Information on academics
Last updated: August 18th, 2020.
Terms used on this page
- IAP. Indepedent Activities Period.
- Subject. One class that you can take.
- Unit. Credits are measured in units. One unit very roughly translates to one hour of work per week.
First year credit limits (in units)1
| Term | Regular | Discovery | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | 48 | 9 | Most MIT subjects are 12 units; 48 units should equal 4 subjects. |
| IAP | 12 | 0 | All students are limited to 12 units during IAP. |
| Spring | 60 | 9 | The average course load is 48 to 54 regular units. No degree requires taking more than 54 units per semester. |
Physical Education (PE) classes do not contribute to your credit limit. PE classes are graded on a point system; you need 8 points to graduate.
ROTC subjects do not count toward the first-year credit limit.
Recommended subjects
Subjects recommended by departments for first-year students (these count towards the regular credit limit) can be found here.
Options for discovery units2
Fall semester (Fall 2020)
- Advising Seminar (3 units)
- Music performance groups
- Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) (up to 6 units)
- 12.000 Terrascope: Solving Complex Problems
- Fall 2020 First-year Discovery (FYD) Subjects
Spring semester (Spring 2021)
- Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).
- Music performance groups.
- Spring 2021 First-year Discovery (FYD) Subjects (unreleased).
First-year grading policies3
- In your first semester and Independent Activities Period (IAP), you will receive grades of Pass or No Record (“P/NR”).
- A grade of C or above is passing. Grades will be noted as P on your transcript.
- A grade of D or F will only show up on internal transcripts; no external transcript will have these records (“No Record”) without your permission – see Use of Fall Term Hidden Grades.
- Hidden grades of A, B, or C will be noted for internal advising purposes, but are not used in calculating GPA nor usable for any purpose other than advising.
- In your second semester, you will receive A, B, or C grades. D and F grades are not recorded externally (“A/B/C/NR”).
- A, B, and C grades are recorded both internally and externally.
- D and F grades are noted only internally; they will not appear on any external transcript.
- Your GPA will only accumulate passing grades (i.e. A, B, or C).
- For the Class of 2024, you will be able to choose P/NR grading on 48 units (any subject, including General Institute and Departmental requirements) starting your second semester (your first semester is already P/NR).
- For the Class of 2024, you will not be offered the opportunity to take early sophomore standing.
Use of Fall Term Hidden Grades
- If a scholarship or other third-party absolutely requires internal hidden grades (i.e. pass/no record on an official transcript is not sufficient), you will need to:
- Go to the Undergraduate Academic Administrator in each department in which you took a class (Physics, Math, etc.) to ask her/him to write a letter. The undergraduate administrators are used to doing this for first-years, so you shouldn't worry that you are making an unusual request.
- The letter should be addressed to you, and should state, “[Your name] took 8.01 (or 18.01, etc.) under the MIT freshman Pass/No Record grading system. Had an official grade been recorded for you, it would have been an X [whatever grade you received].”
- You may then forward a copy of this letter on to the scholarship for which you are applying.
Requesting your transcript
You can get a copy of your external transcript from Student Services Center, Room 11-120.