Undergraduate · MIT
MIT is familiar with A-levels and the IB, but it still requires the SAT or ACT, asks for a school report with your external examination results, and admits you to the Institute as a whole: you choose a major at the end of the first year. Those three points shape how a STEM-minded A-level or IB student should prepare. MIT's pages carry no entry-year label, so everything here is treated as evidence for the previous cycle and not as the 2028 requirement.
Official information · read 25 October 2026, no entry-year label
Taken from MIT Admissions' international applicants page and international admissions FAQ and read on 25 October 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check MIT's pages for the 2028-entry details.
MIT requires the SAT or the ACT from both first-year and transfer applicants. It does not require the ACT writing or science sections or the SAT optional essay, and has no cutoff or recommended scores because scores are evaluated within an applicant's context.
MIT says it is very familiar with international school systems including the IB and A Levels. It does not try to convert grades to the American system or to find other sorts of equivalence.
MIT requires a Secondary School Report with transcript, sent by your counsellor or another school official. It should include three years of grades and the results of any external examinations such as the IB or A Levels, with predicted grades sent if available. Only admitted students must send final grades.
MIT has no required high school classes, but students need to demonstrate minimum competence in the fields they will continue to study at MIT.
All students apply to MIT for general admission and select a major at the end of the first year with help from a first-year advisor.
Official sources
Read on 25 October 2026 on MIT Admissions' international applicants page and international admissions FAQ. The pages carry no entry-year label. MIT's recommendations on what to do in high school, deadlines, SAT and ACT dates and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
Testing
MIT says it requires the SAT or the ACT, and that because all students apply for general admission, all applicants must meet the same test requirements. It accepts both the paper and digital SAT. MIT also says it has no cutoff or recommended scores for the SAT or ACT. That means the test is a requirement to complete, not a number to chase. An A-level or IB student cannot replace it with predicted grades. Dates and registration are set by the test providers and are not stated here.
Your qualification
MIT says its admissions counsellors are trained to understand the educational system in your part of the world, that it does not try to convert grades, and that it reviews your application within the context of the resources available to you. The practical requirements are on the transcript side.
A Secondary School Report with transcript, sent by your school counsellor or an equivalent school official. If you have no counsellor, MIT says another equivalent school official can complete it.
The transcript should include the results of external examinations such as the IB or A Levels, alongside three years of grades.
MIT asks for predicted grades if available, and says only admitted students are required to send final grades, which will not be available until the summer.
All application materials must be in English. A professional service or a teacher in your school may translate, but you cannot translate the material yourself.
STEM preparation
MIT has no required high school classes for domestic or international applicants, but all students need to demonstrate minimum competence in the fields they will continue to study at MIT. It points applicants to a separate page on what to do in high school, which this guide has not read. For an A-level or IB student the practical question is how your subject choices and results show that competence, which is a conversation to have with your school and, if you wish, an independent adviser.
Admission model
MIT says all students apply for general admission and select a major at the end of the first year. A guide, a tutor or an adviser should therefore never describe an MIT application as an application to a named undergraduate major. Choosing A-level or IB subjects to match a likely major is sensible, but it is not a route into a department.
English language
MIT strongly recommends providing an English proficiency result if you have used English for fewer than five years or do not speak English at home or in school. It says it has minimum and recommended scores for its English language tests.
Integrity
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support and is not affiliated with MIT. Support can help a student understand the requirements and plan testing and subject choices. It cannot write or alter any part of an application, and no outcome is promised.
Planning for 2028 entry
MIT's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the requirement, then check MIT's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
These are MIT's wording today, without an entry-year label.
This guide has not read them. Check MIT and the test providers for the values that apply to your application year.
Decide on a realistic SAT or ACT timetable alongside school examinations, and ask your school how it will report external examination results and predicted grades.
Questions
Yes. MIT says it requires the SAT or the ACT from first-year applicants and that all applicants must meet the same test requirements.
No. MIT says it does not try to convert grades to the American system or find other sorts of equivalence.
Three years of grades and the results of external examinations such as the IB or A Levels, sent by your school counsellor or another school official. Predicted grades are asked for if available.
No. MIT says all students apply for general admission and select a major at the end of the first year.
No. MIT has no required classes, but students must demonstrate minimum competence in the fields they will continue to study.
They are MIT's current wording, with no entry-year label. Check MIT's pages again for the 2028-entry details.
Students and families
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their subjects and testing plans, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to plan.
