New Graduate Student Enrollment

Architecture's mandatory, on-campus graduate orientation is scheduled to begin Monday, August 31, 2026, by 9am. Please plan your travel and accommodations accordingly. It is important that you join us on campus for the entire week, which will introduce you to your program, Architecture, and MIT. Orientation events are organized by the Department of Architecture, the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) and MIT's Graduate Student Council (GSC).

Specific orientation events will be updated throughout summer 2026.

• OGE Timeline & Resources
• GSC Orientation Schedule
• Architecture Orientation Schedule (coming late summer)
• MIT Academic Calendar – awaiting update
• International Students check the ISO's website

You may enjoy reading the MIT SA+P Pocket Guidebook for incoming students written by the Architecture Student Council (ASC). 

We also highly recommend you review this training guide on recycling practices at MIT before you arrive on campus. It's quick! Only takes about 10–15 minutes: Atlas Training: Responsible Waste Disposal Practices

Timeline

• Mid-June through July: Zoom with Academic Administrator
• Complete MIT's required trainings (Sexual Assault Prevention and Learning About Academic Integrity)
• 8/15/26: Architecture deadline for receipt of final, official transcripts (read details below carefully) and test scores
• 8/17/26–8/21/26: Jumpstart Week I: (by invitation)
• 8/24/26–8/28/26: Jumpstart Week II: (by invitation)
• 8/30/26, Sunday: Institute on-campus orientation begins
• 8/31/26, Monday: Mandatory Architecture on-campus orientation begins
  • Departmental events begin at 9am in Building 7-429. See schedule posted above.
• 9/1/25, Tuesday:
  • 9am–noon, Mandatory EET exam for all international incoming graduate students
  • Afternoon timeslots: Mandatory EET short interview for all incoming international students
  • Departmental events begin for all students at 1pm. An option for shop training (for those that don't have to take the EET) is in the morning. TBA TA Training for new ACT TAs.
  • MAJOR MOVE-IN DAY ACROSS CAMBRIDGE/BOSTON AREA!!!!!
• 9/2/26, Wednesday – Central MIT/OGE programming
  • Morning timeslots: Mandatory EET short interview for all incoming international students
  • Additional Architecture shop training sessions.
• 9/3/26, Thursday – Central MIT/OGE programming (mandatory for all students)
• 9/4/26, Friday:
  • TBA Architecture virtual orientation: This may include include optional Dual Degree Info/Q&A Zoom session, Finances session, STOA Computing session, and/or a Happy Hour.
• late August – TLL TA Days (for students TAing) Note: Please plan on completing the mandatory IDHR training before the TLL August option, as Architecture orientation activities often conflict!
• 9/7/26, Monday: Labor Day – Holiday
• 9/8/26, Tuesday:
  • Registration Day (you can explore classes before this date but may not yet register)
  • Optional BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Architecture Studio Previews (2pm in Long Lounge)
  • Optional: MIT Annual Graduate Resource Fair, 1–3pm, Johnson Ice Rink
• 9/9/26, Wednesday:
  • First Day of Classes
  • 12–2pm Architecture Advising Lunch (meet as a group with your advisor), TBA location
• TBA date: SA+P Welcome Reception, TBA location
• 9/10/26, Friday: Registration deadline (This is the date by which you should have reviewed coursework with your advisor and submitted initial decisions via 3-step electronic process to MIT Registrar. Details to come during orientation).

➤ Now that you will be enrolling in September, you need to send us your official transcript(s).

Official digital transcripts may be sent directly from your institution to arch@mit.edu. You may also have your digital transcript sent to arch@mit.edu using the National Student Clearing House, Parchment, or your institute-specific platform, if this is an option for your school. Architecture does not have access to anything sent to or shared with admissions@mit.edu / Graduate Admissions, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, E38-200. DO NOT SEND TRANSCRIPTS HERE.

Alternatively, have your previous school(s) mail us your official transcripts in a sealed envelope:

Architecture Graduate Admissions
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 7-337 
Cambridge, MA 02139

Any transcripts sent to any other offices at MIT will not be accessible, including Graduate Admissions, and you will need to resend. If you are currently pursuing a degree program, please wait to send your transcript until your degree is conferred. Provide notarized English translations if the originals are not in English. Final transcripts that include your last semester grades and the date your degree was conferred must be received no later than August 15. If your degree conferral date is not included on your official transcript, you must also send a copy of your diploma that does provide this information by August 15.

Any discrepancy between the scanned transcripts uploaded for admission and the official transcripts may result in a withdrawal of our admission offer. You will be placed on a registration hold until the original, official transcripts have been provided to MIT Architecture.

➤ Now that you will be enrolling in September, if test scores were part of your application, you need to provide your official, verified score(s). (copied from Admissions page)

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit either an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score (Academic test) or a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). 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 the IELTS or TOEFL 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.

Admitted applicants must request have their scores verified https://oge.mit.edu/graduate-admissions/applications/standardized-tests/ . To avoid delays, please use the following codes when having your TOEFL scores sent to MIT: 

• Institutional Code: 3514
• Department Code: 12

➤Set up your student profile on the MIT Architecture website.

You will need to have your MIT email set up before you can log into the Department website, as the website login will be your MIT email. You may include a brief biographical statement and attach a portfolio of your work. This is a helpful way for you to get to know your classmates and for the faculty to see your resume if you are shopping for a teaching assistantship or other work on campus.

➤NOMAS sign-up invitation

If you want to keep up the going-ons, events, and news of MIT’s National Organization of Minority Architecture Students, then please keep an eye out in order to be added to the NOMAS listserv. The listserv is our go-to place for any information related to NOMAS, so sign up if you do not want to miss out!

➤Fall 2026 Student jobs 

YOU MUST FIRST CREATE YOUR MIT KERBEROS in order to logon and apply via Architecture's job portal! Students – please ensure you’re using the “Single Sign On option” to log in! (if you have any issues, please contact STOA – stoa@mit.edu). Please follow directions from MIT (Atlas) to set up your "Kerb," troubleshooting with Atlas or IS&T if you experience difficulties with these first steps prior to applying.

Please be sure you are aware of eligibility requirements, time requirements, roles and responsibilities, and how accepting a TA position may affect your loans (if not previously accounted for). More information listed under Student Jobs & Finances on the department website. If you have any questions about applying, please send them to arch@mit.edu. 

➤ Financial Aid Awards

When an offer of admission is accompanied by a financial aid offer, those details are described in the letter of admission. Students are encouraged to review the terms and conditions. 

Financial aid offers are guaranteed for the length of the residency requirement of the degree. In order to retain departmental funding, a student must be registered full-time, hold a 4.0 cumulative GPA at the end of each academic year, and in the case of MArch candidates, make satisfactory progress through the studio sequence. 

Tuition payment in full, or a satisfactory arrangement for payment, is due in advance of Registration Day each term. Students may opt to pay tuition in monthly installments under the Bursary Payment Plan, but there is a finance charge for this plan.

Graduate students do not need to reapply each year to retain the financial offer made upon admission, but must be enrolled full-time and be in good academic standing. For more information about maintaining good academic standing, please review the Academic Standing Policy here.

➤ Outside Fellowships

We encourage you to seek external funding and will gladly work with you to incorporate external funding with the original financial aid offer as allowed by MIT and departmental policies. Students receiving financial aid from a non-MIT source, including but not limited to external fellowships, must report the award to the department and complete the External Fellowship Intake Form as per policy. Any MIT funding is applied secondary to all external funding, MIT funding may be reduced proportionally to the amount of external funding received. When enrolled at MIT, future non-MIT awards should be disclosed to your home department. 

➤ Work Eligibility

Students must meet requirements to satisfy work eligibility requirements in the United States in order to be employed on campus. Students must provide documentation establishing their identity and employment eligibility prior to beginning employment at MIT. Students will be prohibited from performing any employment work (including RA, TA, and IG) if they do not have a current I-9 verification. I-9 verification must be completed within 3 working days of the start of the appointment, or they will be prohibited from working. 

MArch students are not eligible to apply for TA positions in their first term. They may apply for TAships in their second term, onward. Hourly paid positions are allowed. 

This section contains specific information for incoming MArch students.

Jumpstart (formerly Pre-Orientation Workshop) by invitation
8/17/26–8/21/26: Jumpstart (by invitation) ON CAMPUS

8/24/26–8/28/26: Jumpstart (by invitation) ON CAMPUS

MIT Architecture's Jumpstart is designed to prepare incoming MArch students for the rigors of the first design studio and to develop basic skills. The course is intended for students with little architectural studio experience, but open to others who would benefit from introductory exposure to unfamiliar software. Jumpstart is created for our MArch student community by our MArch student community. This experience is taught through exercises that have been handed down from year to year and taught by our esteemed teaching fellows (who are recent graduates). Jumpstart will begin in early August and be held entirely ON CAMPUS. More detailed information will be available by mid-July. 

Prior iterations of Jumpstart have introduced students to essential skills and software (drafting, Rhino, Adobe suite, and rendering) and focused on making skills (laser cut, cast, 3d print, risoprint etc..)

Credit for Previous Academic Work 

MArch students who have successfully completed the equivalent of one or more required architecture subjects outside MIT (or within MIT as undergraduates) may be given advanced credit for those subjects by submitting a petition for curriculum adjustment with all relevant material including syllabi (in English), reading lists, problem sets, paper assignments, etc. Please reference your Curriculum Chart: https://architecture.mit.edu/graduate-programs#march

Petitions are submitted to arch@mit.edu by the first day of classes each term and are then reviewed by the MArch Program Committee (composed of one faculty member from each of the discipline groups) and acted on in the first month of the semester. All requests for advanced credit must be resolved by the beginning of the penultimate semester.

MIT-specific On-boarding

Make sure you’ve created your Kerberos ID and installed MIT certificates on your computer, phone, or tablet. Once you’re ready to log in, download the latest version of the Atlas app on mobile or desktop by visiting apps.mit.edu from any device (including desktop computers) or searching “MIT Atlas” in your preferred mobile app store.

In May, OGE will email all incoming students about their the to-be-updated Orientation Portal: This portal includes onboarding information, summer webinars and will have registration for various Orientation events in August.

In the app, you’ll see an item for Required Trainings. Have technical questions about the MIT Atlas app? Email servicedesk@mit.edu.

MIT centralized all on-boarding information, including tasks and forms, for incoming students on the New Graduate Student Activities site located on the new MIT Atlas app tile called “Onboarding.” Please download the latest version of the Atlas application on mobile or desktop to access the new onboarding tile after you have created your Kerberos ID and installed MIT certificates on your computer, phone, or other device.

You can find the latest version of MIT Atlas by visiting apps.mit.edu from any device including desktop computer; mobile devices may also search “MIT Atlas” in their preferred app store. Once the app is live, incoming graduate students with a Kerberos ID and MIT certificates can access the material via the MIT Atlas app. 

In the tile, students can obtain important onboarding information and complete essential forms and tasks: 

• Personal information (including emergency contacts)
• Other demographic information
• Required trainings
• Mind and Hand Book
• MIT ID cards
• Intellectual Property (IPIA)
• Medical matters
• Money matters (including I-9 verification)
• Orientation
• Commuter connections
• Housing
• ORCID at MIT
• International students (tab displays only for international students)
• Graduate student families

Please feel free to direct technical questions about MIT Atlas to helpdesk@mit.edu.

You are responsible for carefully reading the information on each of the New Graduate Student Activity tabs and fulfilling each task by the stated deadline as necessary. Prior to arrival at MIT, all incoming graduate students are expected to complete Part 1 of the SAPG and DEI course as well as the Academic Integrity course. The deadline for completing these courses is tba (likely mid-June 2026).

The Office of Graduate Education (OGE) and our campus partners have developed a Canvas Orientation course as your one-stop site for information, resources, and ways to get connected to the campus community. You can log in from your browser or in the orientation section of your Atlas app’s Onboarding tile.

Have questions about the Canvas Orientation? Email OGE-comms@mit.edu. 

OGE is updating their central activities.

Notes from Graduate Housing

• Graduate Housing Portal: MIT graduate students who are interested in on-campus housing are welcome to select their desired unit through the Self-Selection process within their Housing Portal.
• Summer Sublicensing Opportunities: Members of the MIT community who are seeking temporary on-campus housing accommodations this summer are welcome to sublicense an available on-campus housing unit from a current graduate housing resident by visiting our Sublicense Center website. Please visit the website for additional information, including step-by-step tutorials and policies. FOR SUMMER START PHD OR CONTINUING STUDENTS
• Off-Campus Housing Opportunities: Members of the MIT community who are interested in exploring off-campus housing opportunities are welcome to visit our Off-Campus Housing website, mitoffcampus.com, for listings, as well as a roommate finder tool.
• If you’re in the housing search process, we encourage you to watch one of the Graduate Housing and Residential Services recorded webinars about on-campus housing and off-campus rental resources. 

From Student Financial Services (SFS):

• Graduate cost of attendance for Fall 2025–Spring 2026 academic year: https://sfs.mit.edu/graduate-students/guide/grad-cost-of-attendance/ this will be updated by May 1, 2026.

The Department of Architecture has its own in-house computing service within the School of Architecture + Planning (SA+P) to complement those provided by MIT's Information Services and Technology (IS&T). The organization's name is Systems and Technology Organization for Architecture (STOA).

During Architecture's orientation, STOA staff will hold an orientation session for all incoming Architecture graduate students. The orientation session will provide an introduction to computing at MIT in SA+P. Topics will include software, how and where to print, and steps needed for a safe and secure technology experience at MIT.

Please visit the STOA website for more information on technology resources, licensed software, and  information regarding collaboration platforms, printing and research or personal computing recommendations. 

Students are expected to learn needed software themselves. LinkedInLearning is a superb on-line, hands-on training resource should you feel you need it. You cannot register without first obtaining a Kerberos ID and web certificates.

Please visit the IS&T web site if you have any questions about your MIT Kerberos identity, Duo 2-factor-authentication, obtaining your MIT Certificate, centrally provided software, and setting up your MIT email account. IS&T also has 24/7 phone and email based support via their Service Desk, as well as an on-site walk-in experience at the Atlas Service Center from 8am to 6pm, Monday through Friday.  If you have any questions or technology concerns in the department, please email the team at stoa@mit.edu. STOA can guide you to the best solution within the department or the Institute for all of your technology concerns.

When do I need to arrive on campus?

Orientation begins the week of August 30. Allow extra time if you need to find off-campus housing. Incoming single students or couples with or without children should begin looking for housing well in advance of arrival, preferably over the summer. MIT Housing has a helpful off-campus housing site with a roommate match-up service.

Do I really need to take the English Evaluation Test? (EET)

The Institute requires all entering international students whose primary language of instruction from the age of six through high school has not been English to take the EET. This test is useful in identifying if any specific help is needed. It is not possible to fail this test. 

How do I get credit for a subject I've previously taken that is a requirement for the MArch Program? 

MArch students who have successfully completed the equivalent of one or more required architecture subjects outside MIT (or within MIT as undergraduates) may be given advanced credit for those subjects by submitting a Petition for Curriculum Adjustment. Details about credit for previous academic work and a downloadable Petition for Curriculum Adjustment form are available on the Degree Programs webpage.

When will I learn who my academic advisor will be?

The name of your department advisor will be confirmed prior to orientation, and you will meet with them individually the first week of class. Your academic advisor/registration officer is not always the same as your research advisor. If you aren't sure, ask during your degree program's orientation. 

When do I register for classes?

There is NO pre-registration available for incoming graduate students. Registration Day is the Tuesday before classes begin. For more information on registration procedures, go to the department registration site or the MIT Registrar's site.

When and where can I get my MIT ID Card?

Incoming graduate students should visit the Atlas Service Center, Building E17-first floor to receive a MIT ID card. Students who have a photo they would like to use should review the specifications at Submit your ID Photo. You can also have your photo taken in the Atlas Center. Consult the Atlas Service Center for any updates about in-person service.

• At the Atlas Center Welcome desk, identify yourself as a student.
• Bring a valid passport, U.S. driver’s license or U.S. government-issued picture ID for proof of identity. Driver’s licenses from other countries, college/university IDs from other institutions, credit/bank cards or insurance cards will not be accepted.
• The name on your government issued ID must match the legal name that MIT has on file for you.

I have a Research or Teaching Assistantship appointment in the fall. What do I need to do to get paid?

You will need to fill out the online I-9 Employment Eligibility form, and bring the form and approved supporting documents listed on the website to the Atlas Service Center (located at E17-first floor) within the first few days of arriving on campus, and before September 1st, if possible. For the online I-9 form and more detailed instructions, click here. On or after September 1st, you will need to go online to the "About Me" section of Atlas.mit.edu. Fill out the "Tax Withholding" and "Direct Deposit Preferences" forms so you can be paid. 

When can I begin applying for Department Teaching Assistantships and hourly jobs for fall term?

You may apply for Department work in the form of a teaching assistantship (TA) or hourly work. Before August, you will be sent a link to your MIT Architecture profile by email to your MIT address and invited to add personal information to your profile about your work experience, research interests, and a link to your portfolio. You have already received an email with the link to an online Department jobs listing showing the positions that are available after assignments have been made for students who receive a TA as part of their financial aid package. Having your profile in place will help the faculty easily pre-screen you after you apply for positions of interest. 

NOTE: You may not apply for a TA/RA position for a class that meets the same time as one of your required subjects. For example, MArch students who need to take a studio may not TA for undergraduate studios that also meet on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons. Be sure to check the class fall schedule, in the upper-right-hand side of the classes section of Architecture's website, when it becomes available. For more information, go to the Department Handbook.

Students who must work as a TA as part of their financial package will be assigned a class. For more information, contact the director of your degree program.

I've been admitted with a Department of Architecture tuition scholarship. When will the scholarship be posted to my Bursar's bill? 

Your fall bill will be available for viewing in July, which is before the Department processes scholarship appointments. Do not panic. If you will be receiving tuition support, awards will be posted to your Bursar's account by early August. You should pay only the portion of the fall term bill that is your responsibility by August 1st. The Bursar's Office will not charge interest on the unpaid portion due by the Department. You will receive an email confirmation when the Department processes your scholarship, and the scholarship will be posted on your Bursar's bill shortly thereafter. For up-to-date information, you can always check your Bursar's account from WebSIS, using the MITPAY function. Go to WebSIS and click on the section for students and select Financial Record.

As you will quickly learn, MIT's websites were not developed centrally, and there has been a recent attempt to create overarching websites to help you find things. Some helpful web site links are listed below, and some will require a MIT certificate.

• Student Resources: How to find stuff at MIT
  Start here to find helpful info about offices, services and tools you can use, and discover new ones. Find the academic calendar, finances, Spouses & Partners Connect, MIT Medical, housing, dining, transportation, campus map and much more.
• Registrar's Office: 
  A good place to look for information regarding registration instructions, class schedules, MIT Bulletin (catalog), ordering transcript and enrollment certification letters.
• MIT WebSIS (student.mit.edu)
  This is the student information system for registration, viewing status of registration, entering your academic record, updating your contact information and emergency contact information and more.
• Office of Graduate Education (OGE) 
  The go-to office for MIT's official graduate policies and procedures, student support and development, student finances, GradDiversity, programs and resources for women, resources for grad families and more.
  • Check the MIT Graduate Orientation Canvas course’s Welcome to MIT module for essential advice on these topics: Moving and finding furniture, Laptops and computing resources, Food resource, and Social events and social media.
• International Students Office (ISO)
  The go-to office for all things relating to international students including applying for I-20 and DS-2019 for newly admitted international students. Sylvia Hiestand is Architecture's ISO Advisor.
• Atlas Center: 
  Go here to find all the required MIT forms and tasks for incoming graduate students.
• Student Financial Services (SFS)
  This is MIT's central office that oversees loans, charges and payments to your student account (MITPay), and more.
• Student Disability Services (SDS)
  If you have a disability, contact SDS to provide documentation that identifies you specific disability, describes your functional limitations, and lists the requested accommodation.

• Architecture Social Media https://www.facebook.com/MITDepartmentofArchitecture/  

  https://twitter.com/MITarchitecture

  https://www.instagram.com/mitarchitecture/

  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF0b_PC-cvPzv6Us56S6rtA