Admissions

The Office of Graduate Education offers fee waivers to eligible applicants. For more information about eligibility requirements and instructions for requesting a waiver, please visit the Application Fee Waiver page on the OGE website. Please note, fee waivers may only be requested once an application has been started; the link to the request form can only be accessed through an application to the PhD program with the Department of Economics. 

Please upload one copy of each transcript from all universities you have attended. 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.

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.

You may choose to include teaching, professional experience, research experience, publications, and other accomplishments in outside activities.

We ask that all applicants include a writing sample or research paper (multiple samples are welcome). Files should be in PDF format. To upload more than one sample, upload your first file in the application portal > click the continue button to move to the next page > return to the previous page > upload another document. Repeat as needed.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology requires all international applicants to demonstrate a minimum English language proficiency needed to succeed in graduate school. 

English Language Proficiency (ELP) test policies and waivers 

The central Office of Graduate Education is pleased to automatically exempt the English Language Proficiency (ELP) test requirement for international applicants who meet one or both of the following criteria:

1. Your primary language is English

• Primary language is defined as your first language learned and spoken in your family home.

2. Within the last 5 years, you attended an English-speaking university for 3-4 years and attained an undergraduate (or equivalent) degree from that university in one of the following countries:

• Australia
• Canada
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• United States

If you meet one or both of the above criteria, you will be automatically exempted from providing English proficiency test scores while completing your application.

Even if you do not meet the qualifications above for automatic exemption, the department will waive the ELP requirement if you have spent three or more years studying in an accredited university where English is the primary language of instruction. If you meet this requirement, you will be able to request the waiver as part of your application. Verification of the institution’s language of instruction will be requested. Please upload a PDF documenting the official language of instruction at the institution. This request must be submitted by November 20, 2025. Requests made after this date may not be processed and approved by the application deadline of December 15, 2025.

If you do not qualify for the automatic exemption or waiver, it is critical that you take the proficiency exam of your choice by November 30 to allow for proper reporting time. If your score report arrives shortly after the deadline, it will be accepted, but your application may not be reviewed until your scores are received.

For more information on MIT's English Proficiency Test Requirements, please visit the Office of Graduate Education here

We accept the following test scores:

• TOEFL iBT
• IELTS
• Cambridge English C1 Advanced
• Cambridge English C2 Proficiency
• Duolingo English Test

TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge English Qualification scores are valid or accepted for two years. Scores that expire while an application is under review will be considered valid.

Submitting your scores

Your online application will prompt you to attach a scanned copy of your test scores. Your scores must also be sent directly to MIT from ETS, IELTS, or Cambridge. MIT's school code for the TOEFL is 3514. The TOEFL code for the Department of Economics is 84. IELTS and Cambridge do not require a code. Please enter "Massachusetts Institute of Technology- Graduate Admissions."

Official scores must be received from ETS, IELTS, or Cambridge by December 15. Please take your proficiency exam of choice by November 30 to allow for proper reporting time. If your score report arrives shortly after the deadline, it will be accepted, but your application may not be reviewed until your scores are received.

Minimum score requirements

• TOEFL iBT- 100 (paper-based test scores are not accepted)
• IELTS- 7
• Cambridge English (C1)- 190
• Cambridge English (C2)- 200
• Dualingo English Test- 135

Please send a score report directly to MIT from ETS. MIT's school code for the GRE is 3514. The code for the Department of Economics is 1801.

To allow for your scores to arrive by the application deadline, you should take the GRE by November 30 to allow for reporting time.

Your online application will give you the option to also attach a scanned copy of your test scores or a screenshot of the scores from the ETS website. The official scores from ETS are still required. 

We encourage applicants to include a statement of objectives/personal statement with their application, though it is not required. The statement is an opportunity to explain what makes you a good candidate for the program. You should describe why you wish to attend graduate school, what you would like to study, and any research experience. Describe one or more accomplishments you are particularly proud of that suggest that you will succeed in your chosen area of research. You can also share any unique perspective or life experience that would contribute to the program. Statements are typically two single-spaced pages.

Many students interested in an economics PhD experience disparate degrees of support in the application process. The Economics Mentoring Program (EMP, formerly known as AAMP), an independent volunteer-based student-run program, aims to mitigate these gaps by helping students connect with graduate student mentors in the economics PhD programs at Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford or Yale. These mentors can provide:

• Advice on graduate school and fellowship applications, including questions about the application process and feedback on application materials.
• Information about economics research, life as a PhD student or in an academic career, for students who are deciding whether a PhD in economics is the right choice for them.

The EMP welcomes participation among students at various stages of their economics studies, including undergraduates and college graduates. The EMP is open to students who are curious about the academic economics experience and interested in figuring out if it’s right for them. 

Interested participants should fill out the application linked below. Applications for the EMP have now closed and will reopen in the summer of 2026. To be notified when they do, please subscribe to our mailing list here.

Please note that the EMP is a volunteer-based, student-run program. This program is not considered part of the admissions process for the economics PhD at Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford or Yale nor will any student's participation in the EMP be considered by the graduate admissions committee at any school.

Please direct any questions to economicsmentoring@gmail.com. For more information, please visit our website.

Website link: www.economicsmentoringprogram.com