25 Math Summer Programs for High Schoolers in 2024

What’s Covered:

• 25 Math Summer Programs for High School Students
• How Impressive are Math Summer Programs in High School Admissions?
• Other Ways to Spend Your Summer 

 

Are you a high school student who loves mathematics? Are you looking for ways to test your skills against other bright young students? Consider spending this summer with one of these 25 math summer programs for high school students.  

 

25 Math Summer Programs for High School Students

 

1. IMA-MathCEP Math Modeling Camp at The University of Minnesota

 

Dates: June 24 – 28 

Location: University of Minnesota
Application Deadline: May 31

Cost: Free

 

The Math Modeling Camp is a free program where high schoolers use mathematical models to analyze real-world situations like the effect of traffic on a bridge or the climate’s estimated impact on natural resources. The program tests participants’ problem-solving skills, ability to collaborate with others, and attention to detail for extended periods. This is a non-residential program and preference is given to students from Minnesota, especially those who live in the Twin Cities area.

 

To apply, you must have completed Calculus and present a recommendation letter from a math teacher.

 

2. SUMaC (Stanford University Math Camp)

 

Dates:

• Online session 1: June 17 – July 5
• Online session 2: July 8 – 26
• Residential session: June 23 – July 19

Location: Stanford University and online
Application Deadline: February 1 

Cost: $3,550 – $8,250 

 

SUMaC offers two different formats of its SUMaC program that high school students can choose from, either a three-week virtual experience or a four-week residential experience. All participants immerse themselves in advanced mathematics through activities like lectures, guided research, and group problem-solving. Space in the program is limited; just 64 students are chosen for the virtual program and 40 are selected for the residential program. 

 

3. Idea Math Camp

 

Dates:

• Plano, Texas: June 4 – 14
• Nashua, New Hampshire: June 23 – July 4 

Location: John Paul II School and Rivier University 

Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $1,935 – $3,895

 

IDEA MATH is a two-week program for high school students that provides in-depth enrichment in important mathematical areas. The program combines an interactive teaching approach with group learning as well as seminars-style lectures. Students will participate in a variety of courses that add up to 65 academic hours and will cover subjects including algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory. 

 

4. Canada/USA Mathcamp

 

Dates: June 30 – August 4

Location: University of Puget Sound
Application Deadline: March 6

Cost: $5,500 

 

Canada/USA Mathcamp is a five-week-long summer camp for high school students with demonstrated potential and aptitude in mathematics to enhance their abilities, skills, and confidence in the subject. Mathcamp enrolls 65 new students each summer, as well as 55 returning alumni. The Qualifying Quiz, a personal essay, recommendation letters, and prior mathematical knowledge are used to determine whether applicants are accepted. 

 

5. Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS) at Carnegie Mellon University

 

Dates: June 22 – August 3

Location: Carnegie Mellon University
Application Deadline: March 1

Cost: Free

 

SAMS (Summer Academy for Math and Science) camp is a free, residential, six-week intensive program for high-school Juniors. SAMS selects students who have shown a strong interest in mathematics, extra-curricular activities, and/or community engagement as well as a dedication to diversity and inclusion in education.

 

Students from low-income families, underrepresented communities, and individuals who have never attended a high school with a long history of admissions to top-tier institutions are encouraged to apply. 

 

6. AlphaStar In-Person Academy Summer Math Camp

 

Dates: 

• Session 1: June 17 – July 5 
• Session 2: July 15 – August 2

Location: Mission College
Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $1,350 – $3,050 

 

AlphaStar Summer Math Camp is an intensive, three-week-long program for high-school students geared towards training for prestigious math competitions. The camp provides fundamental math courses such as algebra, counting, geometry, and number theory. Students are taught mathematical skills by subject-matter experts and participate in engaging national and international competitions throughout the course of the program. 

 

AlphaStar encourages students with proven mathematical talent and analytical problem-solving skills to apply, as well as those who would like to push themselves outside of their comfort zones. 

 

7. AwesomeMath Summer Program

 

Dates:

• Session 1: June 10 – 28
• Session 2: July 1 – 19 
• Session 3: July 22 – August 9

Location: Online
Application Deadline: Varies 

Cost: $1,175 – $1,475, depending on date of payment

 

The AwesomeMath Summer Program is a three-week intensive online course for talented high school pupils who want to improve their problem-solving abilities and enhance their mathematics education in general. The AwesomeMath Summer is particularly unique in that it helps students practice and prepare for contests such as AMC10/12, USAMO, and AIME.

 

Aim to register by February 2 for this program, to get the lowest price per course rate.

 

8. The Ross Mathematics Program

 

Dates:

• Otterbein University: June 9 – July 19 
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology: June 16 – July 26

Location: Otterbein University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Application Deadline: March 15

Cost: $7,000

 

The Ross Program is an intensive six-week residential summer experience designed to encourage motivated 15- to 18-year-old students to explore mathematics. Admission decisions are based on several criteria, including school transcripts, teacher recommendations, a personal applicant essay, and proof of the applicant’s previous work on challenging math problems. 

 

9. Research Science Institute Program at MIT

 

Dates: June 23 – August 3 

Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Application Deadline: December 3 

Cost: Free

 

MIT’s Research Science Institute (RSI) selects approximately 100 of the world’s most accomplished high school juniors to attend this six-week program that exposes students to advanced theory and research in mathematics, science, and engineering. Participants spend the first week of RSI taking STEM coursework and the last five weeks conducting projects under the mentorship of experienced researchers and scientists. 

 

10. MathILy at Bryn Mawr College

 

Dates: June 30 – August 3 

Location: Bryn Mawr College
Application Deadline: April 30 

Cost: $5,300 

 

MathILy is a five-week residential summer math program for high schoolers. The math lessons are inquiry-based, interactive, and operate on the principle that combining smart people with mathematics results in learning and fun. Math class takes place for about seven hours—six days a week—in two morning shifts and two evening shifts. Instructors are Ph.D.s in math, as well as undergraduate math students.  

 

11. Michigan Math & Science Scholars Summer Program (MMSS)

 

Dates:

• Session 1: June 23 – July 5
• Session 2: July 7 – 19 
• Session 3: July 21 – August 2 

Location: University of Michigan
Application Deadline: Rolling 

Cost: $1,300 – $2,300 

 

The Michigan Math and Science Scholars (MMSS) summer program exposes high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to current mathematical developments and research while encouraging future generations of mathematicians to engage in and enjoy the subject. The residential program also provides participants with a sample of what it’s like to attend a major university—living in a residence hall, working in labs, taking classes, and learning from faculty, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates.  

 

Three two-week courses are offered, with students having the option to attend one, two, or all three. 

 

12. Math Skills Camp at Hofstra University 

 

Dates: July 29 – August 9 

Location: Hofstra University 

Application Deadline: N.A

Cost: $2,250 

 

The Math Skills Camp at Hofstra University is designed for 6th through 10th graders who want to improve their math abilities and consolidate classroom learning before the start of the new academic year. The program’s objective is to foster students’ current math abilities while motivating them to improve their skills. 

 

Hofstra University’s program, unlike the others on this page, does not focus on mathematically gifted students. It is intended for everyone. 

 

13. HCSSiM (Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics) 

 

Dates: June 30 – August 10 

Location: Hampshire College
Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $5,882

 

HCSSiM is a six-week program for talented and highly motivated high school students that includes college-level mathematics instruction. For the majority of the day, participants are actively engaged in doing mathematics (rather than merely learning about the outcomes of mathematics).

 

The curriculum is made up of lectures, study sessions, math workshops (general-knowledge classes), maxi-courses (three-week classes taught by senior management personnel), and mini-courses (specialized shorter classes).

 

The program is free for domestic students from families with household incomes beneath $85,000. 

 

14. PROMYS (Program in Mathematics for Young Students)

 

Dates: June 30 – August 10 

Location: Boston University
Application Deadline: April 30 

Cost: $6,100 

 

PROMYS is a residential six-week summer program at Boston University that aims to encourage exceptionally driven high school students to delve deeply into the creative world of mathematics in a positive learning environment with peers, counselors, research mathematicians, and visiting scientists.

 

Approximately 80 high school students over the age of 14 are chosen to participate annually along with 25 undergraduates to work as counselors. Students who are female, African American, Hispanic, or from other underrepresented groups in STEM are strongly encouraged to apply.  

 

The program is free for domestic students from families who earn under $80,000 per year. 

 

15. UPenn Mathematics Academy

 

Dates: July 6 – 27 

Location: University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Application Deadline: N/A

Cost: $9,700 

 

This residential program exposes high school students to mathematical complexes rarely offered at the high school level, including: 

 

• Combinatorics
• Generating functions and partitions
• Graph theory
• Combinatorial game theory
• Galois theory
• Linear algebra
• Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries
• Point-set topology
• Knot theory

 

Participants engage in lectures, workshops, group work, computer simulations, and problem sessions. One year of high school algebra II or trigonometry is required. 

 

Students attending a public or charter school in the School District of Philadelphia may qualify to participate in the academy for free.  

 

16. Rutgers Young Scholars Program in Discrete Mathematics

 

Dates: July 8 – August 2

Location: Rutgers University
Application Deadline: Rolling 

Cost: $4,500

 

This residential four-week program encourages talented high school students to consider careers in mathematics. Participants use mathematical concepts to solve problems, work with professional mathematicians, and learn about careers in the field. Participants also sample college life by living and studying at Rutgers University during the week, while getting to return home on the weekends for downtime.  

 

17. Illinois Tech Mathematics Camp

 

Dates: June 10 – 14

Location: Online
Application Deadline: May 3

Cost: $350 

 

This online program seeks to expose rising 9th through 12th graders to mathematical problems they rarely encounter in high school. Participants will bolster their abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills and learn to better communicate mathematical ideas. Students will also gain a greater appreciation for the usefulness, power, and beauty of mathematics.

 

18. AI/Machine Learning Research Bootcamp

 

Dates: June 17 – 26 

Location: Online

Application Deadline: June 5

Cost: $1,975 

 

This six-week virtual program exposes students in grades 8 through 12 to the mathematics behind AI, machine learning, and deep learning models. Engineers from MIT and Stanford teach classes while students work in teams of two to three under their supervision to train their own AI models from scratch. No prior experience is required to attend this program.  

 

19. Summer Math Program for Young Scholars

 

Dates: August 12 – 30

Location: New York University (NYU)

Application Deadline: May 1

Cost: $1,750

 

Mathematically inclined high schoolers are introduced to undergraduate-level math topics in this three-week summer program. Participants explore topics like number theory, graph theory, knots and surfaces, and computer science through problem-solving activities, lectures, and mathematical games and puzzles. They’ll also explore careers in mathematics and gain firsthand experience with college-level coursework.

 

High schoolers in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to participate.

 

20. Young Scholars Program (YSP) at the University of Chicago

 

Dates: July 1 – 26

Location: University of Chicago

Application Deadline: April 12

Cost: $250 – $1,000

 

Chicago area students in grades 7 through 12 can sharpen their math skills in this selective four-week camp. Participants are broken into three cohorts (grades 7-8, grades 9-10, and grades 11-12) and exposed to mathematics not often found in high school curricula. The focus of 2024’s program is number theory.

 

The program has a unique fee structure based on income, and students from lower-income households pay less than those from higher-income families.

 

21. Stony Brook Mathematics Summer Program

 

Dates: July 15 – 19

Location: Stony Brook University

Application Deadline: May 1

Cost: $700

 

This week-long program explores several mathematical fields including knot theory, number theory, cryptography, the mathematics of finance, and statistics for the biological sciences. In addition to being exposed to advanced mathematical topics, students will attend lectures, work on projects, and participate in mathematical games. They’ll also connect with other students interested in math and work closely with professors.

 

The program is open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

 

22. New York Math Circle (NYMC) Summer Program

 

Dates: July 22 – August 8

Location: New York University (NYU) and online

Application Deadline: May 17

Cost: $875 – $995

 

Students who enjoy math, want to challenge themselves, and want to explore new mathematical topics and problems will want to check out New York Math Circle. Participants must take a qualifying exam, which is used to place them into one of three sections based on their skills.

 

23. California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science (COSMOS)

 

Dates: July 7 – August 3

Location: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz

Application Deadline: June 5

Cost: $5,007

 

This four-week, STEM-focused summer program is held concurrently on five University of California campuses. Participants tackle challenging hands-on, lab-intensive curricula not commonly found in high school—helping build skills and awareness of career paths in STEM.

 

The program is open to students in grades 8 through 12 with a minimum 3.5 GPA. It’s also competitive—just 160 to 200 students per campus are selected to participate.

 

24. LSU Math Circle

 

Dates:

• Session 1: June 10 – 29
• Session 2: July 15 – August 3

Location: Online

Application Deadline: February 9

Cost: $1,200

 

Students work in small mentored groups in this three-week program, meeting for two to three hours a day to learn mathematical material not commonly taught in high school and build a foundation of college-level math skills. The program culminates with a capstone project and then the presentation of a colloquial-style poster.

 

High schoolers in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to participate in the program.

 

25. My Introduction to Engineering (MITE)

 

Dates:

• Session 1: June 23 – 27
• Session 2: July 7 – 11

Location: The University of Texas at Austin

Application Deadline: March 25

Cost: $100

 

This five-day program introduces participants to life as an engineering student at UT Austin. Students participate in hands-on engineering activities, sit for lectures, go on tours, and explore a variety of careers in engineering. As a residential program, it also allows students to experience a slice of college life.

 

The program is open to current high school juniors and is limited to just 50 participants per session.

 

How Impressive are Math Summer Programs in High School Admissions? 

 

A college is looking for students who have a wide range of interests. Summer math programs allow you to show your abilities and enthusiasm for learning, which is highly valued by academic institutions. 

 

Extracurricular activities are divided into four tiers. The four tiers are divided into more and less distinctive activities, with Tier 1 representing the most unique programs and Tier 4 covering more common activities. You should aim to include a few of each when applying. 

 

Math summer programs generally fall into Tier 3 or 4, but could be considered Tier 1 or 2 if they are particularly prestigious and selective. For example, Tier 1 might be PROMYS and a Tier 4 might be MathILY. 

 

How does a math summer camp or an outside activity influence your chances of acceptance? CollegeVine’s free chancing engine will let you see your true chances of getting into 1500+ colleges in the United States, as well as offer tips for enhancing your profile! 

 

Other Ways to Spend Your Summer 

 

Math summer programs are an excellent way to improve your admissions chances, but there are other options, including internships, volunteering, and independent study. 

 

• Internships can help you explore career options and gain valuable professional experience.
• Volunteering offers the chance to do good work in your community, which will impress admissions officers.
• Independent study can provide an opportunity to pursue a topic of personal interest outside the classroom.  

 

Overall, math summer programs are a great way to improve your chances of admission, but only one factor in an entire application.