2026 MAD Design Fellowship

About the MAD Design Fellowship

Information Session

An info session will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 5pm ET via Zoom.

This info session covers eligibility, application requirements, selection criteria, and funding details for the 2026 cohort. Open to current MIT Master’s and PhD students.

Application Process


To be eligible, applicants must be in residence at MIT during academic year 2026–27 and currently enrolled in academic year 2025–26. The application requires a nomination from an MIT faculty member with PI status*. The nominator should be the applicant’s current research or academic advisor. Each faculty member is strictly limited to one student nomination. Thus, applicants are strongly encouraged to coordinate with their prospective nominator beforehand.
*Senior Lecturers, Principal Lecturers, and Lecturers may also act as nominators.

Please read the information below before applying.


BENEFITS
Two semesters of full regular tuition (Fall and Spring), as well as 9 months of stipend support. Fellows will also receive health insurance, beginning September 1.
We also welcome applications for one semester of support, which includes regular tuition for Fall or Spring semester, stipend support for 4.5 months, and health insurance for the semester.
Fellows will receive a scholarly allowance to support research materials, fieldwork, conference travel, or other allied support.

DEADLINE
Applications for the 2026–27 academic year are now open. The deadline is Monday, January 12, 2026, 5pm ET. The student's application and nomination letter from an MIT faculty member must be received by the deadline.

SUBMISSION
There are two different links: one for students and one for their nominating faculty. Please make sure to use the correct links.

There are two parts to a complete application:

  • Part 1 should be submitted by the student candidate through this link.
  • Part 2 must be submitted by the nominating MIT faculty member through this link.

PART 1
STUDENT CANDIDATE

Once you have all the required documents for your application ready, complete the 2026 MAD Design Fellowship application form (supported by MITdesignX Accelerator App platform). The portal allows you to start and save an application, which can be completed at a later date.

  1. Attach a one-page PDF resume, showing your current degree program.
  2. Attach a two-page (maximum 10 MB) PDF statement of interest addressing the following:
    A — Briefly describe your current area of study at MIT (core research questions, methods, and expected impact) and expected financial support for academic year 2026-27. One page in length.
    B — Describe how your current research and/or practice incorporates design: What are you designing, for whom, and why? One page in length.
    The statement must be written with a multidisciplinary audience in mind, and non-specialists should be able to clearly understand the work and its design aspects. You may include images as part of your two-page statement, or a link to a portfolio with images. Please do not include additional attachments.

PART 2
FACULTY MEMBER NOMINATION

Submit a signed letter of nomination detailing the student’s qualifications and capabilities, and indicating why you believe the student should be awarded a Design Fellowship. This can include the potential financial impact of the Fellowship on the student, as well as the financial need for the faculty member’s research group. The letter should be two pages or less and submitted via this form. Each faculty member is strictly limited to one nomination per year, and the student nominated should be that faculty member’s academic or research advisee.

SELECTION PROCESS
Morningside Academy for Design Fellows are selected by a faculty committee representing all five MIT Schools and the Schwarzman College of Computing. 2026-27 MAD Design Fellows will be announced in April 2026.

Criteria for selection include:

  • Creativity and breadth of experience,
  • clarity of project goals,
  • overall academic quality,
  • diversity of perspectives on design,
  • potential impact of the fellowship on the student, including financial aspects.


CONTACT
If you have questions that are not answered here, please contact [email protected].