Applying to Graduate School
Due to the high volume of applications, the Department of Chemistry does not respond to requests for application updates via email or phone calls. We anticipate that admissions decisions will be finalized in late January/early February. All applicants will be notified via email to check the admissions portal when a decision is available.
Note: Many questions are answered in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Prior to contacting the MIT Department of Chemistry (chemgradeducation@mit.edu), please take the time to review our FAQ page.
During the active admissions cycle you must submit your application via the Online Application. Applications for Fall 2026 are now open. The application deadline is December 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST). Please see below for helpful information about our application requirements. Since offers of admission are made continuously after the application deadline, all of your materials must be submitted by the application deadline. This includes letters of recommendation and all official test scores.
**The Deadline to request application fee waivers for the Fall 2026 cycle has now passed.**The Office of Graduate Education offers fee waivers to eligible applicants. For more information about eligibility requirements and instructions for requesting a waiver, please visit the Application Fee Waiver page on the OGE website. Please note, fee waivers may only be requested once an application has been started; the link to the request form can only be accessed through an application to the Department of Chemistry.
For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit the Student Financial Services (SFS) website.
Completing and Submitting the Application: Information for all applicants
Faculty of Interest
Applicants are asked to identify 3 faculty members listed in the application who they would be interested in working with.
Transcripts
A PDF copy of your college transcript(s) is required and can be uploaded to the application. Official transcript(s) are only required if you are admitted into our program.
Required Tests
GRE test scores are not accepted for applications. For applicants whose primary language is not English, your TOEFL or IELTS scores are required. Please see below for more information about TOEFL/IELTS.
Education and Work History
Resume/CV can be entered in text, MS Word or PDF format. Include your specific research experiences. This is extremely important.
Statement of Objectives
The recommended length for the Statement of Objectives is 1000-1500 words.
Describe your experience and contributions to scientific research, as well as how they have influenced your interests and your desire to pursue graduate studies in the MIT Department of Chemistry. Explain your research interests, professional goals, and how you plan to accomplish them. Explain why the MIT Department of Chemistry is best suited for your goals, highlighting current research in the department that is aligned with your research interests.
Personal Statement
Describe how your character and experiences have formed you into someone who will contribute positively and effectively to not only the MIT Department of Chemistry but also to the field of chemistry as a whole. Highlight what is unique about you in a professional or academic context. Examples include explaining a meaningful teaching or mentorship experience you’ve had and what you learned from that experience or describing a social, educational, cultural, or economic obstacle you have overcome in your journey to get to where you are today.
Financial Support
Provide information regarding fellowships and scholarships you have received and also send a copy of the award(s) to
chemgradeducation@mit.edu
Recommendation Writers
Provide at least 3 names and email addresses (no more than 5) that you will be requesting a letter of recommendation from. We highly recommend that you notify your writers well in advance to give the writer time to write and submit their letter.
Admissions Interviews
Following an initial review of all applications by our faculty, some applicants will be invited via email to interview. Interviews take place virtually over Zoom. Interviews will include the applicant and two faculty members and run for approximately 15 minutes. Information about the interview process, including a description of the opening interview question, will be provided in the invitation email.
Policy on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Essay Preparation
You are free to utilize AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) in the preparation of your statement of objectives and personal statement, however, we discourage you from relying too heavily on them. These emerging writing tools may be effective at improving grammar and structure, but can depersonalize the tone of your writing and occasionally produce erroneous or contradictory content. In preparing your essays, keep the following in mind: this year, due to the wide availability of these tools, the evaluation of your statements will focus more heavily on elements that are not trivially generated via AI, such as descriptions of your research experiences, specific elements that draw you to our program, and formative aspects of your lived experience.
Application fee
Provide a credit/debit payment of $90. Occasionally, debit card payments may not process correctly. If you experience difficulty processing a debit card payment, please try using a credit card instead.
Additional Information for International Applicants
IELTS/TOEFL Exam
For applicants whose primary language is not English, your TOEFL or IELTS scores are required. The minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 100 and the minimum acceptable IELTS band score is 7.0. The MIT reporting code is 3514, and the department code is 62. For more details, please review MIT’s policy on English Language Proficiency (ELP)
here.
Transcript(s)
All copies of transcripts uploaded to the application must be in English.
Fee Waiver
The Department of Chemistry can only waive the $90 application fee for international applicants if they have already applied and paid an application fee for another PhD program at MIT in the same admission cycle. Requests for application fee waiver must be made prior to November 17, 2025. Please note, we do not provide application fee waivers for financial need.
Chemistry Application Mentor Program
CAMP is a volunteer-based, student-run program that provides assistance to Chemistry Applicants. CAMP is intended to assist applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds – including but not limited to: groups underrepresented in the STEM field, first generation PhD applicants, and applicants from non-traditional academic backgrounds. CAMP Applications for the Fall 2026 Admission are now closed (the deadline was November 1st).
