Join a Community that Champions Your Potential

Imagine joining a program that not only recognizes your achievements but is also committed to supporting you at every step of your journey. PEM is built to empower all voices, support pathways to leadership, and provide an environment where you can excel both personally and professionally. 

Each year, the MIT School of Engineering welcomes roughly 20 outstanding PEM Scholars into a vibrant community of collaborative success. Our scholars bring exceptional talent, various perspectives, and a drive for discovery—strengthening teams through varied expertise and fueling breakthrough innovations. Today, we are proud to have more than 50 fellows actively contributing to the MIT community.

A Culture of Belonging and Collaborative Success

At PEM, you’re not just joining a program—you’re becoming part of a community that values your voice, champions your success, and believes in the strength of differences. You’ll be surrounded by peers who will celebrate your milestones, share in your challenges, and push you to achieve your best. Together, our scholars foster a culture of engaged perspectives and collaborative achievement, where success is built through shared excellence and innovation.

We seek visionary scholars who: 

• Demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, and a passion for engineering excellence.
• Bring varied viewpoints that drive breakthrough innovation and enrich our academic community.
• Are eager to invest in their leadership potential and contribute to MIT’s culture of belonging, achievement, and composition. 

We encourage applicants with the potential to bring to one’s academic career the critical perspective that comes from a nontraditional educational background, including, for example, through: 

• Attendance at schools in underserved, under-resourced, rural, or urban communities or with low admittance rates to top-tier institutions.
• Participation in higher education pipeline programs known to prepare students for the relevant MIT program.
• Communication skills and cross-cultural abilities to maximize effective collaboration with a diverse cross-section of the academic community.
• Demonstrated significant academic achievement by overcoming barriers such as economic, social, or educational disadvantage, including factors such as generational wealth, Pell Grant eligibility or similar governmental or institutional funding for students with exceptional financial need, qualification for free/reduced lunch, first-generation to college, or parent(s) level of education.
• Demonstrated experience and potential to navigate and contribute to an educational environment representing a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives.
• Academic service advancing equitable access to higher education.
• Leadership experience advancing belonging, achievement, and composition.  
• Research interests focused on underserved populations and understanding issues of inequalities. For example:
  • research that addresses topics such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion.
  • research that addresses health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights, and other questions affecting historically underrepresented groups.
  • artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.

We strongly encourage individuals from backgrounds less represented in science and engineering to apply, including those who identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 

All applicants will be considered equitably, without regard to race or ethnicity.

Your Journey Matters

Whether you’ve overcome obstacles or embraced unique opportunities, your achievements and potential define the future of engineering excellence. At PEM, we recognize your merit and are here to help you grow.

Ready to Make Your Mark?

At MIT, excellence is driven by bringing together the brightest minds with a wide range of perspectives and experiences. The PEM program provides the mentorship, support, and opportunities you need to succeed as a scholar, leader, collaborator, and innovator.

Join a community that values talent, fosters achievement, and fuels groundbreaking discoveries. Here, you’ll be part of a network where varied expertise strengthens teams, new ideas thrive, and your diverse voice is recognized. 

PEM is where your future begins.