<p>Title says it.^</p>
<p>No. From a "myth-busting" blog entry from Daniel Barkowitz's blog:
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As you are probably aware, MIT (as well as HYP) offers all of its own funding on the basis of need only. Many of our students arrive with some merit-based funding, but it is small (relative to the total cost of an MIT education) and comes from outside sources...
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<p>Just to clarify what Barkowitz's blog says above, you're free to come in with your own merit scholarships and apply them toward your MIT education. But MIT itself does not award any merit scholarships.</p>
<p>That's what I have heard, but is there ever an exception? Is there ever someone so outlandish that MIT or Harvard would pay for them to come? I feel like it is a possibility that there are some exceptions that are kept secret. However, in MIT's case, they have never given out an honorary degree to anyone, so that makes me more persuaded to think that MIT doesn't have any secret scholarships.</p>
<p>Those would have to be extremely, extremely rare exceptions.</p>
<p>Of course, if you like the idea of generous and non-secret merit scholarships, there's always that other institute of technology...</p>
<p>Harvard gives scholarships to athletes. I know what they say ("they don't give..."), but they give generous financial aid packages to top athletes. They ran a 60 minutes story on it last year. I have never heard of MIT doing this, although for the very best and brightest I would think they would have a recruiting tool</p>
<p>Well, but Harvard's division I and has a little more leeway to do things like that than MIT does. MIT's division III, and I think any hint of giving more financial aid to athletes could land them in some pretty deep trouble.</p>
<p>From the [url=<a href="http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/governance/division_III/index.html%5DNCAA">http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/governance/division_III/index.html]NCAA</a> website<a href="their%20emphasis">/url</a>:
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Division III athletics feature athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic skills and athletic departments that are staffed and funded like any other department in the university.<br>
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<p>I agree MIT doesn't give scholarships for athletes, I just thought MIT might have a recruiting tool for the top students. I don't think it would have to be monetary, just a little extra incentive.<br>
Sorry if that was unclear (and I'm sure Mollie knows more from her time in the admissions office, and I could be completely wrong on all accounts).</p>
<p>Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you were saying.</p>