Overview
MIT's undergraduate financial aid and graduate funding operate on entirely different models, and confusing the two is a common mistake among prospective international applicants. Undergraduate aid is centralized, need-based, and need-blind for admission; graduate funding is decentralized and set at the department or lab level.
Undergraduate Aid
MIT meets full demonstrated financial need for every admitted undergraduate, international students included, through a centralized process using the CSS Profile and MIT's own international aid application.
Graduate Funding
At the graduate level, funding (assistantships, fellowships) is arranged by the admitting department and varies significantly — some departments fund essentially all PhD students, while certain master's programs offer little to no guaranteed funding. There is no single "MIT graduate scholarship" that applies universally.
Tips
- If applying as an undergraduate, focus on the centralized aid process and submit the CSS Profile alongside your application.
- If applying to a graduate program, ask the specific department about funding history and guarantees — don't assume MIT's undergraduate aid reputation extends automatically to graduate funding.
- For PhD applicants, get the number of guaranteed funded years in writing before accepting an offer.
Always confirm current deadlines, award amounts, and eligibility directly on the official program or university website (sfs.mit.edu) before applying — these details change from year to year.