Graduate Program
Online Application & Requirements
Thank you for your interest in the Department of Economics at MIT!
The MIT Economics Department admits students for the Doctoral program once per year for entry in the fall semester.
The application opens September 15 and the deadline for submitting completed applications is December 15, prior to the September in which you wish to begin the program.
Please visit our webpage regularly for updates and information on the application process.
The 2016-2017 online application is closed: Start Application
Your application is considered complete when you successfully submit all of the following requirements by the application deadline, December 15:
- Department of Economics Online Application
(Submit by December 15)
(Pay by December 15. Please see details below for waiver eligibility)
- Scanned Copy of College Transcript(s)
(Please upload one copy of each transcript from all universities you have attended. We don't require original official transcripts until after a student has been admitted to the department. If you're admitted to the program, we'll require you to have an official copy of your transcript(s) sent to us from the university's registrar. Your transcript will be verified upon receipt and any discrepancy between the transcript you uploaded and the official transcript will result in a withdrawal of our offer of admission)
- Three Letters of Recommendation
(Letters must be submitted/uploaded by the letter writers by December 15. Please send the email request to your letter writers via the 'Letter Status' section in your application)
(Official scores must be received by December 15. Applicants have the option of uploading a copy of their scores on their application, but we still require that the official scores be sent to our office either via mail or electronically by the application deadline, December 15 )
Please note:
For individuals testing on or after July 1, 2016, GRE test scores are valid for five years after your test administration date. For example, scores for a test taken on July 3, 2016, are reportable through July 2, 2021.
For individuals who tested between August 1, 2011, and June 30, 2016, GRE test scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which you tested (as indicated in the GRE® Information and Registration Bulletin from that testing year). For example, scores for a test taken on May 15, 2015, are reportable through June 30, 2020.
GRE scores earned in July 2011 are reportable until July 31, 2016.
- TOEFL OR IELTS Test Score (either one) for International students whose native language is not English
(Official scores must be received by December 15. Applicants have the option of uploading a copy of their scores on their application, but we still require that the official scores be sent to our office either via mail or electronically by the application deadline, December 15. Please see details on our FAQ page for waiver eligibility)
