The Institute launches Understanding MIT advertising campaign in Washington’s metro stations
Advertising campaign coincided with the lead up to the voting of the Big Beautiful Bill
Diego Temkin–The Tech
In late June, students reported seeing about 15 Understanding MIT ads in the Capitol South metro station in Washington. The Institute was the only advertiser in the station, and all the ads were part of the Understanding MIT advertising campaign. Ending with the phrase “this is MIT,” the ads highlighted MIT’s leading education and research, as well as the Institute’s contributions to science and technology in the U.S. One ad read, “When a university pioneers research for national defense, America leads.” In late July, additional ads were found in the Farragut West station, which is near the White House.
The Understanding MIT website launched in mid April, followed by a video titled “Imagine a world without MIT” released in May 15. The website was created in response to the Trump administration’s policies that have targeted universities, from federal research funding cuts to increased taxes on university endowment. Like the ads, the website highlighted MIT’s education that is “committed to excellence,” while emphasizing the Institute’s role in national competitiveness, defense, and scientific innovation.
The launch of the ad campaign coincided with the lead up to the U.S. Senate’s marathon voting session of the Big Beautiful Bill on July 1, a spending and tax bill that introduced many tax cuts and major cuts to federal programs such as Medicaid. The Senate narrowly passed the bill in a narrow vote of 51 to 50, and the House approved the bill in a 218 to 214 vote on July 3. The bill will increase MIT’s endowment tax rate from 1.4% to 8%, as MIT’s endowment exceeds $2 million per student.
In a written statement to The Tech, spokesperson Kimberly Allen stated that the purpose of the ads was to raise awareness about the value of MIT’s education and research to the “nation’s prosperity and security” for lawmakers in Washington. According to Allen, the ad campaign will end at the end of July.
Spokesperson Courtney Richards of OUTFRONT Media, the advertising company used by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), stated that many universities use out of home advertising in WMATA metro stations to achieve various goals, such as increasing enrollment or publicizing graduate programs. However, Richards believes that MIT’s advertising campaign “stood out for its strategic execution” because of its specific location and targeted audience.
“The metro placement aligned with high-traffic commuter routes frequented by policy influencers, and the creativity clearly communicated the university’s leadership in national defense research,” Richard wrote to The Tech. “It was a strong example of timely, targeted messaging that both reflected the MIT brand and resonated with a D.C. audience.”
Diego Temkin ’26 and Grace Zhang ’28 contributed to reporting for this article.
An addition was made on August 2, 2025: At the time of publication, OUTFRONT Media had not responded to a request for comment. An updated version of the article references their response on August 1.