Applying

We don’t want the MIT application fee to be a barrier to admission, yet we cannot provide application fee waivers to everyone who requests one. DMSE has a limited number of waivers available for applicants who do not qualify for a waiver from the Office of Graduate Education (OGE).

Eligibility for a Fee Waiver

To qualify for a waiver, you must have a nearly complete application, including the following:

• All required sections completed
• An unofficial transcript uploaded
• Recommendation letters requested from recommenders
• An undergraduate GPA of 3.9 or higher

Waivers are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Requests will not be considered after November 15.

Instructions

Fill out the DMSE Application Fee Waiver Request Form: Use the button below to access the form. Please make sure:

• The name you enter on the form matches the name on your DMSE application.
• All sections in the form are completed.
• You submit the form only during the graduate application period, from September 1 to November 15.

Review Process

Please allow five business days for a response. DMSE will review all requests, and you will be notified by email if your request is approved or denied. Approved waivers will be applied automatically to your application profile. Incomplete requests will not be reviewed.

Important Notes

• Do not submit your graduate application until you receive a decision on your fee waiver request. A waiver cannot be applied retroactively to an already submitted application.
• If the application deadline arrives without a response from DMSE, you will need to submit your application with the fee.

For questions about fee waivers or admissions requirements, please email dmse-admissions@mit.edu.

Effective the Fall 2024 admissions cycle, the department will not accept GRE scores as supplementary material.

You will be notified by email when we receive your application. You will also be able to check the status of your application & supplemental materials via the online application. You will receive a final confirmation once all materials have been received and added to the application file (recommendation letters, transcripts, test scores). This confirmation will be sent before January 31.

If, on January 31, you have not heard that the application is complete, please email the department.

We can make no preliminary evaluation based on one or two qualifications. The Admissions Committee carefully reviews the entire application (recommendations, essay, grades, test scores, previous research experience, etc.) in making its decisions.

Yes, while many of our admitted students have an undergraduate background in materials science and engineering, the remaining students have training in fields such as biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering.

Yes, we consider our own undergraduates for admission to all of our graduate programs.

Admission decisions are made by a departmental committee. The decision is based on overall qualifications, independent of research interest. If you bypass the regular admissions route, you risk having your application misplaced. Please direct all admission related inquiries to dmse-admissions@mit.edu.

Students are urged to wait for official admission to DMSE before contacting faculty regarding research assistantships and thesis supervision.

A number of funding opportunities are available for graduates students at DMSE. These appointments pay tuition, a competitive stipend, and health insurance. Students are encouraged to apply for outside fellowships to help finance their graduate studies. Some domestic students are supported by NSF, NDSEG, Hertz, and Whitaker fellowships, as well as other government and corporate sources. Some international students are supported by their government or a scholarship agency (e.g., Samsung scholarship, ILJU, Royal Thai government) Kwanjeong Scholarship, Canadian NSERC.

The DMSE graduate program requires on-campus attendance at classes that are offered during the day and generally meet 2-3 times per week. Please refer to the MIT Office of Graduate Admissions for information about special student admissions and MIT advanced study program.

DMSE graduate students normally take about 5 years to earn the PhD.

MIT has a qualifying procedure for the doctoral degree, so even though you have already earned a master of science degree at another institution, if you receive admission here, you would be admitted as a master of science degree student with the option to bypass the master’s degree and go directly into the doctoral program provided that you successfully pass the qualification procedure. Some students admitted in this category may choose to complete another master’s degree in DMSE before working on their doctoral  program. 

Specific questions about transfer credits and other matters can be discussed with the Academic Office after admissions letters have been sent.

Students applying to the PPSM or Archaeological Materials interdepartmental doctoral program should review those programs’ qualification procedure.

Prospective applicants are welcome to visit MIT. You can arrange a tour of the campus through the MIT Admissions Office. Admitted students are encouraged to visit on one of our two weekend-long visits (arrive Thursday early evening and depart Sunday morning) in March to become acquainted with the department, with MIT as a whole, and with Boston and Cambridge. Food and lodging are supplied as is part of the airfare.

The criteria for admissions is the same. The Admissions Committee does not make a distinction in the application evaluation process.

No. DMSE does not require applicants to complete the “Record of Subjects Taken” in the online application.

On rare occasions, deferral requests are approved for one year. Approved deferrals will only be for admission and not for any departmental financial aid award a student received upon admission. Applicants must contact the department to ask about a deferral before February 1.