MIT admits 1,485 to class of 2020
MIT offered admission to 1,485 out of 19,020 applicants for the class of 2020 for an admissions rate of 7.8 percent. The rate decreased from last year’s 8.0 percent, and has been steadily declining since 2003 with the exception of last year when it went up by 0.3 percentage points.
The decisions were released on Pi Day (March 14) at Tau time (6:28 p.m.), as is MIT tradition.
The admissions office hopes that 1,120 of the accepted students will choose to attend MIT. This target size is consistent with recent class sizes, Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill ’86 wrote in an email to The Tech.
The number of applications rose this year, fully recovering from a decrease during the 2019 application season.
Of the 1,485 students admitted to the class of 2020, 656 were early action admits, The Tech reported last fall. The early-admission rate dropped to around 8.4 percent, from 9.6 percent last year, which may have been caused by an administrative policy change: international students were allowed to apply during the early action round for the first time this year.
A total of 437 students were waitlisted for the 2015-2016 admissions season. “It is hard to predict how many students will be admitted from the waitlist,” Schmill wrote in an email to The Tech. “In the last five years, we have admitted as few as zero and as many as 65.” Last year, 55 of the 575 students on the waitlist were admitted, which was a record high, according to MIT Admissions.
The demographics of the admitted class are largely consistent with last year. Women make up 49 percent of admits; 15 percent are first-generation college students. Approximately one quarter of the admits identify as an underrepresented minority (including African American, Latino or Hispanic, or Native American).
International citizens make up 9 percent of admits and represent 65 different countries.
MIT’s yield, or the percentage of admitted students who enroll at MIT, is projected to increase, Schmill said. “Last year our yield was 73% … five years ago, in 2011, it was 65%. Students are certainly recognizing the value and excitement of MIT.”
“The Admitted Class of 2020 is an extraordinary group of women and men,” Schmill said. “We look forward to communicating with these students so they can decide if MIT is the place they want to call home for the next four years.”
Campus Preview Weekend, during which time many admitted students will visit MIT’s campus, takes place April 7 to 10.