MIT admits 655 early action applicants to the Class of 2030
The early action acceptance rate was 5.5%, a slight dip from the previous year
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 6:28 p.m., MIT admitted 655 early action applicants to the Class of 2030. The admitted students were selected from a pool of 11,883 students, yielding an acceptance rate of 5.5%.
The numbers
Out of the entire early action application pool, 7,738 applicants were deferred, 2,703 were rejected, and 787 withdrew their applications. The total number of early action applicants declined about 1.4% from the previous year’s figure of 12,053. Meanwhile, the number of admitted applicants decreased by 9.2% from last year, from 721 to 655. This year’s early action acceptance rate was one of the more competitive in recent memory. For comparison, the Class of 2029’s early action acceptance rate sat at 6.0%, while the Class of 2028’s was 5.3%.
Last year, MIT admitted 100 students through the QuestBridge program. “We remain focused on attracting the most talented students from everywhere, and programs like Questbridge and STARS [Small Town and Rural Students] continue to help us do that,” Stu Schmill ’86, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services, said in a written statement to The Tech. However, Schmill did not specify further. “We received a similar number of applications and admitted a similar number of students,” he said.
New adMITs
The Tech interviewed several students who were admitted to the Class of 2030.
Jacob Lewis from Arkansas said, “I was in shock.” A QuestBridge Scholar and 2025 MITES Scholar, Lewis matched with MIT on Dec. 1 and plans to commit to the Institute. “MIT has been my dream school since I learned about it in the 5th grade, although going to college in general was considered an accomplishment where I’m from,” Lewis said. He is “excited” to live in Cambridge, as he believes that moving to New England will provide “a change of scenery.”
May Thu Kiang from New York said, “For a good three seconds, it felt very unreal.” She added, “It felt very cathartic because the acceptance letter was tangible proof that all my hard work and time put into the application has paid off.” Kiang looks forward to attending college in another state and experiencing various aspects of college dorm life, such as cooking her own meals and getting to know her dormmates.
Marina Awad from Michigan was “ecstatic, stunned, and unbelievably grateful” upon seeing her MIT acceptance. She applied early due to the Institute’s many opportunities and its “diverse, passionate, and driven community.” Although Awad is concerned about MIT’s challenging academics, she is overall excited about her next stage in life. “I’m looking forward to increased independence — the freedom to continue shaping the career path I want to take and the person I want to be,” Awad said.
Meanwhile, Suzuko Ohshima from California found his acceptance a little underwhelming. “I saw the little beaver icons falling from the top of the screen over a few paragraphs,” Ohshima recalled. “I guess this is it.” He is grateful for his English teacher, friends, and a current MIT student for helping him review his essays before submission. “I think my essays would’ve been a lot worse without their help, and I appreciate it a lot,” Ohshima said. Currently, he is waiting for decisions from other colleges, as he is uncertain if MIT’s financial aid package will be the best for his family.
Kailua Chang, another Californian, was “exhilarated” to get in. Having previously participated in math competitions at MIT such as Math Prize for Girls, Chang has always considered the Institute to be her dream school. “I absolutely love the campus and the city of Cambridge,” Chang said. “The community and atmosphere is also amazing and so welcoming.”
The MIT regular action deadline is Jan. 5, and the decision release date for deferred and regular decision applicants is Mar. 14, 2026.
Grace Zhang ’28 contributed to reporting for this article.