MIT is a magnet for talent. Brilliant makers and doers come to campus knowing they will be joining an exceptional community with a history of transforming society—and emboldened by the knowledge that they will be provided with the resources they need to realize their passions.
Of MIT’s undergraduates, 93% placed in the top 5% of their high school class. The Institute’s graduate students have been described by one faculty member as “the foundation of MIT’s productivity, vital to maintaining competitiveness and leadership, central to the mission of MIT.” MIT’s faculty, more than a thousand strong, is studded with MacArthur Fellows, National Medal of Science holders, and Nobel Prize winners.
Maintaining and cultivating these extraordinary minds requires significant resources. Currently, 60% of undergraduate students receive need-based financial aid, and MIT is among a dwindling number of schools that practice need-blind admissions. In 2020–2021, the unrestricted budget covered almost a third of MIT’s undergraduate financial aid.
Graduate fellowships give students the intellectual freedom to focus on the areas they are passionate about, helping MIT remain competitive in recruiting top PhD candidates. And professorships are vital in bringing and retaining stellar faculty on campus—top scholars who are encouraged and energized by this public affirmation.
MIT is committed to strengthening what is at its core: a potent concentration of talent, constantly reinventing itself. Undergraduate financial aid, graduate fellowships, and faculty professorships are crucial to ensuring the Institute can continue to attract and nurture outstanding people on a mission to do good for humanity.
Published in April 2016.
