What happens to my financial aid if my sibling starts college or my family size changes?

Unusual circumstances refers to conditions that may allow for an adjustment to your dependency status based on a unique situation, e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parent abandonment, or incarceration. This is commonly known as a dependency override. Students can initiate a dependency overrides for review on the basis of persistent, ongoing, and irreconcilable family dysfunction such as abuse or parental abandonment. You can read more about dependency overrides on our website. To request an adjustment to your dependency status with MIT,  you need to contact your financial aid counselor and see if a dependency override is appropriate for your situation.

MIT adheres to the currency rate set by the College Board’s CSS Profile. On June 15, before the start of the academic year, we automatically review currency rates for changes. If your country’s currency experienced a devaluation of 20% or more, we will automatically adjust your financial aid offer. We are unable to adjust currency rates outside of this policy, except in extreme circumstances. Please contact your financial aid counselor if you need to discuss your particular circumstances.

You should reach out to your financial aid counselor first so they can let you know what we will need for your specific situation. You will need to collect documentation of out-of-pocket medical expenses paid by your family after insurance was applied and share them with the MIT financial aid team.

You should reach out to your financial aid counselor first so they can let you know what we will need for your specific situation. This will most likely include your family’s most recent tax returns, W2/1099 statements, and all schedules and/or Estimated Income Statement. Please note: we cannot consider income changes for a year that will end after the academic year for which you are receiving financial aid. We can also not consider situations that include, but are not limited to, high consumer debt and asset value changes.

You should check out the Apply for aid section of our website! It will walk you through the general process step by step for domestic or international applicants. Remember, financial aid application deadlines vary depending on if you are an Early or Regular Action applicant, or a continuing student.

We understand that life happens and sometimes deadlines are missed. There is no need to ask for an extension—just submit your application as quickly as possible. Late applicants will receive their financial aid decision later than those who submit by the deadline, but we try to review all applications as quickly as possible.

There are no penalties for late applications. However, financial aid applications must be received before the end of the academic year, in order to be considered for aid in that academic year. For most students, that is mid-May. For those only attending in the fall, you must submit your aid application by mid-December. If your application isn’t completed by that time, you will not be eligible to receive either MIT or federal financial aid for that academic year.

Students who believe that it is impossible to provide parental information may submit the Noncustodial Profile Waiver Request form through the College Board’s secure IDOC platform. Waivers are reviewed once a student has been admitted to the Institute, along with the rest of your financial aid application. Please note that the Noncustodial Profile will remain in the financial aid requirements checklist as a required document until your waiver request is reviewed.

Your FAFSA will appear as “In review” (meaning it has not been processed) in your studentaid.gov account and no corrections can be made until it is processed. You will receive an email once it is fully processed, letting you know that your FAFSA information has been sent to MIT.

Current students can view their offer in our Online Financial Aid System.

Prospective first-year students can access their offer through the MIT Application Portal until mid-May, after this time it can be viewed in our Online Financial Aid System.

We consider each financial aid application on a case-by-case basis within our general guidelines for offering need-based financial aid. While we don’t negotiate financial aid or match another school’s offer, we’re always willing to talk with students and families who are concerned that they can’t afford MIT with their award.

If you decide you need to appeal your financial aid offer, we ask that you reach out to your financial aid counselor. After this initial conversation, we may ask you to complete a supplemental form such as the Parents’ Estimated Annual Year Income Statement or the Monthly Cash Flow Statement.