How hard to get in as an international?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>Ok,</p>

<p>the official statistics provided by MIT (somewhere on their website)
says 5% of int'l applicants get in while 16% of domestic applicants get in.</p>

<p>First of all, I don't understand why international students have such a low percentage, relatively.....(official quotas perhaps?) I don't think the "quality" of international students are lower than their domestic counterparts, if not higher.</p>

<p>The fact that I am considered as an internaional is the only factor that discourages me. </p>

<p>I want to visit MIT campus also, but that is so faaaaaar away from California...</p>

2

<p>You're right, the quota is what makes the difference. Matt McGann just mentioned this today in his August Questions Omnibus I:
[quote]
We consider international citizens together because we are quota-limited in the number of those applicants we can admit.

[/quote]

Be sure to go to one of the Admissions Information Sessions the staff is conducting: there's likely to be one in your part of CA. And if you can swing a trip to campus at all, it's really worth it. There's nothing like getting the feel of what it's like than to, well, actually see what it's like. :)</p>