Math Summer Programs

What you do with your summer matters a lot for college strategy. If you’re aiming for the ivies, the summer isn’t a time for rest. It’s a time to get research opportunities, push ahead in your sport or academic subject of choice, get into prestigious programs that you can add to your resume, and more. This is my resource to help you find the right summer programs and get into the college of your dreams.

Keep in mind, there are plenty of local programs that can be really amazing. I list the big ones here, but feel free to send me any local camps, courses, etc. that you think sound cool! I’ll look it over and let you know if it seems worthwhile.

Math Olympiad Summer Program

Age range: Any age
Location: Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh)
When: Usually held in June
Cost: Free, but you have to qualify

Math Olympiad is one of the most challenging things you can do in the field. If you want to go heavy on math, you can go for this. If you can get to the international round, you’re looking at nearly guaranteed admission to any school you want. But, if you’re not 1000% into math, don’t go for this. Any of the Olympiad’s will take up a lot of time, so be prepared for this to become your number one activity. If it looks like you probably won’t progress very far, you should have a family conversation early on. It’s better to cut your losses and spend your time on other things that will get you into college than to sink your time into something that won’t benefit you.

How to get into MOSP

  • You’ll start out as early as possible doing local math competitions. I can help you search for these.

  • Then you’ll get into AMC tests. Take as many practice tests as you can. There are some summer camps you can do that specifically prep you for the AMC tests (like AlphaStar Academy, AwesomeMath, and AoPS).

  • If you score high enough in the AMC 10 or 12, you’ll advance to the AIME.

  • If you score high enough in the AIME, you’ll advance to USAMO.

  • And if you can score high enough in USAMO, then you can get into the Math Olympiad Summer Program to study for the Olympiad itself.

It’s a lot of testing, a lot of studying. It’s intense. But, if you push yourself on this, you’ll benefit in math classes at school, on the SAT/ACT, and in your ability to work under pressure. I can even help you skip a grade in math (common among students who pursue this path)!

Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT

Age Range: only Juniors may apply
Location: MIT (Cambridge, MA)
When: June-August
Cost: Free
Deadline to Apply: December 2024

RSI hosts students for math and science. You’ll start with some lectures and then focus your remaining weeks on research. By the end, you should have completed research, a paper, and an oral presentation.

PROMYS

Age Range: post-9th grade and 14+
Location: Boston University
When: July-August
Cost: ~$6000
Deadline to Apply: early March

PROMYS is a highly competitive program held in Boston. You’ll attend lectures, learn advanced mathematics with a focus on Number Theory, do research in groups and individually, and spend time with your cohort on campus.

Ross Mathematics Program

Age Range: 15-18
Location: Otterbein University (Columbus, OH) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN)
When: June-July
Cost: ~$6000
Deadline to Apply: mid-March

Ross focuses on Number Theory, diving into many subtopics in that arena. There are two locations for this six-week summer program.

Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)

Age Range: Rising Sophomores & Juniors
Location: Stanford University (California)
When: June-July
Cost: ~$8000 (cheaper online)
Deadline to Apply: early February

SUMaC offers two programs with different topics in each. They offer in-person and online options; in-person is preferred. You must have experience with mathematical proofs.

Canada/USA Mathcamp

Age Range: 13-18
Location: Different campus each year
When: June-August
Cost: ~$5500
Deadline to Apply: early March

Mathcamp is just that, a camp for students who like math. It’s very competitive and has a qualifying quiz you need to take. You get to choose what classes you attend, so you have more freedom.

Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)

Age Range: Post-Sophomore or Junior years (but open to a younger, advanced student)
Location: Hampshire College (Amherst, MA)
When: June-August
Cost: $5780
Deadline to Apply: Rolling admissions, opens in January. Submit early, not late!

HCSSiM is hosted by Hampshire College. You have some flexibility in the topics you choose. There are also extracurriculars to do on an off campus.

MathILy

Age Range: High schoolers, 14-17 (with some flexibility)
Location: Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania) or online
When: June-July
Cost: ~$5000 in person, $2000 online
Deadline to Apply: April 30th

MathILy has a more fun and silly vibe, but their math is still strong. They also have MathILy-Er for younger students which can serve as a pipeline to MathILy and other competitive programs.

Those programs above will confer a lot of College Strategy advantage on your application. The programs below are less competitive and more useful for preparing for some of the big leagues above and generally furthering your math knowledge. They can also show dedication to the subject and open exciting doors for you locally.

AwesomeMath

Age Range: Middle & High Schoolers
Location: Online
When: Courses held between June & August
Cost: ~$1000 per course (discounts if you apply early)
Deadline to Apply: Five admissions rounds between January and May. Deadlines are all around the end of each month.

AwesomeMath is dedicated to preparing you for math competitions like the AMC. This is a great option to help increase your scores on those tests and work your way towards Math Olympiad! If you advance in any of these tests to the next round, that still means something. AwesomeMath also offers fall and spring courses.

Art of Problem Solving (AOPS)

Age Range: 5th grade through 12th+
Location: Online
When: Courses offered year-round
Cost: ~$30 per week, courses vary in length
Deadline to Apply: Visit their course schedule.

Art of Problem Solving offers a lot of options for math enrichment for lower grades through high school and math contest study. I’m including it here for the courses that prepare you for math competitions.

Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp

Age Range: 9th & 10th graders (for first year)
Location: Texas State University (San Marcos, TX)
When: June-July
Cost: ~$5000
Deadline to Apply: Three rounds: mid-Feb, mid-March, and mid-April.

The Honors Summer Math Camp teaches advanced math topics and offers a research project for students who return for a second year. That research is submitted to publications and competitions.

MathPath

Age Range: 11-14 (geared towards middle school)
Location: Varies
When: June-July
Cost: ~$5000
Deadline to Apply: Rolling until around the beginning of April. Apply before mid-February!

MathPath is a great way to get your middle schooler into math early. Students who get started here go on to do more challenging competitions and programs, and even skip a grade in math!

Areteem Institute

Age Range: Mostly age 12 through high school, with some elementary programs.
Location: Boston, San Diego, & Online.
When: Varies. June through August.
Cost: ~$5000 for residential & $3000 for day camps. Online programs around $800 per week.
Deadline to Apply: Early deadline February 28th. Regular April 15th. Late May 20th.

Areteem offers advanced math courses and camps for younger students and high schoolers. These programs can be used to prepare for AMC tests and the AIME, but can also just be a way to explore mathematics more deeply than school curricula. All programs cover the same materials. Discounts are offered for students who students who qualify for the AIME, USAMO, USAJMO, and National MathCounts. The top 5 National MathCounts winners receive a full scholarship. To qualify for these programs, students can win ZIML monthly contests, score in the top 5% of the AMC 8, qualify for AIME, participate in MathCounts at the state level, and be a top performer in ARML.