MIT Art Studio Classes
The W20 Student Art Studios receives exceptional interest in studio classes each semester. Because demand significantly exceeds facility capacity, a ranked choice lottery system is used to ensure the fairest possible access for all eligible students. This lottery allows students to rank their class preferences, giving them the best chance of being placed in courses that match their interests, skill level, and schedule.
For the spring and fall semesters, matriculated MIT students receive priority in the lottery. For IAP (Independent Activities Period) and summer terms, the lottery is affiliation-neutral, giving all MIT community members equal standing regardless of their affiliation with MIT.
See individual class listings for holidays, materials lists, and other important information. The spring semester begins the week of February 16 and ends May 15, 2026.
Spring 2026 Registration Timeline
Friday, January 23 (9am, ET)
- Class offerings posted on the W20 Student Art Studios website
Friday, January 23 (9am, ET)–Tuesday, January 27 (12pm, ET)
- Need-based Tuition Waiver Lottery application open
Wednesday, January 28 (12pm, ET)
- Need-based tuition waiver lottery recipients are notified by email and have until Monday, February 2 at 12pm ET to confirm their enrollment
Tuesday, February 3 (9am, ET)–Monday, February 9 (12pm, ET)
- Spring class lottery open
- Participants select their top three spring class choices
- One submission per person
- Modifications can be made until the lottery closes
Tuesday, February 10, 12pm, ET)
- Lottery results sent via email
- Winners have 48 hours to accept their spot and complete payment
- Those who are not selected for class will automatically be assigned a position on the waitlist
- Unclaimed seats will be released to waitlisted students
First-come, first-served registration opens for any remaining seats once all lottery registrations have been processed. Please note this may take a few days.
Important Notes
Payment & Confirmation: You must accept your lottery spot and pay within 48 hours of notification. If you experience technical issues with payment but want to claim your seat, email art-studios@mit.edu immediately.
Waitlist: You must register for the lottery in order to get a spot on the waitlist for classes. If your name is not selected to register, you are automatically assigned a position on the waitlist(s) for your preferred class(es). If you ask to be added to the waitlist after the lottery submission form closes, you will be added to the bottom of the list.
Ceramics Placement: Please review the skill level guide carefully before selecting ceramics courses. To ensure a positive and productive learning experience for everyone, we reserve the right to drop students from the class if they do not yet have the necessary skills to fully engage with the course content.
Questions? Contact us at art-studios@mit.edu
We’re excited to welcome you to the studios this spring!
