MIT Media Lab 2026

[NgoloKante]

Thought I'd kick off the thread for this year. Anybody applying to the Media Lab? What groups you apply to?

Edited November 24, 2025 by NgoloKante
typo

[DazhanHongtu]

Hey yooooo excited about results next year I can barely wait hahahah what groups did u apply to? I apply to OTF. 

[NgoloKante]

Same lmao, furious google analytics refreshing going on. I think from the past years interviews go out sometime mid-jan but the apps are reviewed sometime between now and then. I applied to FS. I'm surprised you also only applied to one ha! The advice I got from an alum was to pick one specific group and tailor my app for that group to maximize chances. I'm feeling more confident than my previous application in another lifetime. This is going to be my year lol

[DazhanHongtu]

LEZGOOOOOO. i didn't know about that lol I just apply to OTF cuz all my work is music that's what I love. you apply anywhere else? when you last apply?

[NgoloKante]

Just the Media Lab and UWash. What about you? 

[DazhanHongtu]

Sick. I also apply to new school, parsons, and ITP. NYC sound cool but will pick MIT if I get in lol 

[NgoloKante]

I regret posting on grad cafe this site rate limits replies lol 😄 I have friends who went to ITP, they speak well of it but also say that the post-grad outcomes are either really good or really bad, no in between. Maybe due to the brand recognition, Media Lab grads tend to do better. Expected. Wishing you the best of luck for both. Do you have a connect at the media lab? Seems from all the "media lab application advice" blogposts that having a connect is basically the strongest signal of an acceptance. I'm confident that my portfolio is good, and have tried good outreach. PI knows my work from before. Think I've maxed out on everything I could do. Now its just luck and how I compare to other applicants

[DazhanHongtu]

No connect, just email PI before application. He encouraged to apply. Fingers crossed. Think ITP will accept, hear that they have high acceptance rate not like MIT. 

[NgoloKante]

Nice. Well, hopefully we both get in. I don't know how many they will take in this year but the number of groups accepting students seemed awfully high compared to other years? Maybe they got a rich donor this year (hopefully not shady like Epstein lol)

[DazhanHongtu]

BRO LOL. u hear this pod cast? https://trashfuturepodcast.podbean.com/e/mit-media-lab-after-dark-part-1/

[NgoloKante]

Heard it now. I suppose it's a comedy podcast because they are way off the mark on so many things! the media lab has made many good things that haven't received good publicity and that's on them I suppose

[mishfii]

applying to OTF and FS as a secondary choice! already constantly checking for updates lol

Edited December 21, 2025 by mishfii
info

[NgoloKante]

 

On 12/21/2025 at 1:58 AM, mishfii said:

applying to OTF and FS as a secondary choice! already constantly checking for updates lol

Welcome to the club! I think we won't see any updates till Jan if past years are any indication. Just a couple of weeks now Is your background in music? 

[mishfii]

1 hour ago, NgoloKante said:

 

Welcome to the club! I think we won't see any updates till Jan if past years are any indication. Just a couple of weeks now Is your background in music? 

fingers crossed for all of us!!! i'm coming in with a background in music and software/interface design. i'm surprised to have only heard from OTF applicants here so far!

[NgoloKante]

It's probably the most sought after group I would imagine, maybe apart from FS. I imagine something like SE gets far less applicants. Think I feel a little less confident after seeing how competitive this year is supposed to be. We'll see what happens

[TheBix]

Applied to SA. Feeling good. Wonder how many they’ll take. If CM is a measure new groups take in 4-5 to seed? 

Edited December 24, 2025 by TheBix

[NgoloKante]

Saw hits on the portfolio from Boston but less than 5 seconds lmao cooked

[stws]

Has anyone applied to Responsive Environments and Conformal Decoders? When might the interview invitation be sent out?

[NgoloKante]

1 hour ago, stws said:

Has anyone applied to Responsive Environments and Conformal Decoders? When might the interview invitation be sent out?

Each group does it their own way, it's not admission by committee. Expect anything from mid jan to early/mid feb

[lld9383]

Hi! Happy new year everyone

I applied to CCC and PR, anyone else? I'm also curious about your backgrounds if you'd be willing to share, are you still in school and/or working? What made you want to apply? I feel like the Media Lab attracts a very diverse crowd

Also, I got a visitor from Boston on my portfolio and then the next day a few from all over Europe? My link is private so I'm curious about this.

Wishing you all the best!

[NgoloKante]

AI crawlers have just exploded over the past 2-3 years, and crawl by IP not domain names. If the visit time was less than a second it was likely just a crawler. I get non-pertinent hits all the time

[wildlizzard]

Anyone heard about interviews yet or have any info about when to expect to hear about interviews?

[NgoloKante]

Radio silence for me. No portfolio visits. If nothing happens in the next 2 weeks, maximum 3 then it's over AF

[DazhanHongtu]

I chat with an alum who told me it depends on group. sometimes they come after jan 20 and sometimes after feb 1. past year thread also confirms what they said

[NgoloKante]

9 hours ago, DazhanHongtu said:

I chat with an alum who told me it depends on group. sometimes they come after jan 20 and sometimes after feb 1. past year thread also confirms what they said

Nice to see you again my man! That time line is my understanding as well. Slightly concerned that I don't have portfolio hits yet though. Maybe I'm overthinking it