MIT Grad Rat

The Graduate Student Class Ring

The Grad Rat Ring

MIT’s Graduate Student Class Ring, also known as the Grad Rat, is a timeless tradition at the Institute. During AY 2023-24, the Grad Rat committee redesigned the ring for the first time in 5 years!

The design takes inspiration from MIT's rich history and traditions while incorporating unique elements that speak to the experiences and identities of the graduate community. We can't wait to see the Grad Rat on the fingers of our classmates for years to come, serving as a symbol of our shared journey through MIT and beyond.

The new 2024 design is now available! Check it out here!

Ordering Info

Ring ordering will begin the week after the Grad Rat Premiere (2/17 – 2/23). This will be the only time to order to receive the ring before the Ring Delivery event in May. If you order your ring after 2/23, your ring will be shipped to you at a later date.

If you would like to try on different ring/bezel sizes and view the various finish options in person, please plan to attend one of the information sessions listed below when our vendor Herff Jones will be on campus. Representatives from Herff Jones will be available to answer questions, help you find your ring size, and provide sample rings to try on!

Upcoming In-person Ordering Dates:

Thursday March 7th, 12 - 4pm, Lobby 10
Monday March 11th, 12 - 4pm, Sloan Roberts Family Forum (E62)
Wednesday March 20th, 6 - 8pm, GSC Taste of …, Walker Memorial
Thursday April 4th, 12 - 4pm, Lobby 10

Frequently Asked Questions

We will be unveiling the redesigned ring at the Grad Rat Premiere event on February 16, 2024, in Kresge Auditorium.

After that, we will begin accepting orders online during the week of Feb. 16-23, 2024. The first batch of rings will be available to pick up at our Ring Delivery event in late May, 2024.
We will be hosting ring sizing sessions with Herff Jones throughout the semester. Please refer to the schedule above for more details.
Any graduate student who will be receiving a graduate degree through MIT (e.g. PhD, SM, MBA, etc.) is eligible to purchase a Grad Rat ring! The only requirement is that you are getting a graduate degree from MIT. Please note that his does not include students in certificate programs, cross-enrolled students, visiting students/fellows, postdocs, undergraduates, or students in joint programs where their degree is granted by another institution.

Additionally, for the first time this year, we will be allowing all MIT alumni of graduate degree programs to buy rings after they have graduated. Specifically, graduate alumni will be allowed to purchase the new ring design, but will have the freedom to put their graduation year on the ring. We are working with the MIT Alumni Association to set up an online system for confirming alumni eligibility.
All gold rings purchased by 2/23 are eligible for a $50 discount. This discount is automatically reflected in the prices on the ordering page.
The first 300 graduate student attendees at ring premiere received a $50 discount. If you are one of these 300 students, you hava been notified via email and the discount has already been applied to your cart on the ordering site. No additional code is required.
No. This year, we have partnered with Herff Jones to redesign the Grad Rat ring for the first time in five years. We are currently in the redesign process, so we ask you to be patient until February 16, 2024, when we unveil the new design!
Yes! We ask that you wait until February 2024. We will begin accepting ring orders after the Ring Premiere event. After that, you can either pick up your ring on campus in May, or have it shipped to you!
The Grad Rat tradition is to buy a ring during your first year at MIT and wear it proudly throughout your time at the Institute.

We know that PhD students sometimes may not know their exact graduation date! Therefore, for the first time this year, we will be having customization options to leave your graduation year blank on the ring (in a way that blends into the design). At graduation, you will be able to send your ring to Herff Jones to add in your graduation year — free of cost!
We will be hosting a Ring Delivery party in May 2024. Anyone that orders a ring in February will be able to pick up their rings here! We’ll also have tons of food, drinks, and swag — it’s a can’t-miss event!

However, if you can’t attend delivery or are otherwise unable to pick up your ring on campus, it will also be possible to have your ring shipped to you via our online ordering portal.
We are not currently looking for new members to join our committee but we will send out an email application form when new positions open up!