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Massachusetts Institute of Technology runs about 11,254 students through a dense riverfront campus in Cambridge, right across the Charles from Boston. Life here has a rhythm of its own: the Great Dome looms over Killian Court, the Mystery Hunt eats up January, and elaborate, anonymous hacks keep showing up in impossible places. The campus hugs the Charles River, where the Esplanade fills with runners, sailboats, and people sprawled on the grass all summer. Kendall Square buzzes next door with labs and public plazas, while Central Square brings the music venues and the late-night energy. You can walk most of campus, and the Red Line at Kendall/MIT drops you across the river into downtown Boston in minutes when you want a bigger night.
All first-year students at MIT are required to live on campus, spread across eleven residence halls that each run their own community. Waivers are rare and case-by-case: you email Housing and Residential Services with a written request, usually for medical or family reasons, and a committee reviews it.
After freshman year, most students stay in the system a bit longer or move into the neighborhoods around campus once they have found roommates. Cambridge rentals move fast and lean pricey, so plan ahead.
Many leases want first month, last month, a security deposit, and often a broker fee all up front, which is the part that surprises out-of-staters most. Read the utilities clause closely, since heat and hot water are sometimes included and sometimes not, and confirm the legal occupancy of any unit before you sign.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Massachusetts Institute of Technology before signing a lease.
Cambridge runs on a famously brutal September 1 turnover, when a huge share of leases start and end on the same day. That means the real preleasing window opens early: serious searching kicks off in February and March for a September move-in. The best-located units near Kendall and Central go well before spring finals, so early searchers should line up roommates and documents ahead of time.
By May the good stuff is thin, and by August you are mostly looking at leftovers and scrambling against everyone else's moving trucks. Classes start in early September, right when the whole city is mid-move, so try to be locked in before then. Set alerts and be ready to commit the day you tour, because hesitation loses apartments here. The close-in units near Kendall and Central are the first to go.
If you miss the main wave, watch for January starts tied to the academic calendar and summer sublets from students leaving for internships or research. These off-cycle openings are the main path for late searchers. Keep alerts running and widen your search to The Port, East Cambridge, or across the river into Boston near the Red Line.
Right next to campus with shiny new buildings and the shortest walk, so it goes first and runs high.
The lively middle ground, full of music venues, public plazas, and a steady transit link.
Tucked between MIT and the river with quieter streets and older triple-deckers.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A shared room in a Cambridge apartment near MIT usually runs $1,100-$1,800/month per person. Cambridgeport and the Port land toward the lower end, while new Kendall Square buildings sit at the top. Budget for a broker fee on many listings, since that's standard here.