If you’re the kind of student who’d like to spend your summer learning as much hands-on math, science, and engineering as you can, you might be a good fit for MIT!
So here is an (incomplete) list of summer programs that MIT students have found enriching and fun. We have prioritized selective summer programs, at MIT and elsewhere, that offer compelling intellectual content and a rigorous educational approach, a great community of like-minded peers to make friends with, and that are either free to attend or, like MIT, offer generous need-based financial aid.
MIT summer programs
MIT does not offer open-enrollment summer programs where any high school student can come to campus to take courses and live in the residence halls. However, several partner organizations run small, specialized programs on campus. If studying the human genome, building a robot, or scoping out the stars sound like a fun way to spend your summer, then you might try one of these:
MITES Summer
MITES Summer is an intensive six-week residential academic enrichment program for high school juniors who intend to pursue careers in science, engineering, and entrepreneurship, especially those from underrepresented or underserved communities. The program is free of charge to participating students, not including transportation.
RSI
Research Science Institute (RSI) — a program of the Center for Excellence in Education hosted in partnership with MIT — brings together high school students each summer for six stimulating weeks of advanced research and intellectual enrichment. This rigorous academic program stresses advanced theory and research in mathematics, science, and engineering. Participants attend college-level classes taught by distinguished faculty members and complete hands-on research. Open to high school juniors, the program is free of charge for those selected.
WTP
Women’s Technology Program (WTP) is a women-focused program aimed at empowering students from groups that are historically underrepresented in engineering by providing a rigorous four-week summer academic experience that introduces 20 high school students to Mechanical Engineering (ME) through hands-on classes (taught by MIT graduate and undergraduate students), labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade.
SSP
While the Summer Science Program (SSP) is not on campus, MIT co-sponsors this residential program, and many MIT students are among the program’s alumni. The curriculum is organized around a central research project in either Astrophysics, Biochemistry, or Genomics. In the Astrophysics program, each team of three students determines the orbit of a near-earth asteroid (minor planet) from direct astronomical observations. In the Biochemistry program, each team designs a small molecule to inhibit an enzyme from a fungal crop pathogen. In the Genomics program, each team builds a bioreactor to stimulate evolution of antibiotic resistance in E. coli, then analyzes its DNA for mutations. The programs are six weeks long and offered at locations in Colorado, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Indiana.
Beaver Works Summer Institute
Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is an intensive four-week program where high school juniors can get a taste of the MIT experience, while working on college-level curriculum with other students from around the country. BWSI is free to students, especially those who may be the first person in their family to attend college. They offer a range of courses—from Autonomous Underwater Vehicles to Quantum Software and to Serious Game Design with AI—with concentrations in programming autonomous systems and more! While this program is only open to high school juniors, there are also online programs offered for younger high school students.
Other summer programs at MIT
Do you want to spend part of your summer at MIT? In addition to the programs listed above, MIT also hosts the following programs:
Other selective summer programs
Most summer programs admit all or most students who can pay the (often high) tuition. However, a number of competitive-admission summer programs select only the best students on the basis of merit and are often free or comparatively affordable. MIT offers four of our own (above), and here are a few more from other organizations:
Science and research programs
- BU Research in Science & Engineering (RISE)
- Clark Scholar Program
- Garcia Summer Scholars
- High School Honors Science/Mathematics/Engineering Program (HSHSP)
- International Summer School for Young Physicists (ISSYP)
- Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
- Summer Program on Applied Rationality and Cognition (SPARC)
- Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
- Student Science Training Program (SSTP)
- QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship
Math summer programs
The American Mathematical Society maintains a large list of youth summer enrichment programs in math. Some summer math programs that our applicants seem to like include:
- AwesomeMath
- Canada/USA Mathcamp
- Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)
- Texas State Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp
- MathILy
- Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)
- The Ross Program
- Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
- Prove It! Math Academy
Other summer programs
- The nonprofit Davidson Institute maintains extensive lists of both residential and day summer programs across the United States that provide for the intellectual and social enrichment of students.
- The National Conference of Governor’s Schools (NCoGS) supports development and growth of summer residential governor’s school programs across 15 states, dedicated to finding and cultivating students with special academic, creative, artistic, and/or leadership talents.
