Yes, MIT Sloan still asks for a cover letter. It is a required part of the current application, and it works differently from the essays at most other schools. MIT does not ask where you are headed. It asks you to prove who you already are, using examples from your work.
That surprises people. You are applying to business school, so your instinct says to write about your goals, your future, and why you want an MBA. At most schools, that instinct is right. At MIT, it sends you in the wrong direction.
What the MIT Sloan prompt actually asks
MIT opens by describing the student it wants: independent, authentic, creative, a thoughtful leader with real intellectual strength, and (in MIT’s words) a “true doer.” Integrity and passion get a mention too. Then comes the ask. Write a letter seeking a place in the program, in the format of standard business correspondence, addressed to the Admissions Committee, with one or more professional examples that show you meet those criteria.
Read that twice. Nowhere does it ask about your goals. It asks for evidence.
The word limit and the other format details are on our MIT Sloan school page, which we keep current. MIT’s own application page has the final word, so check it before you submit.
MIT reads your past as the forecast
MIT wants proof, and the past is where the proof lives. As I read it, their logic is simple: what you have already done is the best predictor of what you will do here. So the letter is a showcase of what you have achieved and built, and how you have led, told through one clear point of view.
MIT’s own FAQ nudges you toward recent examples. Choose stories from your current chapter of work, not from a decade ago.
A point of view is not a list
The most common mistake is the highlight reel. Three impressive things, one after another, with nothing connecting them. Each one might be true. Together they are forgettable, and a reader working through a tall pile of letters will not remember which one was yours.
What works is a perspective that runs through every example. Say you keep finding yourself making other people more capable: the team you trained, the process you handed off. Then each example serves that idea, and the reader learns how you think instead of just what you did.
Your point of view does not have to be a single theme. A few related values can share a letter. What matters is that the reader finishes knowing what you stand for and what you keep coming back to.
Values show through what you choose
You do not need the word “values” anywhere in the letter. Many strong ones never use it. Values show up in which moments you surface, which impact you pick, and which lens you use to describe what happened.
The letter that sticks is rarely the one with the most impressive credentials. It is the one where the reader finishes and thinks: I understand who this person is, and I can see what they would bring to a class.
Let the video carry the personality
MIT asks for video too, and it does a different job. The cover letter is formal and professional. The video is where you get to be a person. MIT’s current application asks you to introduce yourself to the camera in your own words, conversationally, without reading from a script, and it adds a second question you get with no warning. Hobbies, personal stories, and warmth belong there.
If you are shy, tense on camera, or uncomfortable with unscripted moments, practice. Do not script it, since MIT asks you not to. Practice the skill underneath: answering a question you did not expect, out loud, with some composure and some of your real personality. Ask a friend to throw you questions you have not seen. More on that in our MIT video essay advice.
How I would draft yours
- List the moments from your recent work that you are proudest of. No editing yet.
- Look for what they share, and name that through-line in one sentence.
- Pick the examples that carry it. Cut the ones that only look impressive.
- Write the letter as business correspondence, addressed to the Admissions Committee, and skip the goals.
For this cycle’s dates, limits, and essay details, use our MIT Sloan school page, the MIT Sloan essays and recommendations page, and the MIT Sloan deadlines page.
Common questions about the MIT Sloan cover letter
Does MIT Sloan require a cover letter?
Yes. The cover letter is listed as part of a complete MBA application, alongside the resume, a recommendation, and the video questions, among other items.
What should the MIT Sloan cover letter be about?
Professional examples that show you are the kind of person MIT describes, held together by one point of view. Recent examples are best.
Should I write about my goals?
The prompt does not ask for them. I would spend your words on evidence from your past instead.
How long can the letter be?
MIT sets a limit and a format. Both are on our MIT Sloan school page, and you should confirm them on MIT’s application page too.
Is the video essay the same as the cover letter?
No. The letter is formal and professional. The video is where your personality shows.
