Reif sends email about fall decisions, including tuition information
Planned tuition increase eliminated; up to $5,000 credit to all students
Rising seniors and students who “require special consideration in terms of their safety, living conditions, visa status or other hardship” will be allowed on campus, President L. Rafael Reif wrote in a letter to the MIT community July 7.
The planned tuition increase in March is eliminated. Students will be provided a “Covid-era grant” of $5,000. Students will receive a $5,000 credit if they owe MIT more than $5,000, and have their bill zeroed out otherwise.
In addition, MIT is “adjusting” the aid budget “to meet families’ increased financial needs. Revised financial aid awards will be made available “likely by mid-August,” according to an FAQ on MIT’s COVID-19 site.
This calculation includes the assumption of a room-and-board expense of $4,000 per semester for students living off campus. Dean of Student Financial Services (SFS) Stu Schmill ’86 wrote in an email to The Tech that the $4,000 is “half the allowance of those studying on campus” because SFS expects that off-campus students “will be living at home and will have significantly lower expenses” when not paying MIT for housing or dining.
Each undergraduate student will be offered a paid undergraduate research, teaching, or service opportunity with a stipend of up to $1,900.
All undergraduates living on campus must enroll in a meal plan; MIT will subsidize the cost of individual plans by 40%. Undergraduates who do not live on campus will have no access to campus facilities or in-person instruction.
Undergraduate students and graduate TAs may borrow a cellular-enabled Apple iPad, Apple Pencil, wifi hotspot, and laptop.
MIT intends to invite first years, sophomores, and juniors to campus for the Spring. Reif noted that “with new housing coming online” by the spring term, more beds would be available.
Reif wrote that while he appreciated “the thoughtful position of the 2021 Class Council” in their letter requesting on-campus access for the full academic year, “committing now to having the senior class in residence” for both semesters “would have the unintentional result of keeping many other students from having any campus experience this academic year.”
Fall plans for graduate students are still being finalized and details will be released through departments and programs. Reif wrote that “for international [graduate] students, yesterday’s ruling by DHS further complicates” students’ decisions of whether to return to MIT for the Fall.
An online forum on fall decisions for undergraduates and families will be hosted on July 15. Students and families will receive an invitation by email.
Update 7/7/2020: This article was updated to include information sent to The Tech by Schmill about the $4,000 room-and-board expense assumption.