What is MITES Summer and how hard is it to get into? MITES Summer is MIT's free, six-week residential STEM program for rising high school seniors, where students live in MIT dorms and take five courses in math, physics, life sciences, humanities and a project-based elective; it shares one application with MITES Semester, a free six-month online program, and both are open only to 11th graders who are US citizens or permanent residents. Applications typically open in November and are due February 1, MIT does not publish an acceptance rate, and third-party guides estimate it in the low single digits for a summer cohort of roughly 70 to 80 students.
Facts come from mites.mit.edu, MIT News and named third-party guides as of November 2026, all linked in the Sources section.
What MITES is
MITES stands today for MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science. It is part of MIT's School of Engineering and was formerly the MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs (OEOP). MITES says it has run pre-college STEM programs for nearly 50 years, has more than 5,000 alumni, and focuses on students from underserved and under-resourced backgrounds. The original summer program was called Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science, which is where the acronym comes from.
Every MITES program is free. MIT, individuals, foundations and corporations cover tuition, food and housing. Students pay only for travel to and from MIT, and travel scholarships are available for MITES Summer.
The MITES programs, old names and new
MITES has renamed its programs, which is why searches for MOSTEC, SEED Academy and E2 still turn up. Here is how the names map.
| Current name | Former name | Who it is for | Format | 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MITES Summer | MITES | 11th graders, nationwide (rising seniors) | Six weeks, residential at MIT | June 20 to July 31, 2026 |
| MITES Semester | MOSTEC | 11th graders, nationwide (rising seniors) | Six months, online, June to December | June 22 to December 6, 2026 |
| MITES Saturdays | SEED Academy | Public school students in Boston, Cambridge or Lawrence, MA, applying in grades 7 to 10 | Multi-year Saturday academy | School year |
| E2@MIT (no longer listed) | Engineering Experience at MIT | Rising seniors | One week of project-based courses | Last listed by a third party for July 24 to 31, 2016 |
E2 was a one-week program that MIT News described in 2014 as part of OEOP. In 2016 one application was considered for MITES, E2 and MOSTEC together. The current MITES site lists only three programs, Saturdays, Semester and Summer, so treat E2 as discontinued. MITES says 2027 dates for Summer and Semester are still to be determined.
What MITES Summer looks like
MITES calls the summer "a semester of college condensed" into six weeks. Each student takes five courses:
- One math course, one life sciences course and one physics course, placed by a knowledge inventory during orientation
- One humanities course
- One project-based elective; past electives include Architecture, Engineering Design, Machine Learning, Genomics and Electronics
Classes, recitations, workshops and lab tours run on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MITES says students report about six hours of homework per weekday and four to six hours per weekend day, with midterms in week three, finals in week six, and final projects and presentations in weeks five and six. Students live in MIT dorms for the full program, even if they are local, and meet in small groups with an undergraduate mentor. The program ends with a Final Symposium where students present their projects.
There are no grades and no high school or college credit. Each instructor writes a qualitative evaluation of the student, and MITES encourages students to submit these with college applications. Students also get college admissions counseling and a college fair.
What MITES Semester looks like
MITES Semester is the online version and is often overlooked. It has two phases:
| Phase | Months | Time commitment | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEM Immersion | June to early August | 25 to 30 hours per week | One project-based STEM course plus a core course in Calculus, Physics, Computer Science or Science Writing and Communication; team projects presented at a symposium |
| College and Career Prep | August to December | 3 to 5 hours per week | Webinars, mentor cluster meetings, mock interviews, essay reviews |
All live sessions run between 5 and 10 p.m. Eastern, with nothing on Fridays or Saturdays, so students can keep a summer job. Past project courses include Astrophysics, Computational Biology, Machine Learning, Robotics, Neuroscience and Connectomics, and Thermodynamics and Climate Change. Students cannot live in or travel outside the US and its territories while enrolled.
Who is eligible
| Requirement | MITES Summer and MITES Semester |
|---|---|
| Grade | 11th grade or equivalent at the time of application |
| School type | Public, private and homeschooled students all eligible |
| Citizenship | US citizen or permanent resident with a current green card; visas do not qualify |
| Minimum GPA | None |
| Test scores | Optional, strongly encouraged |
| Proof | Admitted students may be asked for a birth certificate, US passport or green card |
MITES strongly encourages applications from students who are underrepresented in science and engineering, from low-income families, potentially first in their family to attend college, from families without science or engineering degrees, or from high schools with low admission rates to top colleges, especially rural or predominantly minority schools. MITES also states that all eligible applicants are evaluated equitably regardless of race or ethnicity. International students are not eligible for MITES Summer or MITES Semester.
Dates and deadlines for 2027
| Milestone | MITES 2027 cycle |
|---|---|
| Application opens | Typically November 2026 |
| Student deadline, including naming three recommenders | February 1, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Pacific |
| Recommender deadline | February 15, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Pacific |
| Decisions | Mid to late April 2027, by email only |
| Programs begin | Mid to late June 2027; exact 2027 dates not yet posted |
MITES gives February 1 and February 15 as standing deadlines on its FAQ page. The application closes at 12:00 a.m. Pacific on February 2, and MITES does not accept test scores emailed after the deadline. For the full 2027 calendar across programs, see summer research programs for 2027 with deadlines and odds.
The MITES acceptance rate
MIT does not publish an acceptance rate for MITES Summer or MITES Semester. What is published:
- MIT News reported 72 rising seniors in the 2014 MITES Summer class, the program's 39th session.
- AdmitSee reported in 2017 that MITES accepts around 70 to 80 students a year.
- MITES says it served 365 students across MITES Semester and MITES Saturdays in 2021, so Semester is much larger than Summer.
- MITES keeps a waitlist, and admitted students are offered only one of the two programs.
Third-party estimates for MITES Summer include "low single digits, often around 2 to 3 percent" (Pioneer Academics, 2026), "below 5%" (RISE Research, 2026) and "3% to 10%" (Lumiere, 2023). None cites an official source. The fair reading: a summer cohort under 100, thousands of applicants, and odds comparable to the most selective free programs. That is why MITES tells applicants to apply to both programs: Semester has many more seats.
What the application asks for
| Component | What MITES requires |
|---|---|
| Program choice | Summer, Semester or both; MITES strongly encourages both |
| Academic information | Course history and an unofficial transcript with 9th, 10th and first-quarter 11th grade grades if available |
| Test scores | Optional: SAT, PSAT, ACT, AP or ACT Aspire/PLAN, uploaded by the deadline |
| Six short answers | 300 words maximum each unless stated; one "why MITES" fit question allows 400 words |
| Extracurricular activities | A list of what you do outside class |
| Three recommendations | One math or science teacher, one humanities teacher, one school counselor or administrator, submitted through the portal only |
| Fee | None |
Past short-answer prompts, which MITES says may change, asked how lived experience or identity shaped your aspirations, what you are passionate about and how you have explored it, a challenge you navigated, the subject you are most interested in now, what you would build with STEM to change the world, and why MITES in particular fits you given its mission. The counselor uploads a school profile and transcript. MITES does not accept traditional letters or extra recommendations.
How to be competitive
The odds, frankly
With a summer class of about 70 to 80 students drawn from a national pool, most qualified applicants are turned away. Many rejected applicants look like admitted ones on paper. MITES is also mission-driven: students from well-resourced backgrounds can apply and will be evaluated equitably, but the program says plainly who it most wants to serve.
Apply to both MITES programs, because the application is free and shared, and plan the summer as if the answer is no. Juniors should also look at RSI, the Summer Science Program, and the free options in free research programs for high school students. Students set on MIT should also read how to get into MIT.
If you do not get in
Decisions arrive in mid to late April of junior year. That leaves one summer and one fall before senior-year applications, which is enough time to build the thing selective colleges look for most: evidence that the student did serious work on their own question and finished it.
MITES Summer gives students college-level courses, a project and an instructor evaluation. It is not designed to produce a research paper or a science fair entry. Most students admitted to selective colleges with a research profile built it on their own timeline, with a mentor, over months, whether or not they attended a selective summer program.
The YRI Fellowship is built for that: ten weeks of one-on-one work with a PhD mentor on a question the student chooses, the student as first author, a paper submitted to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues, ISEF and JSHS preparation included, and a letter of recommendation from the mentor. Mentorship continues at no extra cost until the paper is published. 87% of Fellows publish and 73% place at competitions, and Fellows have been admitted to Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Caltech and Harvard. It costs $2,997, with a three-month payment plan and case-by-case scholarships. Admissions are rolling, so a student who hears from MITES in April can start in May. See how to write about research in Common App essays.
Download the YRI Fellowship brochure
The program, the outcomes, the mentors and the tuition, in one PDF you can read with your family.
Related guides
- Free research programs for high school students
- How to get into RSI
- MIT PRIMES guide
- How to get into MIT
- Summer research programs for 2027: deadlines, costs and odds
- Fellowships for high school students
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MITES acceptance rate?
MIT does not publish one. MIT News reported 72 students in the 2014 summer class and a 2017 guide reported 70 to 80 admits a year. Third-party estimates range from about 2 to 3 percent to under 10 percent, none from an official source.
Is MITES Summer free?
Yes. Tuition, housing and meals are covered for every student. Families pay only for travel to and from MIT, and travel scholarships are available for MITES Summer.
When is the MITES application due for 2027?
The student application, including the names of three recommenders, is due February 1 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, and recommendations are due February 15. The application typically opens in November, and decisions come out in mid to late April.
What is the difference between MITES Summer and MITES Semester?
MITES Summer is six weeks living at MIT with five courses. MITES Semester, formerly MOSTEC, is six months online from June to December, with two courses in summer and college application support in the fall. They share one application, and admitted students are offered one or the other.
Can sophomores or international students apply to MITES?
No. Applicants must be in 11th grade or the equivalent when they apply and must be US citizens or permanent residents with a current green card. Boston, Cambridge and Lawrence public school students in grades 7 to 10 can apply to MITES Saturdays.
Does MITES require test scores or a minimum GPA?
No. There is no minimum GPA and test scores are optional, though MITES strongly encourages submitting at least one, such as the SAT, PSAT, ACT or an AP score.
Is E2 at MIT still offered?
E2, the Engineering Experience at MIT, was a one-week program run alongside MITES and MOSTEC around 2014 to 2016. The current MITES site lists only MITES Saturdays, MITES Semester and MITES Summer.
What should I do if I am not admitted to MITES?
Do the research on your own timeline. The YRI Fellowship pairs a student with a PhD mentor for ten weeks, one on one, and ends with a first-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue plus ISEF and JSHS preparation. 87% of Fellows publish. Admissions are rolling and the application takes ten minutes with no fee.
Sources
- MITES: homepage (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science; three programs; free; travel scholarships for Summer)
- MITES: About us (formerly OEOP, nearly 50 years, School of Engineering, former program names)
- MITES: Discover MITES (eligibility for each program, encouraged backgrounds)
- MITES: MITES Summer (six weeks, five courses, schedule, evaluation, eligibility)
- MITES: MITES Semester (six months, phases, courses, hours, eligibility)
- MITES: Apply to MITES (eligibility, shared application, tips)
- MITES: Prepare your application for MITES Semester and MITES Summer (components, six short answers, three recommenders, timeline)
- MITES: MITES Semester and MITES Summer FAQs (2026 dates, deadlines, cost, waitlist, GPA, test scores, recommendations)
- MITES: By the numbers (5,000+ alumni, 365 students served in 2021)
- MIT News: 39th MITES class welcomed to MIT (72 students in 2014, E2 one-week program)
- CienciaPR: MIT summer programs for high school juniors, 2016 (one application for MITES, E2@MIT and MOSTEC; E2 dates)
- AdmitSee: Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (original name, 70 to 80 admits a year)
- Pioneer Academics: MITES Summer complete 2026 guide (2 to 3 percent estimate)
- RISE Research: MITES acceptance rate and selection criteria (below 5% estimate, about 80 students)
- Lumiere Education: everything you need to know about MIT's MITES (3% to 10% estimate)