MIT Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024
December 12, 2023
One of the most difficult schools to gain admission to in the entire world, MIT denies many students who bring perfect credentials to the table. After all, the school rejects 24 students for every 1 that it accepts. If you found yourself in the former category as a high schooler, but still wish to pursue your dream of gaining acceptance into MIT, the transfer process may be appealing to you. The following blog will reveal the MIT transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the MIT transfer deadline, the MIT transfer requirements, the MIT transfer application decision date, and much more.
MIT Transfer Acceptance Rate
Below we present the most current available MIT transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.
In 2022, 1,514 students submitted a transfer application, and 21 were successful. This means that the MIT transfer acceptance rate is 1.3%. If we break this down by gender, the acceptance rates are as follows:
- Male transfer applicants: 1.3%
- Female transfer applicants: 1.6%
In 2021, there were 1,437 transfer applicants and 24 individuals were accepted. This means that the MIT transfer acceptance rate was 1.7%.
When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to look at historical data. Many schools have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rates from year to year. As you can see, the MIT transfer acceptance rate has indeed been somewhat variable in recent years, ranging from 1.8% to 4.2%.
MIT Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)
Historical transfer rates are as follows:
| Year | Acceptance Rate |
| 2020 | 3.1% |
| 2019 | 3.1% |
| 2018 | 4.2% |
| 2017 | 4.1% |
MIT Transfer Application Deadline
The university offers both a fall and spring transfer option. The MIT transfer application deadline for fall applicants is March 15. Spring applicants have a deadline of October 15.
MIT Transfer Requirements
The MIT transfer requirements are as follows:
- Completed MIT Application
- Final high school transcripts
- College transcripts
- SAT or ACT scores (required)
- School Official Report
- Two letters of recommendation
Students who have the best chance to gain admission to MIT have done the following:
- Completed two or more full-time college terms, but not more than five terms.
- Earned exceptional grades in their first year at a community college or 4-year university.
- Have completed at least college-level single variable and multivariable calculus, calculus-based physics, introductory biology, and introductory chemistry.
- We recommend checking out this page for further info on major-specific coursework you will want to complete to enhance your chances of acceptance.
MIT Transfer GPA
The minimum GPA required to be considered as a transfer applicant at MIT is 3.5, with mostly A’s in science and math classes. However, in our experience, you will need a GPA of 3.9 or above to be truly competitive.
MIT Writing Supplement
All transfer applicants must respond to the following five essay prompts. There are other optional prompts about barriers to educational access or additional info.
- Tell us more about why this field of study at MIT appeals to you. (100 words or fewer) (*In the previous question, must select an academic department)
- Please discuss why you are considering transferring from your current college or university, and how MIT aligns with your goals. (225 words or fewer)
- How has the world you come from—including your opportunities, experiences, and challenges—shaped your dreams and aspirations? (225 words or fewer)
- MIT brings people with diverse backgrounds together to collaborate, from tackling the world’s biggest challenges to lending a helping hand. Describe one way you have collaborated with others to learn from them, with them, or contribute to your community together. (225 words or fewer)
- How did you manage a situation or challenge that you didn’t expect? What did you learn from it? (225 words or fewer)
MIT Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)
MIT Decision Date
The MIT transfer decision date is in mid-November for spring applicants and early May for fall applicants.
Final Thoughts – MIT Transfer Acceptance Rate
MIT usually draws between 35-50 applicants for the spring term and accepts between 0-5 individuals. Fall term often sees 400-500 applicants of which they ultimately accept 15-20. During the most recent admissions cycle, MIT’s yield rate was 100%, meaning that all admitted students ultimately chose to enroll.
MIT makes it clear that they accept students from all kinds of colleges. They also provide the following sage advice to prospective transfer applicants: “Take a chance, present yourself in the best light possible, and hope for the best. We’re limited by space, and we choose those who we feel are a good match and who we feel would bring something unique and special to our community.”
If you are looking for information on how to apply to MIT as a first-year student, you may find the following blogs to be of interest:
Those searching for application info on other colleges may wish to visit our Dataverse pages:
