IIT vs MIT: A Comprehensive Comparison

IIT vs MIT: While both MIT and IITs are prestigious institutions, choosing out of the two is challenging. Thus making it even more difficult to choose from. Check out the article to understand all possible aspects of the IIT and MIT differences including course selection, admission process, placements and fees. 

There are 23 IITs in India, but there is just one MIT in USA, with campuses worldwide. The choice is challenging for two reasons: studying in the USA is costlier than studying in India. Secondly, both are top-ranking institutions, so admissions are tough for students. We have tried to cover all major pointers to discuss IIT vs MIT to help you choose a better option for studying and pursuing higher education. 

IIT vs MIT: Key Differences

IIT vs MIT: Global Rankings 2025

Talking about global rankings, QS ranks MIT along with various IITs for the year 2025 for its global universities rankings and they are as follows:

Though MIT takes the lead in rankings, the IITs also make it to the list of top universities globally as per QS rankings 2025.

IIT vs MIT: Academic Programs and Curriculum

Based on the academic program offerings, IITs offer Engineering & Technology, MBA and Architecture & Design related courses at UG and PG levels of study. There are degree programs in:

• BE / BTech
• ME / MTech
• BArch
• MArch
• MBA / PGDM

Check out the List of Courses at IITs for all major IITs in detail for all major course options and their availability.

Whereas, MIT is known for its technical courses but also offers courses in:

• Arts
• Music
• Languages
• Science
• Engineering
• Technology
• Architecture
• Design
• Business & Management
• Linguistics

MIT courses are offered at UG, PG and Doctoral levels. Around 57 undergraduate majors are available along with 59 undergraduate minors and various graduate programs. 

Thus, overall, the course offerings across IITs and MIT are exhaustive, but the plus point is that if an applicant misses the cut-off for one IIT, he/she can look forward to the other IIT. However, this is not applicable for MIT.  

IIT vs MIT: Admission Process and Requirements

Admission process and requirements vary for all the courses offered at IITs and MIT for each level of course as well. Check out the admission process ad requirements for IIT and MIT in the sections below.

IIT Admission Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for IIT admissions vary for each course and level of course offered. 

IIT UG Admissions Eligibility

Those applying for undergraduate admissions at IITs will have to have the following criteria fulfilled to apply:

• For BE/BTech admissions, applicants should have 75% in class XII. Qualify for JEE Main and JEE Advanced. Based on JEE Advanced, JoSAA counselling takes place to allocate a seat for admissions.
• For BSc admissions, 75% in class XII is also needed with PCM combinations. Also, JEE Advanced is preferable. 

In both cases, applicants must qualify for the cutoff for the JEE Advanced exam to obtain admission to the courses. Applicants must meet IIT cutoffs after qualifying for their entrance exams.

IIT PG Admission Eligibility

For PG course admissions at IITs, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• For MTech admissions, GATE and a BE/BTech with 60% and above are required. 
• For PhD admissions at IIT, UGC-NET or JRF is important. Plus, the research proposal must be approved by the faculty at IIT before admission. 

MIT Eligibility Criteria

Admission criteria for UG and PG courses at MIT are based on different standardised test scores, academic backgrounds and other miscellaneous parameters for selection. Let us check out the MIT admission eligibility criteria for international students below:

• To be eligible for MIT’s UG courses, applicants must have passed out of high school and must submit ACT or SAT scores. 
• To be eligible for PG admissions at MIT, applicants must have a GRE or GMAT score and fulfil other criteria if any, department-wise.
• For both levels of study at MIT, English language proficiency test scores are equally important for submissions like TOEFL or IELTS. 

While eligibility criteria vary for both MIT and IIT, students applying for admission at IIT must meet the respective cutoffs. MIT admissions will be mostly based on scores from standardised tests and previous academic performance. Admission selectivity at MIT and IIT are equally tough.  

IIT vs MIT Application Process

Those applying for admission to IIT or MIT must follow different ways for both these institutions. 

IIT Admission Applications

Applications are not directly accepted for IIT admissions, unlike MIT. For IIT’s UG admission, applicants will have first to register and qualify for JEE Main, then qualify for JEE Advanced and then if the applicant qualifies for the cutoff for any of the IITs, they can register for JoSAA counselling through which seat is allocated for admissions. 

GATE qualification is a must for PG admissions at IITs, and those qualifying for the cutoff can apply for admissions. 

MIT Admission Applications

However, for MIT UG admissions, the applicants can apply for admission through the MIT Portal and apply with all relevant documents and the application fee. Meanwhile, applicants can apply for PG admissions via respective department pages. 

Thus, the IITs application process is lengthy and time-consuming because it requires various qualification steps. On the other hand, admission applications for MIT are also difficult but it is a one-time application that includes everything. Indian applicants planning to apply for MIT admissions must check out: How to Get into MIT from India?

IIT vs MIT: Cost and Financial Aid

Though the cost of pursuing courses at IIT and MIT is very high, the applicants can still go for these courses if they qualify for the cutoff (for IIT) or admission criteria (for MIT). The following table discusses in detail the fees for studying across courses at IITs and MIT in the table below:

Studying in India at IITs is cheaper than studying in the USA at MIT. Students who wish to study at MIT will also have to pay for costs like the cost of living in the USA, the cost of studying in the USA, and miscellaneous costs. Thus, applicants can choose between the two based on their future goals. Applicants interested in studying at MIT can also look for financial aid and check IIT fees for a broad comparison. 

Financial Aid at MIT Key Highlights

For the year 2023-24, MIT offered funding to its students and this is how much financial aid they got:

• The average need-based scholarship offered was USD 66,663.
• 39% of the students were awarded a need-based MIT Scholarship.
• 37% of the MIT students were attending college tuition-free.
• Around 87% of the MIT students graduated debt-free in 2024. 

Thus, students can also avail of need-based scholarships at MIT, even as international students, which can cover tuition costs. 

Financial Aid at IITs

Across IITs, the reserved category students get either a partial or full tuition fee waiver. Students can also get 25% scholarships enrolled in Technology courses. Some scholarships are university-specific and may not apply to other campuses. 

MIT vs IIT Salary

While both institutions are at par with each other, their placements are equally rewarding for the students studying here. In the following sections, let us look at the latest key highlights of students' salaries after graduation by understanding MIT vs IIT salary. 

IIT Placements & Salaries

Following is compiled data for all major IITs offering the highest packages in India, along with the top employers:

The packages at IITs vary, but ideally, they range between INR 8 Lakhs and INR 1 Crore. Some of the top employers hiring students from different IITs are:

• Google 
• Capital One
• Oracle
• Boston Consulting Group
• Bain & Company
• McKinsey & Company
• JP Morgan Chase
• Bajaj

Applicants can check out about IIT Placements and understand the salary trends. 

MIT Placements & Salaries

If we look at MIT placements, around 49% of the students found a placement right after graduation. The salaries at MIT were the highest for its MBA students, the data is as follows:

Some of the top employers at MIT were as follows for MBA class of 2023:

• The Boston Consulting Group
• McKinsey & Company
• Amazon
• Google 
• Bain & Company
• Verizon

IIT vs MIT Alumni

With an alumni network of over 200,000+ members, IIT boasts a strong presence in Finance, Entrepreneurship and Engineering. Here is a list of famous IIT alumni:

1. Raghuram Rajan (IIT Delhi(: Former RBI Governor
2. Satya Nadella (IIT Delhi): Microsoft CEO
3. Ashneer Grover (IIT Delhi): Former Co-Founder of BharatPe
4. Deepinder Goyal (IIT Delhi): Zomato, CEO
5. Manohar Parrikar (IIT Bombay): Former Defence Minister (GoI)
6. Nandan Nilekani (IIT Bombay): Infosys Co-Founder
7. Sundar Pichai (IIT Kharagpur): Google CEO
8. Arvind Kejriwal (IIT Kharagpur): Former Delhi CM
9. Duvvuri Subbarao (IIT Kharagpur): 22nd RBI Governor
10. Parag Agrawal (IIT Bombay): Former Twitter CEO

On the other hand, MIT has an alumni base of 149,000+ and has a strong presence across STEM education areas. Some of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology notable alumni are as follows: 

1. Kofi Anan: Former Secretary-General of the United Nations
    
    
2. Larry Page: Co-Founder of Google
3. Michael Bloomberg: Founder of Bloomberg L.P.
4. Tim Berners-Lee: www (World Wide Web) Inventor
5. John McCarthy: Founder of AI / Father of AI
6. Vaughn Beals: CEO of Harley-Davidson
7. Amar Bose: Charman & Founder of Bose Corporation
8. Jim Yong Kim: Former World Bank President
9. Frances Arnold: Nobel Prize Winner in 2018 for Chemistry
10. Buzz Aldrin: Former American Astronaut, Fighter Pilot & Engineer

IIT or MIT: Which is Better?

IIT and MIT are prestigious in their ways - courses, rankings, placement opportunities and admissions. There are various reasons to study at MIT and at IIT, but in terms of cost-effectiveness, IITs are better for Indian students. MIT can be considered if financial aid is available.

In terms of placements, both MIT and the 23 IITs offer placement opportunities to their students. Salaries are at an all-time high for MIT grads compared to IIT grads. Thus, the return on investment is higher after studying at MIT. 

Finally, in the choice between MIT and IIT, which is tougher, students who are comfortable studying abroad can apply for admission to MIT. In contrast, those who wish to study in India can apply to IIT. The acceptance rates at MIT and IIT are more or less similar; they have very low selection rates but admit academically outstanding students. 

If you are looking for admission-related assistance, you can sign up for our Shiksha Topper Counselling for MIT-related admission queries. Or you can comment in the box below with your queries.