15 Math and Science Summer Camps for Teens

TL;DR

This page covers math and science summer camps for teens, from proof-based math programs to lab research placements at major US universities. Several are fully funded, including RSI, MITES Summer, SAMS, and the Clark Scholars Program, while others charge tuition with need-based aid. Many target high school juniors, and several are limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Immerse Education’s Academic Insights pathway in Mathematics welcomes students aged 15 to 18 from around the world, with two-week courses in Cambridge, London, and Oxford.

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If you’re a high school student who lights up at a hard proof or a messy data set, a summer camp can take you further into it. Math and science camps give you room to build skills that your daily classes might not, like writing rigorous proofs, working through competition-style problems, running applied statistics, and solving problems with code. You’ll spend weeks on one subject, which is usually enough to move from following the material to producing something of your own.

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These programs also work as a low-stakes preview of college. Many are held on a university campus, where you live in the dorms, eat in the dining halls, and sit in on lectures and labs the way an undergraduate would. That kind of exposure helps you answer questions that are hard to settle from a brochure: whether you actually enjoy research, which majors fit you, and what kind of campus you want to spend four years at. 

Why go to a math or science summer camp?

For this list, we focused on camps run by a university or a government organization, since those tend to come with real academic weight and access to labs, mentors, and equipment you would not otherwise reach in high school. Priority was given to programs that are free or that pay a stipend, and to the more selective ones, since a competitive, well-funded program usually points to both quality and a serious group of peers. Where a camp is regional or has unusual eligibility rules, we have noted it so you do not spend time on something you cannot apply to.

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To make the search easier, here are 15 math and science summer camps for teens, starting with the free and most competitive options.

15 Math and Science Summer Camps for Teens

1. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a second site at Stanford University from 2027
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 100 students at MIT each summer, plus 50 at Stanford in 2027
Dates: About six weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: December 11th, 2026 (for RSI 2027)
Eligibility: High school juniors (seniors are not eligible); open to international students

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RSI takes you through the full arc of a research project in six weeks. You’ll start with a week of intensive STEM classes taught by accomplished professors, then spend five weeks on an individual project under a mentor who is an experienced scientist or researcher. 

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The work ends with conference-style written and oral presentations, so you leave having practiced how researchers actually share their findings. You’ll spend those weeks alongside a small, international group of students who take science and math as seriously as you do.

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Why it stands out: You complete the full research cycle, from reading current literature to presenting your findings, with an experienced scientist as your mentor.

2. Immerse Education's Math Summer School

Location: Cambridge, London, and Oxford

Cost/Stipend: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; an average of 7 participants per class

Dates: 2 weeks during the summer

Application Deadline: Multiple cohorts with rolling admissions

Eligibility: Students aged 15-18 currently enrolled in high school; open to international students

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Immerse Education's Academic Insights pathway in Mathematics allows you to dive deep into mathematical theories over two weeks. You will spend your time learning and solving problems in algebra, calculus, and statistics. In addition to solving problems, you will also analyze different math theories and work on group projects. 

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Other components of the program include attending seminars conducted by experts, one-on-one tutoring sessions, group workshops, research projects, and more, all of which aim to help you build a strong foundation in mathematics.

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Why it stands out: Its mix of rigorous math academics taught by esteemed faculty and provision of residential programs at campuses will help you gain an accurate picture of life as a math undergraduate student.

3. Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Location: Remote, you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.

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The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! 

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You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.

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Why it stands out: You get 1-1 mentorship with a Ph.D. mentor and produce an independent research project by the end.

4. PROMYS (Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists)

Location: Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Free for domestic students whose families earn under $80,000 a year; up to $8,000 otherwise, depending on financial aid (2026)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 80 high school students and 25 undergraduate counselors
Dates: June 27th to August 7th, 2027
Application Deadline: End of February 2027 (exact date to be confirmed)
Eligibility: Students aged 14 to 18 who have completed 9th grade and are not yet enrolled full time in college; open to international students

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PROMYS is a six-week immersion in number theory that leans on discovery rather than lecture. Instead of being walked through results, you are handed hard problems and expected to experiment, spot patterns, and build your own proofs, with daily problem sets driving the work. 

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Undergraduate counselors live and work alongside you, so help is close by when you get stuck on something difficult. Even the application asks you to work through a challenging problem set, and the habits you build, sustained focus on a single problem and careful written reasoning, tend to carry over well into college math.

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Why it stands out: Its problem-first approach trains you to think and write like a mathematician, and its aid model keeps it open to students regardless of income.

5. MITES Summer

Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Free; program costs, food, and housing are covered, and you pay only for travel to and from MIT
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: June 20th to July 31st (2026 dates; 2027 dates to be confirmed)
Application Deadline: February 1st, 11:59 p.m. PST
Eligibility: 11th graders who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents; no minimum GPA required

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MITES Summer has you take five courses on MIT’s campus over six weeks, with midterms, finals, and final projects that mirror a college semester. You’ll live in the dorms and finish with a Final Symposium where you present your projects to the wider MIT community. 

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Alongside the coursework, you get admissions and financial-aid advice and mentorship from a current undergraduate, which helps if you are among the first in your family heading toward a STEM degree. You won’t receive grades or credit, but each instructor writes a qualitative evaluation you can submit with your college applications.

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Why it stands out: It is a free, immersive introduction to STEM at MIT, with a support network that follows you into the college process.

6. Simons Summer Research Program

Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
Cost/Stipend: No program fees or tuition; residential participants pay for housing and dining; $75 application fee, with waivers for significant financial need
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 60 fellows selected from 1,864 applications in 2026
Dates: June 28th to August 6th, 2027
Application Deadline: February 5th, 2027, with teacher recommendations due February 12th; your school must nominate you (up to three nominees per school)
Eligibility: 11th graders who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and at least 16 by the start of the program

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At Simons, you are matched with a Stony Brook faculty mentor and folded into an active research group for the summer. You’ll run experiments, analyze data, and take on a research question of your own, then finish by presenting a research poster. 

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Mentors come from more than a dozen departments, including chemistry, computer science, geosciences, marine science, and neurobiology, and prior research experience isn’t required.

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Why it stands out: You do authentic, mentored research in a university lab, in a program where 10 fellows were named 2026 Regeneron STS Scholars.

7. Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, California (residential), or online
Cost/Stipend: Varies by residential or online option; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 40 residential participants and 64 online participants, with an average class size of 16
Dates: Residential June 21st to July 17th; online sessions June 15th to July 3rd and July 6th to 24th (2026 dates; 2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: 2026 applications have closed; 2027 deadline not yet posted
Eligibility: Students currently in 10th or 11th grade; open to students from around the world

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SUMaC is a plunge into pure mathematics, with tracks in abstract algebra and number theory or algebraic topology. Days mix lectures, guided research, and group problem solving, and the material sits well beyond the typical classroom, so comfort with proofs matters more than raw speed. 

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Courses carry no credit or grades, which keeps the focus on mathematical enrichment, and you finish by presenting a final research project. Between the coursework and the residential program’s weekend field trips, you get both the academic and the social sides of a college summer.

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Why it stands out: You take on graduate-flavored, proof-based math that few high school students ever see, inside a small and focused cohort.

8. Michigan Math and Science Scholars (MMSS)

Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Cost/Stipend: Tuition plus a residential fee if you live on campus; 2027 fees not yet posted (2024 tuition was $1,300 per session); financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: June 20th to July 2nd, July 4th to 16th, or July 18th to 30th, 2027
Application Deadline: 2027 deadline not yet posted
Eligibility: Current high school students; open to international students

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MMSS lets you spend two weeks on a single specialized course taught by University of Michigan faculty, chosen from fields like mathematics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, and earth and environmental sciences. 

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You can attend one, two, or all three sessions, and residential students live in the dorms and can join organized weekend trips. Classes run Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so the program doubles as a trial run of college life at a large research university.

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Why it stands out: You’ll learn one subject in depth from Michigan faculty while getting a realistic feel for life on a major university campus.

9. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program

Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
Cost/Stipend: No program fees; on-campus room, board, and meals covered; $750 stipend when you complete your research project report; $25 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Twelve scholars
Dates: June 20th to August 5th, 2027
Application Deadline: 2027 deadline not yet posted
Eligibility: Rising seniors and recent graduates who are at least 17 by the start date; U.S. citizens or permanent residents

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The Clark Scholars Program is one of the smallest and most selective research programs in the country, taking just twelve students each summer. You are paired with a Texas Tech faculty member and spend seven weeks on a focused research project in fields ranging from the sciences and engineering to the humanities. Weekly seminars, social activities, and weekend programming round out the academic work.

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Why it stands out: You get one-on-one faculty mentorship on an original project in a program that admits only twelve students a year.

10. Ross Mathematics Program

Location: Otterbein University (Columbus, Ohio) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, Indiana)
Cost/Stipend: Program fee varies; financial aid available, including some aid for international students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 60 first-year students per site; about 15% of complete applications were accepted in 2023
Dates: June 14th to July 24th (2026 dates; 2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: The 2026 application window has closed; 2027 dates not yet posted
Eligibility: Motivated pre-college students, nearly all aged 15 to 18; open to international students with reasonable English fluency

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Ross is built entirely around the idea of thinking deeply about simple things, with number theory at its core. You’ll work through mathematics with pencil and paper, attending lectures and seminars and spending much of your time on problem sets that push you to write careful proofs. Phones and other devices are set aside, so the focus stays on the mathematics and your conversations with counselors and fellow students.

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Why it stands out: Its focus on a single subject for the whole session builds the kind of mathematical depth that short, survey-style programs rarely reach.

11. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Location: Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Cost/Stipend: No cost for selected students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: June 8th to July 30th (2026 dates; 2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: February 21st (2026)
Eligibility: Current juniors or seniors at least 16 by the start date who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents living in the U.S.; preference for Bay Area students

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SIMR places you in a Stanford biomedical lab for eight weeks of research under a mentor. You’ll choose from research areas such as cancer biology, immunology, neuroscience, stem cell research, genetics, and bioengineering, and are assigned to a lab based on your interests. Beyond bench work, you learn how to read scientific papers, review the literature, and think through research questions the way graduate students do.

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Why it stands out: You work with a mentor on a medically oriented project inside one of the country’s leading research institutions.

12. Summer Science Program (SSP)

Location: Host university campuses across the U.S.
Cost/Stipend: Free for families earning $75,000 or less, with discounts for family incomes under about $140,000; aid can also cover airfare
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Research teams of three; cohort size varies by campus
Dates: Five weeks in the summer (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: 2027 deadlines not yet posted; international applicants have a separate deadline from domestic applicants
Eligibility: Current high school juniors aged 15 to 18 during the program who have completed the required coursework; open to international students

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SSP is a residential program where teams of three carry out research in one of four tracks: astrophysics, biochemistry, bacterial genomics, or cell biology. In the astrophysics track, for instance, you work out the orbit of a near-Earth asteroid from your own observations. The pace is closer to a working lab than a classroom, with students putting in long days on experiments, computation, and analysis, and everyone leaves with a letter of completion.

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Why it stands out: You do research in a small team with guidance from scientists and academics, and financial aid can cover both tuition and airfare for families who qualify.

13. Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)

Location: Moving to a new campus in 2027, after its 2026 session at Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts
Cost/Stipend: $7,208 (2026); financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: Six weeks in the summer (the 2026 session ran June 28th to August 8th)
Application Deadline: 2026 applications closed April 17th, with an “Interesting Test” due April 25th; 2027 details will be shared in late 2026
Eligibility: Talented, highly motivated high school students; open to students from around the world

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HCSSiM treats mathematics as something to explore rather than a set of answers to memorize, and it has done so for more than fifty years. You’ll spend a large part of each day actively doing math, with four hours of morning classes, a pre-supper Prime Time Theorem, and evening problem sessions, while afternoons are left for reading, rest, and informal study. 

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Courses reach well beyond the standard school curriculum, and you are expected to build and defend your own proofs. Faculty are unusually accessible in classrooms, at meals, and in the program dorm, and many students describe the collaborative, quirky community as the best part.

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Why it stands out: It rewards curiosity and creative reasoning over speed, inside a close community that keeps producing strong mathematicians.

14. Carnegie Mellon Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)

Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded; you pay only for travel to and from Pittsburgh
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: June 26th to August 7th, 2027, after a required virtual Jumpstart on June 21st and 22
Application Deadline: February 1st, 2027
Eligibility: 11th graders who are at least 16 by June 26th, 2027, and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents; applicants underrepresented in STEM are strongly encouraged to apply

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SAMS gives you six weeks of college-level STEM on Carnegie Mellon’s campus, built for students from communities that are underrepresented in these fields. You’ll take math and science seminars, work on a collaborative research project advised by faculty or graduate students, and finish with a research symposium on the final Friday. 

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The program also folds in college-readiness support, from weekly college essay workshops and a credit-bearing college transition course to virtual FAFSA and college prep sessions after the summer ends. The whole experience is fully funded, and the mentorship continues past the six weeks through ongoing virtual engagement with the CMU community.

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Why it stands out: It combines a fully funded STEM summer at a top university with mentorship that keeps supporting you through the college process.

15. Rutgers Young Scholars Program in Discrete Mathematics

Location: Rutgers University, Busch campus, Piscataway, New Jersey
Cost/Stipend: $4,800, including tuition, materials, housing, and weekday meals (2026); limited scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not disclosed
Dates: July 6th to July 31st (2026 dates; 2027 details will be posted in December)
Application Deadline: Rolling, first-come, first-served review from February, with the program recommending you apply by the end of February (2026)
Eligibility: Mathematically talented high school students; you return home each weekend, so you need local weekend arrangements if you live far away; international eligibility not specified

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Backed by Rutgers’ math department and DIMACS, this four-week residential program introduces you to discrete mathematics, a field that sits behind much of modern computer science and cryptography. 

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You’ll develop your problem-solving abilities by applying mathematical concepts to a wide range of problems rather than grinding through a fixed syllabus. Undergraduate teaching assistants and distinguished professionals in discrete mathematics are on hand as mentors and role models. It is a good entry point if you are curious about the parts of math that connect most directly to data science and computing.

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Why it stands out: It opens up discrete math, the backbone of cryptography and data science, through a program tied to a leading research community.

Frequently asked questions: Math and Science Summer Camps for Teens

Are there free math and science summer camps for teens?

Yes, several of the most selective math and science camps are free or close to it. RSI, MITES Summer, and Carnegie Mellon’s SAMS cover program costs, and the Clark Scholars Program adds a $750 stipend when you finish your research report. PROMYS is free for domestic families earning under $80,000, and the Summer Science Program is free for families earning $75,000 or less. You can find more ways to cover costs in this guide to top scholarships for STEM students.

How hard is it to get into a math or science summer camp?

The top programs are very competitive, so it helps to apply to a mix. Simons selected 60 fellows from 1,864 applications in 2026, and the Clark Scholars Program takes just twelve students each summer. Ross accepted about 15% of complete applications in 2023, while SUMaC’s residential program serves only 40 participants. Many programs, including PROMYS, Ross, HCSSiM, and Rutgers, ask you to solve challenging problems as part of your application, so strong written reasoning matters as much as grades.

Can international students attend math and science summer camps in the US?

Some can, but eligibility varies a lot, so check before you start an application. RSI, PROMYS, Ross, SUMaC, and the Summer Science Program all accept students from outside the U.S., while MITES Summer, Simons, SAMS, Clark, and SIMR are limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Immerse Education’s Academic Insights pathway in Mathematics runs in Cambridge, London, and Oxford, with small classes averaging 7 participants. If you can’t travel, you can explore online STEM programs for high school students.

When should you apply to math and science summer camps?

You should start planning in the fall of your junior year, since several deadlines fall in winter. RSI’s 2027 applications close on December 11th, 2026, while MITES Summer and SAMS close on February 1st. Simons is due February 5th, 2027, after your school nominates you, and PROMYS closes at the end of February 2027. Rolling programs such as Rutgers review applications as they arrive, so applying early helps there too.

Do math and science summer camps help with college applications?

They can, especially when you leave with evidence of what you did. MITES instructors write qualitative evaluations you can submit with your applications, and SSP gives every participant a letter of completion. SAMS includes weekly college essay workshops, while Immerse Education’s Academic Insights pathway ends with a personal project and lets you opt in to earn 8 UCAS points or 3 US college credits from age 14. Whatever you choose, keep notes on your project so you can describe it clearly in essays and interviews.

Which math or science camp is right for you?

The right camp depends on whether you want pure math, lab research, or a broad college preview. Proof-based programs like PROMYS, Ross, SUMaC, and HCSSiM suit you if you love problem solving, while RSI, Simons, SIMR, and SSP place you in research settings. MITES Summer and SAMS combine coursework with college-prep support. To get a head start on your own questions, browse these research project ideas in mathematics or read about careers in mathematics.

Start your STEM college journey this summer

Spending a summer on proofs or lab experiments quickly shows you whether a STEM major excites you before you commit several years to studying it.

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With math and science summer camps for teens ranging from free research placements to tuition-based courses, you can find an option at almost any budget.

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Plan your applications well in advance, because many of the most selective programs close between December and February of your junior year of high school.

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When you’re ready to turn that summer into an application, our University Preparation blogs guide you through choosing majors, writing essays, and preparing for interviews.