ADVANCED STUDY PROGRAM APPLICATION

Application Requirements

It will be helpful to gather the following information before starting your application to the Advanced Study Program:

• Educational history (list of schools attended)
• Official academic transcripts
• Copy of your CV (résumé)
• Statement of purpose
• Letter of recommendation
• $90 non-refundable application fee

Additional Application Requirements for MIT Employees

In addition to the above requirements, MIT Employees are also required to provide the following:

• Supervisor approval to enroll in ASP
• Your $90 application fee can be waived. Email advancedstudy@mit.edu to request your waiver code.
• For MIT Employees who intend to use their Tuition Assistance Plan benefits to pay for their tuition please learn more about requirements here.

Important Notes Before Applying

• Spring semester applicants: you’re welcome to submit your application anytime by the November 1 deadline. The official spring class schedule MIT Subject Listing (Course Catalog will be released in late November after the ASP application deadline. At that point, you will have the opportunity to check the class offering again and make any necessary changes to your class request(s) facilitated by and with the permission of ASP staff.
• Fall semester applicants: the fall class schedule is released in late April. Please wait until the MIT Subject Listing (Course Catalog) is published in late April and check the class offering and schedule before submitting your ASP application by May 1. You are encouraged to upload/email your required application materials as soon as possible and save your application in draft form in the meantime to ensure you meet the application deadline.

• Restricted Classes: The list of restricted classes below is subject to change at any time. In addition, some classes may also be restricted to degree students or students in specific programs; please read the class description in the MIT Course Catalog carefully. ​

  Class Restrictions - Department Policies:

  • Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (Course 6): Students who plan on taking any classes in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (class numbers that begin with 6.xxx) are limited to a maximum of 24 units of credit in Course 6 for the semester. Additionally, if a student enrolls in any classes from Course 6, or jointly listed with Course 6, they are limited to a maximum of 36 units of credit across all Courses (Departments) and are not allowed to enroll for any class as a "listener." This applies for both graduate and undergraduate classes. 

  • Economics (Course 14): Course 14 classes with three decimal places (14.xxx) are not available to ASP Fellows.

  • Management (aka Sloan) (Course 15): Not all Course 15 classes are available to ASP students. ASP-eligible Course 15 classes vary every semester. Please go ahead and submit your application by the deadline with your requested Course 15 class(es). Later in the admissions process, ASP will notify you if your requested Course 15 class is not ASP-eligible and will work with you to change your class request. Full-time ASP Fellows may take no more than 50 percent of their units of credit at Sloan. Part-time Fellows may take a single Sloan class.

  • Media Arts & Sciences (Course MAS): ASP students may take only one MAS class per semester. MAS Special Subjects are not available to ASP Fellows. Class MAS.863 How To Make Almost Anything is not available to ASP Fellows.

  • Urban Studies & Planning (Course 11): The following classes are not available to ASP Fellows: All CRE classes (11.301, 11.303, 11.344, 11.345, 11.351, 11.353, 11.354, 11.355, 11.431, 11.432, 11.433, 11.434, 11.435, 11.450, 11.455, 11.S967, 11.S968, 11.S969, 11.S970), 11.011, 11.013, and 11.014.

  • CI-H/W Subjects: Any class designated as CI-H/W in the MIT Course Catalog (Subject Listing) is not available to ASP Fellows. These classes are noted with the CI-H/W icon below the class name. You may also find an up-to-date list of these classes here.

  • HST Subjects: Health Sciences and Technology classes - classes whose numbers begin with HST - are scheduled according to the Harvard Medical School academic calendar, which differs from the MIT calendar. Students who apply to these classes agree to independently verify the correct start and end date of their class and recognize that these dates will differ from all other MIT classes.

  • Lottery-admission Classes: Classes that enroll via a lottery system are almost never an option for ASP students.

• Permission of Instructor: The Advanced Study Program will seek approval on behalf of applicants for classes whose prerequisites include “Permission of Instructor.” ASP applicants should not directly contact the instructor. Failure to follow this directive may result in your being denied admission to ASP, or having your admission revoked.
• English Language Proficiency Requirement:  Non-native English speakers must have IELTS or TOEFL test scores from the past two years to apply. IELTS results are strongly preferred. Compelling candidates will score 7.5 or better on the IELTS, 100 or better on the internet-based TOEFL, or 600 or better on the paper-based TOEFL. Please see our page of international students' Frequently Asked Questions for additional details about studying as an international student.
• Visa Sponsorship: Full-time international students are eligible for visa sponsorship on a semester-by-semester basis. You must be accepted into 36 or more units of credit for each semester in order to qualify.
• Future semesters: Students who receive a grade lower than a B- while an ASP Fellow will not be considered for future semesters. For MIT Employees, please note that this is different from the Tuition Assistance benefit grade requirement.

Application Tips

• Spring semester applicants: you’re welcome to submit your application anytime by the November 1 deadline. The official spring class schedule will be released in late November after the ASP application deadline. At that point, you will have the opportunity to check the class offering again and make any necessary changes to your class request(s) facilitated by and with the permission of ASP staff.

• Fall semester applicants: the fall class schedule is released in late April. Please wait until the MIT Subject Listing (Course Catalog) is published in late April and check the class offering and schedule before submitting your ASP application by May 1. You are encouraged to upload/email your required application materials as soon as possible and save your application in draft form in the meantime to ensure you meet the application deadline.

• Official transcripts are required for all new applications. Official electronic transcripts may be sent by your school to advancedstudy@mit.edu. Only official electronic versions sent by your school will be accepted; we cannot accept email attachments of transcripts from applicants themselves.

  We strongly prefer official electronic versions of transcripts to facilitate application processing. If your school does not offer this option, the school can email us directly an unofficial record of your classes and grades received. As a last resort, official sealed transcripts may be mailed to our office at this address:
  
  MIT Professional Education
  Attn: Advanced Study Program
  700 Technology Square, Building NE48-200
  Cambridge, MA 02139
  USA
  
  All application materials must be received by the application deadline. If you anticipate a delay in the receipt of your transcript, please contact us at advancedstudy@mit.edu.

Application Forms

Spring 2025 

• Application for Spring 2025 has closed. Application for Fall 2025 will open by February 15