How to get into Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
How to get into Olin: project-based engineering, Candidates' Weekend, full-tuition scholarship
25.2%
Acceptance rate
$66,398
In-state cost
What makes Franklin W Olin College of Engineering admissions different
Olin is a tiny (~80 admits/year) engineering school in Needham, MA, founded with a $400M endowment to reinvent engineering education. Project-based, no departments, women are roughly 50% of enrollment. Every admit receives a 50% tuition scholarship. Admit rate ~25%. The decisive component is Candidates' Weekend — an invitation-only on-campus interview event.
What an actually competitive application looks like
- 1.
Submit the standard application by Jan 1; Olin uses Common App with supplements.
- 2.
Write supplements that show project-based interest in engineering — build evidence, not just love-of-math evidence.
- 3.
If invited to Candidates' Weekend (the in-person final round), prepare for design challenges, group exercises, and interviews. This is the binding constraint.
- 4.
Show evidence of collaborative work — Olin's curriculum is fundamentally team-based.
- 5.
Demonstrate fit with the small, intense, project-driven culture.
Common mistakes that hurt applicants here
- ✕
Treating Olin as MIT-lite. Olin is its own thing — project-based, intimate, collaborative.
- ✕
Underestimating Candidates' Weekend. The group exercises are explicitly evaluative.
- ✕
Generic 'I love engineering' essays. Show what you've built.
The specifics for Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Application deadlines
- Early ActionNovember 1
- Regular DecisionJanuary 1
What makes this admissions process distinctive
Candidates' Weekend
Invitation-only on-campus interview event including design challenges and group exercises
Project-based engineering curriculum
No traditional engineering departments; all coursework integrates design projects
Notable scholarships at Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Olin Tuition Scholarship50% of tuition
Automatic for all admitted students
What graduates actually do
Olin is the most distinctive small engineering school in the country — a project-based curriculum producing roughly 90 graduates annually, virtually all of whom enter tech, robotics, design, or graduate school. Alumni cluster at Google, Apple, SpaceX, IDEO, and well-funded startups; an unusually high share found companies within a decade of graduation. Median early-career earnings run around $90-95k per PayScale, among the highest of any undergraduate school. Olin's small alumni network (the first class graduated in 2006) is exceptionally tight and influential in engineering education reform.
Transfer pathway
Olin admits transfers only in very rare circumstances. The four-year project-based curriculum is tightly sequenced, making credit transfer impractical. Prospective transfers should expect to start as freshmen regardless of prior college credits.
Specifics verified 2026-05-18 from the school's own admissions page + Common App. Always confirm current-year details directly on the school site before applying.
If you're on the bubble
Olin self-selects heavily. If you've already built things, the application essays come easily; if you haven't, no amount of polish will compensate. The 50% scholarship is automatic for all admits.
Next steps
Last updated: November 2025. Acceptance rate and cost data refreshed nightly from college reporting.