Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a world-class institute located in Massachusetts, and its fame is highly renowned among international students. In this article, we will cover MIT scholarships, need-based aid, and loans that will definitely help you on your academic journey.
Tuition and Cost of Attendance
Before we get into MIT scholarships, let’s take a look at the cost of studying at MIT. The tuition is over $50,000 per year, housing is over $10,000 per year, and meals are over $5,000 a year. Including all other costs such as personal expenses and books, studying at MIT cost over $73,000 per year.
It actually costs over $100,000 in tuition alone per year! This high tuition is used to obtain cutting-edge technology and to hire world-class professors, which are the vital engines that keeps things running around MIT.
This amount will seem very large for any student coming from an average family, but MIT provides generous scholarships to students, even promising to meet the full need of every student attending MIT. This is possible due to the large endowments from alumni and other sources.
For More Specific Details, Visit MIT Cost of Attendance.
Video Guides for Application Procedure
Average MIT Scholarships
If you want quick facts, the average MIT scholarships were over $50,000 a year. If your family makes less than $90,000 a year, you will have free tuition and more depending on your financial circumstances. Over 70% of students graduate free of debt, and those who have debt have very little!
More Video Guides!
Types of MIT Scholarships
So, let’s get started on the different types of scholarships that you can receive at MIT.
1. Need-Based Aid
The first type of scholarship is need-based aid from MIT. This is the largest scholarship by far and will be the majority of your scholarship. The amount is based on your financial need, and it might be zero dollars to the full cost of attendance depending on your circumstances.
For MIT Need-Based Aids, Click Here.
2. First-Year Grants
This is a small grant given to low-income first-year students to help them adjust to college. It is a $2,000 grant to help them to buy things like bedsheets, shower curtains, etc. It just gives you a little boost so that you don’t get financially overwhelmed during your first year.
3. Federal Grants
This type of grant is the second-largest source of MIT financial aid. It is given by the USA government to students from low-income families. You’ve probably heard of one or more of these grants if you are familiar with financial aid. If not, this is a great time to learn!
To view Federal Grants, Click Here.
A. Pell Grant
Pell Grants are the most famous of the federal grants and provide for students from low-income families. The maximum amount that you can get from the Pell grant is around $6,000 a year. Under very special circumstances, your amount will be greater, but this is extremely rare.
B. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
This is a separate grant from Pell Grant, and students can receive up to $4,000 a year. This is for students who have extremely low financial circumstances.
C. Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
This grant is for students who are not eligible for the Pell Grant but whose parents and guardians died in the Iraq and Afghanistan War. The maximum award is $6,000 a year.
4. State Grants
Certain states will have grants available for the students of their states. These vary in value and can be applied not just to MIT, so you should definitely check these out! You can find information by searching on Google and looking at the state government websites that pop up.
5. Outside Scholarships
If you are interested, you can find outside scholarships that can cover the cost at not just MIT but in other universities as well! There are multiple scholarship sites that offer outside scholarships so that you should take a closer look!
6. Student Employment
Many MIT students are employed on-campus. The minimum wage of these students is $12 an hour, which is way above the national minimum wage! You can get your monthly stipend for personal expenses by taking a part-time work-study position.
7. Research Student Employment
You can get paid to do research at MIT! This kills two birds in one stone since research boosts your resume while earning some money! I highly recommend doing research if you get accepted at MIT. This will be very beneficial to you after you graduate.
How to Apply for MIT Financial Aid
Now, let’s take a look at the application procedures for MIT scholarships. Obviously, you need to apply for admissions. For applying for scholarships, you will need to fill out two forms: FAFSA and CSS Profile.
It will take you about 2-3 days because the CSS Profile asks you very in-depth questions. I highly advise you that you get this done around November so that it won’t be in the way when the application deadlines come!
Loans
Although most students who are at MIT do not need to take loans after their financial package, here are some tips if you absolutely have to. I highly recommend that you take out the subsidized federal loans since those don’t accrue interest until after you graduate.
For Loans offered by MIT, Click Here.
A. Federal Stafford Loans
These loans are the most recommended type of loans. You can borrow up to $3,500, $4,500, and $5,500 for first-year, second-year, and third and fourth year respectively. The interest rate is around 5% per year and doesn’t start to add up until 6 months after your graduation.
B. MIT Technology Loans
The maximum amount that you can borrow is $3,400 without a cosigner, and with a cosigner, you can borrow more. Like the Stafford Loans, these do not accrue interest until after graduation. The interest rate is 7%.
Net Price Calculator
This is a helpful tool to see how much you would pay to attend MIT, and it will give you the total MIT scholarships, grants, and financial aid based on the response that you provide. This process takes around 30 minutes to complete, and you can use it by going to MIT Price Calculator.
I hope that this guide on MIT scholarships was helpful. If you are interested, I highly recommend you go to Massachusetts Scholarship Category as well as Authority Scholarships Website.
