Initiatives

On September 8, 2010, MIT announced that thanks to a gift of $24 million from MIT alumnus Fariborz Maseeh, the Institute was committing to an undergraduate enrollment of 4,500 students, up from about 4,250 in the 2009-2010 academic year. What follows are questions and answers about the increase in enrollment.

View September 8th Announcement

1. Why is MIT increasing undergraduate enrollment?

   Humanity may never have faced more complex or daunting shared problems: The global crises in water, food and healthcare. The urgent need for clean energy and smart cities. The battle against poverty and the fight to restore economic growth. Mastering these challenges demands the kind of rigorous thinking, fearless problem-solving, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to service our students are known for. In that context, MIT bears a special responsibility to prepare more young people for lives of leadership, innovation and service. The $24 million gift from Fariborz Maseeh and the Massiah Foundation will enable MIT to increase the number of enrolled undergraduates who will receive the distinctive education MIT offers.

   Get an overview of undergraduate education at MIT.

2. What is the new enrollment goal?

   The new enrollment goal is 4,500 students, an increase of about 250 students from the 2009-2010 enrollment of 4,232. This is not an increase of 250 in each class, but a total increase of 250 that will eventually be spread across all four classes and phased in over three years.

3. Is this new goal unprecedented at MIT?

   No. During several periods over the past 40 years, MIT has enrolled 4,500 or more undergraduates. During the early- and mid-1990’s, undergraduate enrollment hovered around 4,500 students. During the late- 1970’s and early-1980’s, the enrollment was even higher, reaching a peak of 4,619 in 1983.

   View undergraduate enrollments 1998-99 to present.

4. Is MIT planning additional enrollment increases in the future?

   No. MIT does not have plans to increase the enrollment goal beyond 4,500 undergraduate students.

5. When and how will MIT attain the new enrollment goal?

   The enrollment increase will be phased in over three years starting in the fall of 2011 with approximately 80 additional students. By implementing the increase gradually, MIT can ramp up the resources necessary to ensure a smooth transition for both new and existing students as well as faculty and staff. MIT’s Enrollment Management Group (EMG), comprised of senior administrative and faculty leaders at MIT, will recommend the makeup of the increase. The expanded enrollment will include both an increase in the freshmen class as well as an increase in qualified transfer students.

6. How is MIT planning to adjust its resources to sustain an enrollment increase?

   MIT is committed to creating a comprehensive and productive living and learning environment for all undergraduate students. In planning for the increase, the offices of the Dean for Undergraduate Education and the Dean for Student Life are working to understand and plan for the expansion of resources that are fundamental to the undergraduate experience both inside and outside the classroom. A key element in this process is collaboration with the Academic Departments associated with the General Institute Requirements that all undergraduates must complete prior to graduation.

   The plan will consider increasing the number of instructors, teaching assistants, and sections for core subjects as well as augmenting resources to support residential life and student services. The marginal increase in cost will be covered by the tuition and fees associated with the new students.

   View MIT’s Undergraduate General Institute Requirements.

7. Are there any implications for financial aid?

   MIT will continue to admit students without regard to their families’ financial circumstances, award financial aid solely on the basis of need, and meet the full need of each student. As the number of students increases, the financial aid budget will also increase to meet the needs of a larger undergraduate enrollment.

   Get details on MIT Financial Aid.

8. How many students will live in Maseeh Hall?

   Maseeh Hall will add 462 beds to MIT’s undergraduate housing, bringing the total number of beds in the system to 3,421. When the building opens in fall 2011, Maseeh Hall will be the largest undergraduate residence on campus. Over the coming months, MIT Housing will develop specific policies and procedures to add new residents to this dormitory. Housing will strive to create a community with balanced representation from all classes, freshman through seniors, including both returning and new students. Students from the Phoenix Group, Maseeh Hall’s founding group, have priority in electing to live in Maseeh Hall (see question 11).

9. Will Maseeh Hall have a dining hall?

   Yes. The building plans include a 360-seat, beautifully appointed dining hall that will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner service and all-you-care-to-eat dining. This dining hall will be open to all members of the MIT community. Faculty, staff, students and others on campus will be able to enjoy this centrally located facility.

   Maseeh Hall will become part of the House Dining system that includes the Baker, McCormick, Next and Simmons residence halls. Residents of Maseeh Hall will be required to participate in the new House Dining program that will be implemented in fall 2011 in all residences with dining halls.

   View more information on the new MIT House Dining program.

10. What is the schedule for completing renovations to Maseeh Hall?

    Renovation and repair of Maseeh Hall has been underway for since 2008. The exterior envelope of the building is complete: all brick- and stonework has been repaired and cleaned; all windows are new; and the roof, parapets, and copper cupolas have been repaired and refurbished. Last year, MIT Facilities completed the design phase, so that all plans and approvals are in place to finish the building over the next year in time for move-in on August 15, 2011.

    For more information, visit the Maseeh Hall project website.

11. What is the Phoenix Group?

    To ensure that Maseeh Hall opens with a residential community that is as strong and vibrant as the rest of the Residential Life system, the Division of Student Life formed an “incubator community”—a founding group of students who called themselves the Phoenix Group. The goal of this founders group is to seed Maseeh Hall with a cohesive community from the day its doors open.

    The Phoenix Group includes 50 undergraduate students who have volunteered to reside together in their own area of the New Ashdown graduate dormitory. Brought together in 2008, these residential pioneers have been developing their own identity around a core set of values and activities, designing a constitution and bylaws and forming a house government, committee structure and dining program. The group also consulted with Facilities and Housing, providing input on design during the renovation process, and travelled to study the “living and learning” residential system at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and at several universities in the United States.

    The creation of a founders group is part of a rich tradition at MIT of allowing students, faculty and staff to participate in the design of their own living communities. MIT has used the founders group concept in the development of Simmons, the Warehouse and Sidney-Pacific.

12. What will be the community model for Maseeh Hall?

    Just as with other dormitories and living groups at MIT, the residents of Maseeh Hall, guided by the Phoenix Group, will play a significant role in establishing the unique personality of their community. As part of the Residential Life system at MIT, however, Maseeh Hall will operate according to the programs, policies and procedures for all dormitories from the Division of Student Life and MIT Housing.

    All MIT dormitories have Housemasters—members of the faculty and often their spouses, partners and families—who live in the community and act as mentors, guides and advocates for the student residents. For Maseeh Hall, the Housemasters will be Suzanne Flynn, a professor of linguistics and language acquisition, and her husband, Jack Carroll, who have been guiding the Phoenix Group from its beginning. The community will also be home to an associate housemaster, as well as a dozen Graduate Resident Tutors (GRTs), a Residence Life Associate (RLA) and a Residential Scholar, all to be selected this year. A Residential Scholar is a professor, professional or artist with an appointment at MIT who lives in a dormitory and contributes to its intellectual and social life.

    Because Maseeh Hall has a dining facility, it will be part of the House Dining program. All residents will be required to participate in a meal plan.