<p>Is it easier to be admitted as a graduate student (specifically, electric engineering dept) to MIT than undergraduate?</p>
<p>It seems the acceptance percentage for graduate programs are a lot higher than undergraduate admissions.</p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>yes, its easier for International students to get in Graduate programs than in Undergraduate programs</p>
<p>Admissions percentages are a highly misleading indicator. A lot of self-selection happens, particularly when you're talking about engineering graduate school. The truth is, few people really "need" an engineering graduate degree. Plenty of people have perfectly fine careers with just bachelor's . So those people who tend to apply to engineering graduate programs tend to be those people who are really dedicated to academic engineering and are therefore more likely to get in. </p>
<p>Contrast that with what happens in undergrad, where there are plenty of people who will apply to MIT for the heck of it, just to see if they can get in. Very few people apply to engineering graduate school for the heck of it. Those who do apply tend to have focused reasons for applying, and are thus fairly likely to get in.</p>
<p>As I understand it, the EECS department receives 2500 applications every year for 100 spots. Even considering that they'll give out more than 100 acceptance offers, that's less than a 10% acceptance rate.</p>
<p>Do you have different numbers?</p>
<p>EDIT: I meant "does the OP have different numbers" -- there are certainly more international graduate students at MIT than undergrads, no doubt about that. But for admissions in general, I scratch my head to see how it's easier to get into graduate school than undergrad in EECS.</p>
<p>I was telling about International Students. For example, there are 10 UG students and around 200 Graduate students from India currently studying at MIT. So the admission must be easier.</p>
<p>PS: Molliebatmit, our present post counts are exactly same :)</p>
<p>There is a cap on undergraduates that does not exist for graduates in the same way. The key difference is money. MIT is committed to meeting the full financial need of all of its accepted undergraduates, and admissions is need-blind. Basically, the admissions office selects the students it most wants in the class of 2010 and then turns to the financial aid office with the mandate that it is their job to ensure that the students that MIT has identified that it wants are all financially ABLE to go to MIT (not that it won't be a stretch mind you). </p>
<p>Some of the circumstances of some of the foreign applicants require substantial efforts (and funds) from the financial aid office. This coupled with the fewer sources of funding (as a US university, there are potential funds available from the US government and other US sources to assist in providing financial aid to needful American students) has led MIT to put a cap on their potential financial exposure by placing a cap on the international student intake.</p>
<p>For Graduate students, particularly in the Sciences and Engineering, the position is substantially different. Graduate fellowships and sources of funding for graduate students are usually tied to the area of study rather than any other factor, and more external sources of funding are available. MIT makes no guarantees about funding all admitted graduates to the same level that they make for undergraduates. </p>
<p>Therefore, there is no need for the arbitrary cap on the level of international students.</p>
<p>-Mikalye</p>
<p>Well, for non-engineering programs, there are still substantially fewer international students than US nationals -- in the biology programs for which I interviewed, there were very few internationals because funding is guaranteed for most (all?) science PhD programs, and most of the funding comes from government (NSF/NIH/what have you) training grants.</p>
<p>But the OP didn't ask about international grad school admits, just grad school admits in general.</p>