necessary, signed by a licensed notary and accompanied by the original version. If you have taken studios, indicate this on the Test Scores/Experience/Electronic Portfolio section.

We expect you to scan your personal, unofficial copies to the online application. Only those applicants who are accepted for admission will be required to send a hard copy of an official, sealed transcript (with English translation) from each school attended. Any discrepancy between the scanned transcripts and official transcripts may result in a rejection or withdrawal of our admission offer. Applicants should NOT send any supplemental material with their application by mail, and only provide those documents required in the application.

You do not have to have completed your degree when you apply, but the final transcripts and certification of the degree will be required before you may enroll, if you are admitted.  Applicants who have begun another program may qualify to waive required courses they have already taken and instead take free electives. There is no option to shorten the 3.5-year MArch program. The graduate program does not allow transfer students to enter the program.

English Test Scores

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score (Academic test), a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the Cambridge English Exams upon admission. Starting for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle, the Institute will accept official scores from two Cambridge English exams: the C1 Advanced assessment and the C2 Proficiency assessment.

The admissions committee regards English proficiency as crucial for success in all degree programs. In order to meet the admissions deadline, it is recommended that candidates take their test on the earliest possible date. We do accept the Home Version of both IELTS and TOEFL. NOTE: Official scores do not need to be sent unless you are admitted, and intend to enroll. Scores are not necessary for acceptance of admission, but are required before registration for classes.

You must take an English test if:

-       You did your undergraduate studies in the US but are from a non-English speaking country you DO need to take a test.
-       You are from the US but were raised speaking another language, you DO need to take a test.

You do not need to take it if you were raised in a non-English speaking country but have spoken and been educated in English all your life, or if you are a graduate of MIT.

Only admitted applicants must request that an official copy of their test results be sent directly to MIT by IELTS International or Educational Testing Service. Scores must be no older than two years as of the date of application. To avoid delays, please use the following codes when having your scores sent to MIT: 

  • Institutional Code: 3514
  • Department Code: 12

The minimum score required for the IELTS is 7 and the minimum TOEFL score is 600 for the Paper-based test,  (250 for computer-based test, 100 for Internet-based test. HTC PhD requires a TOEFL score of 110 or  IELTS score of 8.) While either test score is accepted, the IELTS score is preferred. If your scores do not meet the minimum required for admission we are not able to admit you. Applications with scores lower than 100 on the TOEFL or 7 on the IELTS, or missing test scores, will not be reviewed. We will NOT have access to your "My Best Scores" from ETS. We will see all your test scores you have sent to us.

All students whose first language is not English are required to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) prior to registration at MIT. Even students who satisfy the IELTS/TOEFL requirement for admission may be required to take specialized subjects in English as a Second Language (ESL), depending on their EET results. These subjects do not count toward the required degree credits.

If you do not believe you need to provide a TOEFL or IELTS score, you may use the language test waiver choice in the application, and explain your situation to the faculty in the space provided. No official waiver will be granted unless you are admitted, so the application will not show whether or not the waiver was approved.

Curriculum Vitae

Some MIT fellowships are available to MIT Departments. The CV is used by our administrative staff to learn additional information about you in order to apply for MIT scholarships on your behalf. 

Statement of Objectives

The Statement requested by the Department will vary depending on the program to which you are applying. MArch applicants will answer these two questions: 

Statement For MArch Applicants
Architecture, and this department, encompasses design, technology, history and the arts; their social, technical and aesthetic aspects are engaged by all our faculty and students. What aspects of architecture interest you most and why? How have your personal and professional experiences shaped your interests? In what ways do you feel your education at MIT will support your own contribution to architecture and those it serves? (1200 words)

Statement for ACT Applicants
Our program encompasses art, architecture, design, history, and technology; all have a social and cultural meaning and purpose. How does your background and life experience inform your understanding of that purpose? Can you also tell us a little bit about how your interests relate to what is being researched and produced by the ACT program and its faculty. Tell us about your hopes and aspirations regarding your professional development and learning at ACT. (500 word limit)

Statement Research Programs (Doctoral, SMBT, and SMArchS Applicants)
Please share a research statement, considering the following: What are your research motivations, objectives, and aspirations? How have your personal and professional experiences shaped your interests? Are there faculty members in the Department of Architecture with whom your research objectives align? (1200 words)

Financial Support

Aside from fully funded programs, such as the PhD and SMBT programs, the majority of students receive Departmental support. Be sure to check off whether or not you wish to be considered for financial support. No preference is given to either answer. If you need money to attend grad school, be sure to say "yes." Department aid is distributed on a combined basis of merit and need. The Department will review admitted applicants to see if any additional MIT scholarships may apply. If an admitted applicant to an Architecture program is eligible for an MIT scholarship, the Department will apply on your behalf and detail this in the admission letter.

Application Fee

A non-refundable Application Fee of $90 USD is required to submit your application. You will need to submit a credit card number on the Architecture Graduate Application to process this fee. If submitting an application fee provides any challenge in submitting an application, prospective students are asked to submit a fee waiver application through the Office of Graduate Education. A fee waiver request is entirely independent of the admissions process itself and is not seen by the admissions committee. Note that those applying to the PhD programs will automatically be considered for the SMArchS program in that area. SMArchS applicants may choose to be reviewed by more than one SMArchS program. 

Portfolio

A portfolio is required for the following programs:

-       MArch
-       All SMArchS programs
-       Encouraged but not required for Computation PhD
-       Optional for SMBT (writing sample instead)
-       Optional for BT/PhD (writing sample instead)

The portfolio should include evidence of recent creative work, whether personal, academic or professional. Work done collaboratively should be identified as such and the applicant's role in the project defined. Your name, and program to which you are applying should also be included. We expect the portfolio to be the applicant's own work. Applicants whose programs require portfolios will upload a 30-page maximum (10 pages for ACT) including cover pages and contents), PDF file to the online application system. The dimensions should be exported for screen viewing. Two page "spreads" are counted as one page.

Program-Specific Requirements

MArch

SMArchS

SMACT

SMBT

PhD