How to apply

March 26, 2020

In response to the challenges of teaching, learning, and assessing academic performance during the global COVID-19 pandemic, MIT has adopted the following principle: MIT’s admissions committees and offices for graduate and professional schools will take the significant disruptions of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 into account when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials as part of their regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant.

In particular, as we review applications now and in the future, we will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Pass/No Record (or Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail) and other grading options during the unprecedented period of COVID-19 disruptions, whether those decisions were made by institutions or by individual students. We also expect that the individual experiences of applicants will richly inform applications and, as such, they will be considered with the entirety of a student’s record.

Ultimately, even in these challenging times, our goal remains to form graduate student cohorts that are collectively excellent and composed of outstanding individuals who will challenge and support one another.

Questions or concerns about this statement should be directed to the academic department or program to which the prospective student has applied.

May 24, 2023

In recognition of the significant disruption caused by Covid-19, specifically due to the limited accessibility of tests and testing sites/dates, MIT Department of Chemistry will not be accepting GRE scores for applications going forward. We believe that this is necessary in order to avoid inadvertently privileging applicants who have easier access to test sites than others. All applications will be given full consideration without reference to GRE scores; this includes both the general test and Chemistry subject test scores.

Requests for fee waivers are coordinated centrally by the Office of Graduate Education.  For further information, including the eligibility requirements for fee waivers, please visit the Application Fee Waiver section of their web site. The waiver request must be submitted at least five business days before the December 1st application deadline.  The Department of Chemistry can only waive the $75 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.

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.

Applicants are asked to identify 3 faculty members listed in the application who they would be interested in working with.

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. Do not send a paper transcript.

In recognition of the significant disruption caused by Covid-19, specifically due to the limited accessibility of tests and testing sites/dates, MIT Department of Chemistry will not be accepting GRE scores for applications going forward. We believe that this is necessary in order to avoid inadvertently privileging applicants who have easier access to test sites than others. All applications will be given full consideration without reference to GRE scores; this includes both the general test and Chemistry subject test scores.

Resume/CV can be entered in text, MS Word or PDF format. Include your specific research experiences. This is extremely important.

You will need to copy and paste the text of your statement into the online application. Because of this, some formatting and scientific notation may not translate properly.

The recommended length for the Statement of Objectives is 1000-1500 words.

Please describe your reasons for pursuing graduate studies in the MIT Chemistry Department. In your description, explain how your background has prepared you for this graduate program. Identify the research area(s) that most interest you, the scientific problems that motivate your pursuit of an advanced degree in chemistry, and how the resources and faculty of MIT’s program promote these interests and motives. Describe your long-term scientific goals, and specify the unique aspects of MIT’s chemistry program that will enable you to achieve these goals. If applicable, describe any specific academic or research challenges that you have faced and overcome. If there are any other factors concerning your prior academic, research, or work experience that you would like the Admissions Committee to be aware of, please describe them. Please feel free to prepare your Statement of Objectives in whatever format most effectively communicates your views.

The recommended length for the Personal Statement is 500-1000 words.

The MIT Chemistry Department is a community comprised of individuals from a diverse variety of backgrounds. We are interested in learning more about you as a person and how your background and experiences motivate you to make positive contributions to your community. There are no requirements for what to include; some possible prompts are below:

• The MIT Chemistry Department has four core community values. These are respect, well-being, inclusivity, and integrity. Please identify one of these values that is important to you and explain why.
• Describe your experience with resilience and/or perseverance. Give an example of a time in which you faced failure, a significant roadblock in making steady progress towards a goal. Describe how you approach this situation. What did you learn from this experience? How has this experience shaped the way you approach challenges today?
• Describe a meaningful teaching or mentorship experience you have had and what you learned from that experience. What do you like most about teaching others? What are the biggest challenges you anticipate in serving as a teaching assistant to MIT undergraduates?
• If there are any other factors concerning your prior academic, research, or work experience that you would like the Admissions Committee to be aware of, please describe them.

Provide  information regarding fellowships and scholarships you have received and also send a copy of the award(s) to chemgradeducation@mit.edu

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 by November 1, to give the writer time to write and submit their letter.

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.

Provide a credit/debit payment of $75. Occasionally, debit card payments may not process correctly.  If you experience difficulty processing a debit card payment, please try using a credit card instead.

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.

All copies of transcripts uploaded to the application must be in English. Do not send a paper transcript.

The Department of Chemistry can only waive the $75 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.