MIT is the American university that speaks most clearly to French families. It says it knows international school systems well, naming the French baccalaureate explicitly. It imposes no required high-school courses. And it admits applicants without regard to what they can pay, international students included. On paper, the door is open.
The numbers tell the other half of the story. For the class that entered in 2025, MIT received 6,926 international applications and admitted 136, about 2%. For a student at a French lycée, the question is therefore not whether their diploma is accepted, but how their file stands out in that group.
MIT and the French baccalaureate
MIT has no required high-school courses, for American or international students, and all applicants go through the same process. The university looks at what the student did with the curriculum available, and in maths and science it expects the highest level possible: the maths specialism and the maths expertes option, physics-chemistry, and results at the top of the class. The school sends the transcripts, the school profile and the counsellor's or head's letter.
MIT sets no admissions average. But its admitted students' scores give an idea of the level: for the class of 2029, the middle half of admitted students scored between 780 and 800 in SAT Math.
Tests: SAT or ACT, and an English test for most French students
The SAT or ACT is required. For Early Action, tests must be taken before 30 November; for Regular Action, before 31 December. A student in the French maths specialism can aim for the top of the scale in maths, and at MIT it is almost a necessity: I cover the preparation in SAT Math from a French lycée.
MIT also asks for an English proficiency test from applicants who have been using English for fewer than five years, or who do not speak it at home or at school. That applies to most students at French lycées. The university accepts TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English Qualifications, PTE Academic and the Duolingo English Test, with minimum and recommended scores: for example 7 minimum and 7.5 recommended on IELTS, 185 minimum and 190 recommended on Cambridge C1 or C2.
What makes a file stand out at MIT
MIT looks for students who do science beyond the syllabus: a research project, a technical build, code that serves a purpose, competitions. Yet it states that it does not expect or require participation in any specific STEM programme. What counts is evidence of genuine curiosity, pursued over time.
For a French student, maths and physics olympiads are the most legible evidence of that work beyond the syllabus. An MIT admissions officer wrote that an olympiad medal does not guarantee admission and that its absence does not guarantee rejection; but the training behind it does show in a file. I explain why in Is maths olympiad worth it? and Maths olympiads on a university application.
Financial aid: an asset for French families
MIT is one of nine American universities that review applications without regard to financial need and meet the full need of admitted students, international students included. Requesting aid therefore does not count against a French applicant, and the aid follows the same rules as for an American.
Example: the class that entered in 2025. 29,281 applications, 1,334 admitted, or 4.6%. Among them, 136 international applicants admitted out of 6,926. Test deadlines: 30 November for Early Action, 31 December for Regular Action. MIT publishes these figures and dates every year on its website.
How to get into MIT from France
Preparation starts at age 15: a demanding scientific track, projects or competitions pursued over several years, English at the required level. In the penultimate year and over the summer come the SAT, the English test and the first answers to the application's short questions. In the autumn of the final year, the letters and submission. The general mechanics are in Do US universities accept the French baccalaureate?
At Carmine, we build this path with the family. And because maths makes the difference at MIT from the first glance, I prepare students in private lessons, from olympiads to the SAT.