First-Year Residency Requirement


MIT requires all first year students to live on campus for the duration of their first year at MIT. We do make rare exceptions to this policy, in cases where first year students are married or going to live full-time with their parent/guardian who reside in the Cambridge/Boston area. We require a letter of petition from the student requesting to live off campus during their first year at MIT. In addition to the petition letter, we also require documentation of the off-campus residence where he/she would be living. This can be a copy of a lease, and/or proof of address, or other documentation indicating residence in the area and validating that the parent/guardian will be residing with the student.

The petition will be reivewed by the Housing Office in conjunction with the Office of the First Year.