We often get asked if there are particular summer programs students should do to prepare for applying to MIT, and our answer is always to spend your summers in the way that best suits your personal needs and goals. Similar to the way we look at a student’s extracurricular activities, there are absolutely no “right” or “wrong” answers.
But, if a STEM-focused summer program is what you’re looking for and you’re not sure where to start, here’s an incomplete list of summer programs that MIT students have found enriching and fun. These are selective summer programs, at MIT and elsewhere, that offer compelling intellectual content and a rigorous educational approach, a great community of like-minded peers, and 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:
MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science (MITES)
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.
MITES Semester is a six-month, hybrid learning STEM and college preparation experience for high school juniors that runs June through December. The program is free of charge to participating students and provides engaging, rigorous online courses and weekly virtual webinars, social events, and workshops.
√mathroots
√mathroots is a free two-week mathematical talent accelerator residential summer program hosted by MIT PRIMES for nationally selected high-potential high school students from underrepresented backgrounds or underserved communities.
Research Science Institute (RSI)
Research Science Institute (RSI) is a program of the Center for Excellence in Education hosted in partnership with MIT. This rigorous academic program brings together high school students each summer for six stimulating weeks of advanced research and intellectual enrichment, with a focus on 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.
Women’s Technology Program (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. Substantial need-based financial aid is available.
Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
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. There are 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.
Summer Science Program (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, Genomics, or Synthetic Chemistry. The programs are six weeks long and offered at locations in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Washington D.C. Substantial need-based financial aid — including a “lost wages” stipend for low-income students — is available.
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. Here are a few of these from other, non-MIT organizations (in alphabetical order):
Science & research summer programs
- BU Research in Science & Engineering (RISE)
- Clark Scholar Program
- Garcia Summer Scholars
- High School Honors Science, Math and Engineering Program (HSHSP)
- Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
- Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
- Student Science Training Program (SSTP)
- Summer Program on Applied Rationality and Cognition (SPARC)
Math summer programs
The American Mathematical Society maintains a large list of math summer enrichment programs, as does the Mathematics Foundation of America’s Summer Mathematics Program Consortium.
In general, some summer math programs that our applicants seem to especially like include:
- AwesomeMath
- Canada/USA Mathcamp
- Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)
- MathILy
- Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)
- Prove It! Math Academy
- The Ross Program
- Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
- Texas State Honors Summer Math Camp (HSMC)
Interdisciplinary or broader 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 25 states, dedicated to finding and cultivating students with special academic, creative, artistic, and/or leadership talents.
- The QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program partners with some institutions to send high-achieving, underserved, low-income students to residential and virtual summer programs—with scholarships that cover the full cost of travel, tuition, housing, meals, and supplies.
