FAQ

To apply to the OR program, go to the MIT Graduate Admissions website. 

Applications should include the following:

• standard MIT application form and fee (unless the fee is waived by the Office of Graduate Education – the ORC is not able to waive this fee)
• Statement of Objectives (NOTE: There are no guidelines or limits for the Statement of Objectives, however we generally recommend that applicants keep it to around one page.)
• transcripts
• three letters of recommendation
• We require an English Language Proficiency (ELP) test for all international students. This can be satisfied by taking the IELTS, TOEFL, and/or Duolingo English Test (DET). TOEFL scores must be from within the past two years.

No, you cannot apply for both programs. You must chose one or the other.

You also cannot request to be considered for the SM program should you not be admitted to the PhD program.

The ORC online application usually opens in mid-September.

The deadline for all applications is December 15 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

No, we only offer admission for the fall term.

The application fee is currently $90. It must be paid by check drawn on a U.S. bank or by credit card if applying electronically.

The application fee is required by MIT and can only be waived by US citizens and US permanent residents who qualify. For detailed information on the qualifications for the fee waiver, please visit the OGE Application Fee Waiver page. The ORC is not able to waive the application fee for any reason.

Applications will not be reviewed until the fee has been paid or waived.

Yes, you should complete this section (to the best of your ability) with all courses taken throughout your studies that are relevant to the OR application.

You should indicate “Operations Research Center” as the designated department.

Students can check the status of their application on the “Application checklist” page within Slate.  Any missing materials should be submitted ASAP.

We will not accept any additional materials to include with your application. If you have published papers and/or received awards, this information can be entered online.

• We require an English Language Proficiency (ELP) test for all international students. This can be satisfied by taking the IELTS, TOEFL, and/or Duolingo English Test (DET).
• The TOEFL score must be within the past two years.

All departments at MIT require a comprehensive knowledge of the English language. International applicants are required to submit the IELTS, TOEFL, and/or Duolingo English Test (DET) score with their application unless they meet one of the following criteria below.  If a student meets this criteria, the testing will be automatically waived. 

1. Applicant’s primary language is English.
2. Applicant attended an English-speaking college or university in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand and attained an undergraduate (or equivalent) degree from that institution within the last 5 years. 
3. Student completed their Master’s degree from a US English speaking university.

The minimum IELTS score required is 7.

The minimum TOEFL score required is 100 for the Internet-based test (iBT).

The minimum Duolingo English Test (DET) score required is 135.

The institution code for MIT is 3514.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is optional. Applications submitted with a GRE score should not have any advantage over applications submitted without a GRE score.

Letters of recommendation cannot be submitted through Interfolio.  They need to be submitted through the direct link that it provided to the recommender by the student.

We ask that you submit your letters of recommendation electronically via your application. You will be able to request a letter directly through the online application system.

Yes, however, we will accept no more than four letters of recommendation.

Original transcripts are not required when you apply to the ORC. Once admitted, you will be asked to send us an official copy of your transcripts, including all grades for the year. We will accept translations of transcripts issued by an institution or professional translating service, such as World Education Services (WES), however we would still need a copy of the transcript in the original language as well.

Send to the following address:

Laura A. Rose
Admissions Administrator

Operations Research Center
MIT/Room E40-107
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307

Yes, if you go to your Application Status page you should see an option there to upload an updated transcript.

The majority of doctoral degree students receive funding in the form of a research assistantship (RA) during their years at the ORC. Master’s degree students are not guaranteed financial aid; however, we assist them in securing possible funding. Historically, our master’s in operations research students have received funding; our master’s in business analytics students do not receive funding.

Although SM students are not admitted to the program with a guarantee of financial support, the majority of the SM students are able to secure a research assistantship (RA) with a faculty member for their studies at MIT.  Students can meet with faculty during the two day Open House to discuss possible RA opportunities.  Or, if they are unable to visit, they can reach out to faculty of interest via email to discuss possible funding.

Admitted students are given the opportunity to meet with faculty during our Open House, which helps them find an advisor they would like to work with while at MIT. For those students who do not visit during the Open House, we will work with you to find an appropriate RA based on your research interests.

The ORC forms an Admissions Committee to review the applications for our doctoral degree (PhD) in operations research and our master’s degree (SM) in operations research.  The committee consists of four to six current OR-affiliated faculty members.

Admission decisions are usually made in late February and/or early March. You will be notified via email with your admission decision

The ORC does not hold interviews during the admissions process.

No, admission decisions will not be disclosed over the phone.

In most cases, you are allowed to defer admission to the OR program for one year. However, this request is handled on a case-by-case basis. If you are admitted and would like to request a deferral, you must outline your reason for requesting the deferral in a letter to the co-directors. In some cases, admission may be deferred without a guarantee of financial support.

Each year, we hold a two-day Open House for those students who have been offered admission. At that time, admitted students are invited to visit and meet with faculty and students. We do not arrange for visits for prospective students prior to admission decisions due to the number of applications we receive each year.

We do not provide probabilities or chances of acceptance. In any case, it would not be fair to answer this question based on just scores. The Admissions Committee takes the entire application into consideration when making admission decisions.

No, we do not require a minimum GPA to apply. However, our applicants are usually very strong academically and in the top of their classes.

No, we do not require any specific courses for admission. However, many students who apply to the Center have a strong background in such advanced mathematics classes as calculus and linear algebra.

We receive more than 300 applications each year for the doctoral degree (PhD) and master’s degree (SM) in operations research. For the master’s degree (MBAn) in business analytics, we receive over 250 applications per year.

We usually make an offer of admission to 20-25 doctoral degree students and to 8-12 master’s degree students in operations research.

No, work experience is not a prerequisite for admission to the ORC programs.

It usually takes students two years to complete the master’s degree program in OR.

It usually takes students four to five years to complete the doctoral degree program in OR.

We do not consider transfer students separately. All applicants need to go through the standard admission process by submitting an application to the ORC.

Many of our graduates assume positions in academia, consulting, large corporations, research laboratories, manufacturing, or industry.

We recommend that you arrive at least one week prior to Registration Day to get acquainted with the MIT campus and the Boston/Cambridge area. Our international students should arrive earlier to check in with the International Students Office and to sign up for our mandatory Immigration Information Session.

Please visit MIT’s Academic Calendar for exact dates

If you are a US Citizen/Permanent Resident, you will be required to take the Graduate Writing Examination (GWE) during the summer prior to your matriculation at MIT.  If you are an international student and you were unable to waive the English Language Proficiency (ELP) test requirement during the application process, you will be required to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) exam offered by MIT during the month of August prior to your matriculation.

You will choose your classes on Registration Day, which can be found on MIT’s Academic Calendar. You will also receive more detailed information about registration via email.

We recommend that you visit http://housing.mit.edu for more information about housing options available to you. Additionally, you will be assigned a senior ORC student guide, who will be an invaluable resource, helping to answer any questions you may have.

Yes, this MIT email address will be used throughout your career here at MIT. We often send important information and reminders to your email address, so please be sure to check it often.

For technical questions concerning the ORC computing facilities, you should contact the current ORC student computer administrators. You’ll find their names and email addresses on the door of the ORC computer lab. If they are unavailable, you should bring your concerns to an ORC staff member.

For IT questions outside of the ORC, you should refer to MIT’s IS&T site, found here: http://ist.mit.edu/. If you are unable to find an answer to your question, you can contact using this link.

You will have the opportunity to meet with your academic advisor prior to Registration Day to decide on the appropriate courses for your first term at the ORC. If you would like to review our course offerings, please visit our Course Offerings page.