Application Directions

To begin your MIT LGO application, decide which of our seven engineering departments is the right one for you.

As an MIT LGO applicant, you are applying to MIT Sloan, the MIT School of Engineering, and LGO with one online application. In addition to the general qualifications listed above, some engineering departments will have specific admissions requirements. (You can find that information for each department on their individual pages). Some departments also have different internship opportunities. Have a close look at the partner company page to explore internship possibilities.

For some applicants, choosing a department is easy. Others need a bit more guidance in deciding where they best fit. If that’s you, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions at lgo@mit.edu, where we have a variety of options for reaching out to the LGO admissions team.

LGO applicants submit ONE application. Candidates apply through the MIT Sloan School of Management to any of the seven departments.

When you apply through Sloan to the LGO program, you will also be considered for just a standalone MBA degree, if you are not admitted into LGO.

To learn more about the different engineering departments working with LGO, please visit our engineering section.

The application for the LGO Class of 2027 is open. You can apply here. 

Below are some extended application directions. This information is subject to change, and you may receive slightly different instructions when you begin the application. If this happens to you, please follow the directions in the online application.

There may be supplemental questions related to your engineering department of choice. For more information, please consult the LGO page for your chosen engineering department.

Official transcripts

Upload official transcript copies in the online application. A scanned copy of your transcripts uploaded to the online system is sufficient.

We will ask all admitted applicants for an official transcript. Any discrepancies between the transcripts in your application and the hard copies may result in a candidate’s rejection or withdrawal of our admission offer.

GMAT or GRE scores

Standardized tests, specifically the GMAT (Focus Edition and 10th Edition) and GRE are a critical component of the application process and play an important role in our holistic evaluation process. The Admissions Committee expects that you will submit a GMAT (Focus Edition and 10th Edition) or GRE score to be reviewed as part of your application. Both the remote and in-person versions of these exams are accepted with no preference. If your current situation prevents you from being able to submit a test score, you may request a test waiver explaining the situation; the Admissions Committee will take your request under advisement and let you know if the waiver has been approved. If the waiver is approved, and you are later admitted, the Admissions Committee reserves the right to offer conditional admission such as, but not limited to, receiving a certain score on the GMAT or GRE or taking a supplemental class.The test waiver request form is not intended to be a Statement of Academic Readiness and should focus only on the circumstances surrounding your inability to take a GMAT or GRE.

We will accept self-reported test scores by the application deadline, and welcome either the traditional or online version of exams. Test scores must be valid by the application deadline. Official scores should also be sent using the following school codes:

• To share your GMAT score, please enter Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – MIT Sloan School of Management
• To share your GRE score, please use the MIT Sloan GRE School Code: 3791

When you send your official scores, please review MIT Sloan’s directions for more information.

Resume

Upload a business resume that lists your employment history, educational record, and any other appropriate information. We recommend you follow the general rules and guidelines for an American-style resume: ideally no more than one page long and in reverse chronological order.

Cover Letter

MIT LGO seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas.

Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT LGO Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to Dr. Thomas Roemer, Executive Director of the LGO program. (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation).

Statement of Purpose

Write a short description outlining why you would like to enroll in the engineering department you chose. Feel free to explain your academic/research interests, career goals, and why the department’s relationship with LGO fits you. We ask that you to keep your statement to 300 words.

Video Question 1

Please introduce yourself to your future classmates via a brief video statement. You will upload your video file to the application system and will receive detailed instructions on how to record your statement in the application. It’s fine to record this 60-second video at your desk or table at home. We’re looking for how you present yourself, not for your video editing skills. A head shot from the shoulders up is best and please make sure your audio is clearly able to be heard.

Video Question 2

All LGO applicants will be prompted to respond to a randomly generated, open-ended question. The question is designed to help us get to know you better; to see how you express yourself and to assess fit with the MIT Sloan culture. It does not require prior preparation. 

Video Essay 2 is part of your required application materials and will appear as a page within the application, once the other parts of your application are completed. Applicants are given 5 seconds to prepare for a 60-second response.

Short Answer Question

The Admissions Committee is excited to learn more about you and your background. In 250 words, please respond to the following short answer question:

How has the world you come from shaped who you are today? For example, your family, culture, community, all help to shape aspects of your life experiences and perspective. Please use this opportunity to share more about your background.

Organizational Chart

To help us better understand your current role and the impact that you have on your team and department, please submit an organizational chart. We should be able to clearly understand the internal structure of your organization, where you sit in your organization, and your line of reporting. You can learn more about the specifics of the organizational chart on Sloan’s MBA application instructions.

Letters of recommendation

LGO applicants must submit two letters of recommendation, one professional and one technical, with the option of submitting a third additional technical recommendation letter.

One professional recommendation is required from an individual who is able to speak with certainty about your professional achievements and potential. Your professional recommendation should reflect your leadership and teamwork skills and should follow the recommendation guidelines on the Sloan application site.

Your second recommendation should be a technical reference from someone who has worked with you on significant engineering and technical projects or coursework, and can speak to your ability to carry out advanced engineering research and projects. Examples of recommenders for the technical reference include a previous professor, a manager or senior colleague who is in a technical role such as chief engineer or data scientist. We prefer and encourage an academic source when possible. Your recommender should assess your academic and technical skills, particularly regarding analytical acumen, technical expertise and depth, quantitative problem solving, and the ability to look deeply into a technical problem. This letter can follow the MIT Sloan recommendation prompts, but we are looking for answers specifically to the following additional questions:

1. Please give an example of an engineering/technical project or challenge that the applicant faced, and the resources they used in addressing it.
2. Assess this applicant’s ability to continue graduate education in an engineering field, based on your observations of how this candidate addresses advanced technical coursework and problems.

Please navigate to the Recommendation Letter section of the application and add your recommender’s contact information; they will be sent instructions on how to submit their letter.

Please note: We strongly encourage submitting an additional technical letter of recommendation if feasible. Additional insights into your technical abilities and problem solving skills can further strengthen your application, as long as they are from a recommender who can provide specific examples. Keep in mind we will review all submitted material as is and without negative inferences if candidates do not submit a 3rd recommendation.

Interviews will be scheduled by invitation only, after an initial evaluation of a complete application. We only interview a select number of candidates who apply, but receiving an invitation to interview does not guarantee admission. For the foreseeable future all admission interviews will be conducted virtually, and we will contact you with more information.

Those invited to interview will be prompted to submitted two short essay questions in advance of the interview. More details will be shared in the interview invitation.

• As a result from past application cycles in which only a small portion of applicants were admitted in the first LGO round compared to the second round (due to the application review process that varies across each engineering department) LGO will have one application round again for the 2024-2025 admission cycle. We anticipate this will provide a more streamlined application process for candidates applying to all engineering departments. 

MIT LGO Application Round