<p>Hello</p>
<p>I am an international and I didn't get in this year. That means, AFAIK, that if I want to apply as a freshman once again I have to take a gap year. What is the reason behind this? Why I am not allowed to start studying at MIT "from the beginning" if I am temporarily at another university in my country?</p>
<p>The simplest explanation is that those are just the rules.</p>
<p>Students who have begun working toward a degree in a degree-granting program must apply as transfer students.</p>
<p>You could apply as a freshman if you merely take a few courses at a university as a non-degree student, but not if you enroll in a degree-granting program.</p>