Private nonprofit · Institute
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts · Midsize city
- 4.5%
- Admit rate
- $20,111
- Avg net price
- 96%
- Graduation rate
- $143,372
- Median earnings
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,535 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Massachusetts Institute of Technology's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 4.5%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1520–1580
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 4.00
Enter a test score to see where you land against Massachusetts Institute of Technology's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of European contact, the area was inhabited by Naumkeag of the Pawtucket Confederacy to the north and Massachusett to the south. Manufacturing was an important part of Cambridge's economy in the late 19th and early 20th century. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 2 miles to Boston, MA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Boston Logan (BOS) · major hub
How Massachusetts Institute of Technology compares
More selective than 99% · #2 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 99%
Higher than 99% · #2 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 97%
Higher than 99% · #1 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 50% · #15 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 91%
Lower than 98%
Larger than 76%
Percentiles compare Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate4,53538%
- Graduate7,35162%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,68737%
- Men2,84863%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White21%
- Black7.7%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian35%
- Other or multiracial22%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,535
- Graduate enrollment
- 7,351
- Student–faculty ratio
- 3 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 19%
- First-generation students
- 26%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $53,870
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $217,593
- Endowment
- $24,572,716,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,091 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts8.3%
- Other U.S. states80%
- International11%
A national draw — only 8% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 80% arrive from other states.
11% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 4.5%
- Test scores
- Required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1520–1580
- SAT average
- 1560
- SAT reading
- 740–780
- SAT math
- 780–800
- ACT composite
- 34–36
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 4.00
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $62,396
- Room & board
- $20,280
- Books & supplies
- $910
- Total cost of attendance
- $82,730
- Average net price
- $20,111
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 96%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 83%
- First-year retention
- 99%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $131,633
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $143,372
- Median debt at graduation
- $14,768
- Students with federal loans
- 7%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 90%
About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 7,610
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Housing charge (year)
- $12,380
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,010
- Application fee
- $75
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 986 (554 men · 432 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (19)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 40
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 10
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (11,886 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$1,480/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology discounts heavily: 57% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $55,983. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,136 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $143,372
- Typical debt at graduation
- $14,768
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 10%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 87%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Women out-earn men by $3,313 (2%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 49.4″
- Annual snow
- 49.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jamaica Plain, MA US station (4.2 mi from campus).
What Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Massachusetts Institute of Technology side by side →
Stanford University
Stanford, California · Large suburb · 17 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 7,554
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $124k
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large city · 3 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 7,304
- Admission
- 12%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- 1546
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $115k
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Large city · 2 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 10,650
- Admission
- 5%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $111k
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 7,601
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $102k
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, New York · Large city · 7 mi to New York
- Students
- 8,973
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $102k
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut · Midsize city · < 1 mi to New Haven
- Students
- 6,758
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1534
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $101k
Colleges near Massachusetts Institute of Technology
New England College of Optometry
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's
Boston Architectural College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 280 students
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,468 students
Boston University
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 18,248 students
Fisher College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,167 students
The New England Conservatory of Music
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 393 students
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 17,326 students
Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,802 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














