How to Apply to Business at MIT: Course 15 at MIT Sloan (Management, Business Analytics and Finance), Declared After Entry, with Requirements and Timelines for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), undergraduate business is taught by the MIT Sloan School of Management, known by its course number as Course 15. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on MIT’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. The three Course 15 majors

• 15-1 Management: five required subjects (accounting, communication, organizational processes, microeconomics, probability and statistics), two restricted electives from finance, operations management, marketing and strategy, and a five-subject concentration with at least three Course 15 subjects, usually chosen by the spring of junior year.
• 15-2 Business Analytics: eight required subjects, including programming, machine learning, optimization, analytics of operations management and probability and statistics, plus five analytics electives (at least three from Course 15).
• 15-3 Finance: five or six required subjects (managerial finance, corporate finance, accounting, microeconomics, probability and statistics and others) plus seven Course 15 finance-related electives.
• Minors and double majors: each area has a minor. Sloan publishes double-major roadmaps with mechanical engineering, computer science, AI and decision-making, economics, mathematics, biomedical engineering and others; double majors can be declared in sophomore spring.

2. How you get into Course 15

• No school or major on the application: MIT admits first-years to the Institute. The Registrar says most students declare a major in the spring of their first year, and all must decide by the end of sophomore year.
• Institute requirements: every student, whatever the major, takes (or gets credit for) single-variable calculus (18.01) and multivariable calculus (18.02), two semesters of calculus-based physics, one of chemistry, one of biology, and at least eight humanities, arts and social sciences classes.
• High school preparation: MIT has no required high school courses, but wants you to have studied the foundations of calculus (differentiation and integration) by graduation; the class may be called A Level Mathematics, Higher Level Mathematics or similar. Physics, chemistry and/or biology are also recommended.

3. Deadlines and materials

• Early Action (EA): due 1 November, decisions in mid-December; non-binding.
• Regular Action (RA): due 4 January, decisions in mid-March.
• You may apply only once per entry year, in EA or RA.
• Platform: the MIT application portal; fee US$75 or a waiver.
• Materials: the application form (essays, activities, academics), the Secondary School Report with transcript, and two teacher recommendations (ideally one maths or science and one humanities, social science or language). An alumni interview may be offered; if none is available, your application is not disadvantaged.
• SAT or ACT (required): test by 30 November for EA and 31 December for RA. ACT writing and science and the SAT essay are not required. There is no cut-off; scores are self-reported and verified on enrolment, and MIT considers the highest section scores.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Same process as US applicants: MIT counts anyone without US citizenship or permanent residency as international, but this does not affect when or how you apply, or the aid you are offered.
• Transcripts: three years of grades plus any external exams required for university entrance at home (such as IB or A-levels); send predicted grades if finals come later. Only admitted students send final grades. MIT does not convert grades and has no country caps or quotas.
• Gaokao: MIT does not mention the Gaokao specifically; follow the transcript and external exam guidance above and confirm with Admissions.
• AP, IB, A-level: self-report results taken or planned in the test section; they are verified on enrolment, and some departments award credit for AP or international exams.
• English: see section 6.

5. Students at Canadian high schools

• Materials and deadlines are the same; MIT does not list province-specific requirements, including for BC.
• Canadian citizens are international applicants under the same admission and aid rules.
• English tests are strongly recommended only for applicants who have used English for fewer than five years or do not speak it at home or school; students at English-medium Canadian schools can judge by this rule.

6. English requirements

• Who should submit: MIT strongly recommends an English test if you have used English for fewer than five years or do not speak it at home or school. RA applicants must test by 31 January.
• Minimum and recommended scores:
  • TOEFL taken before 21 January 2026: minimum 90, recommended 100; new scale from that date: minimum 5, recommended 5.5;
  • IELTS: minimum 7, recommended 7.5;
  • PTE Academic: minimum 65, recommended 70;
  • Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: minimum 185, recommended 190;
  • Duolingo: minimum 120, recommended 125.
• For repeated tests MIT primarily considers the highest section scores; scores are self-reported and verified on enrolment.

7. Costs and financial aid

• 2026-27 full price: US$92,760.
• Need-blind and full-need: MIT does not consider ability to pay in admission and meets 100% of demonstrated need; aid is need-based only, with no merit awards.
• From 2025-26, students from families earning under US$200,000 (with typical assets) pay no tuition, and families under US$100,000 are not expected to contribute.
• Aid deadlines (separate from admission): 30 November for EA and 15 February for RA.

8. Transfer students

• Eligibility: at least two terms of full-time study with high academic standing by the time you enter; more than two and a half years (five terms) may make you ineligible. MIT does not award second bachelor’s degrees.
• Deadlines: fall entry is due 1 March 2027; spring entry (due 15 October 2026) is open only to US citizens and permanent residents. One application per entry year. Aid is due 15 February.
• Materials: all high school and college transcripts, two college instructor recommendations (one from maths or science), and a School Official Report. The SAT or ACT is also required, taken before 31 March for fall entry. Fee US$75.
• Preparation: no minimum GPA, but competitive applicants usually have 3.5 or above and mostly A’s in maths and science.
• Credit: departments evaluate credit after admission for substantively equivalent subjects; transfer students typically lose at least a semester and most enter as sophomores. You then declare Course 15 through the normal process.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply in MIT’s portal by 1 November (EA) or 4 January (RA); declare Course 15 after entry
• Study the foundations of calculus; the SAT or ACT is required (by 30 November for EA, 31 December for RA)
• English: recommended IELTS 7.5, new TOEFL 5.5 or Duolingo 125
• If you need aid, apply by 30 November (EA) or 15 February (RA)

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Same deadlines and testing; treated as international, with need-blind admission

Transfer students:

• Complete at least two terms and apply by 1 March 2027 for fall; submit the SAT or ACT
• Most enter as sophomores and declare Course 15 after entry

Sources: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Sloan undergraduate programs; Course 15 majors and minors comparison (PDF, fall 2026); 15-1 Management major requirements; Registrar: declaring a major; First-year deadlines and requirements; Tests and scores; International applicants; Academic preparation; Transfer eligibility; Transfer deadlines and requirements; Transfer academic preparation and credit; Cost and affordability. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check MIT for the latest details.