Hi, MIT class of 2024 student here. There seems to be a lot of confusion in this thread as to what MIT’s situation is right now, so I’ll help clear up some stuff for those who do not have access to MIT’s information.
(1) Yes, MIT has over-enrolled approximately 50 students due to a record yield of 79% this year. Yes, MIT is online in the fall, but this does NOT mean that more students will be admitted off the waitlist. This is because…
(2) Due to social distancing regulations, MIT currently has a shortage in undergraduate housing. According to MIT’s administration, they can currently only house 30-40% of undergraduates in its current state (1 undergraduate per room). They currently trying to boost this above 50%, but even then, if they were to admit more students in the short term, the logistics of housing would be horrendous in the long term.
(3) International students are currently in an extremely tight situation, and this may prompt gap years from many of them. MIT/Harvard’s lawsuit against the Trump administration is unlikely to be acted on quickly. However, given that the fall is online, international students don’t have an obvious incentive to gap year (besides the cons of virtual curriculum). Furthermore…
(4) The MIT admissions office has stated in MIT 24 communication mediums that they reserve the right to refuse deferral requests. This means, some students requesting deferrals may not be allowed to defer 1-2 years.
(5) Many students have also already started preparing for ASEs (Advanced Standing Exams). Furthermore, forms such as the advising application, medical form, and FPOP application are all due before the deadline of July 27th. This makes it less likely for students to defer a year, as they risk forgetting material for ASEs (as you can’t take ASEs before your gap year).
My personal prediction is that anywhere between 0-30 students will be admitted off the waitlist this year, and that this notification will be anytime between July 27th to August 3rd. However, this is mere speculation, and from my own quick analysis of the situation as a class of 2024 student.