Information for New Admits

Getting Oriented

Plan to arrive on campus about a week before classes to participate in orientation events, which include the CEE mandatory orientation as well as highly recommended events presented by the Graduate Student Council.

Orientation Period Exams

Please note: The exam policy changed on July 14, 2011.

English Evaluation Test (EET)

If you are an international student whose native language is not English, you are required to take an English Evaluation Test during orientation week. This test has no bearing on grades or status at MIT but may result in a recommendation to take a supplementary advanced English or writing class.  Exemptions are granted for students whose education has been in English from an early age. Contact the Graduate Admissions Administrator to request an exemption and take the Writing Proficiency Exam instead. 

Graduate Writing Skills Exam

All incoming CEE graduate students who do not take the EET are required to take MIT's online Graduate Writing Skills Exam. The exam will be offered for a three-day period prior to the start of the fall term. It tests use of punctuation, grammar, sentence structure and the ability to write a short technical document and abstract. Please visit the Graduate Writing Skills Exam page on this site for more information.

Depending on exam results, students may be required to take a three-day technical writing workshop in January or a semester-long writing class in the spring term.

International Students

The International Students Office (ISO) hosts many events for international students and helps students navigate immigration procedures. Prior to MIT's Registration Day, you must attend an information session at the ISO to receive clearance to register. For more information, including a guide for incoming international students and information about your visa paperwork, visit the ISO website.

On the day your I-20 is complete, the ISO will send it to you via express shipping. You can check the status of your I-20 on the ISO web page.

MIT Athena Computing Account and Certificates

If you have not already received information about your MIT ID number and your MIT computing account, please contact CEE graduate admissions coordinator Patty Glidden. This account plus security certificates for your computer will grant access to the MIT secure web pages referenced below. Kerberos and email usernames are the same as  Athena username.  Get both MIT Certificate Authority (CA) and Personal Certificate here.

WebSIS

You will use WebSIS throughout your MIT career to review and maintain your academic, financial and biographic records. It is your responsibility as a student to monitor your records and report any discrepancies.

Tuition

MIT tuition bills are available in electronic format only and can be viewed on your WEBSIS account in July for payment by the middle of August. If you have a research assistantship or fellowship that will pay your tuition, it may not be posted to your account before your bill is due. Please pay only the portion that is not covered by your award.. If a late fee is applied to the portion covered by MIT, you will not be responsible for paying that late fee. Please direct questions about your departmental award to Patty Glidden and questions about paying your tuition bill to the Student Financial Services Office.

Financial Aid Paperwork

If you have been awarded employment through MIT as a Research or Teaching Assistant (or an RA coupled with a fellowship), you will need to complete the three forms below and attend the information sessions on Friday of orientation week (see orientation schedule).

If you have been awarded a fellowship through MIT that is not coupled with an RA or TA award, you need to complete only the Direct Deposit Form.

In order to access the above online forms, be sure you have installed certificates on your computer (see above). Payroll and Tax information for recipients of graduate financial awards is available here.

Master of Science in Transportation Subjects to Review

If you have been admitted to the M.S.T. program, please be sure you have all the prerequisites and have reviewed the required subjects.