The Program in Mathematics for Young Students (PROMYS) is one of the world’s premier summer high school programs for students who have a passion for mathematics.

In this post, we provide a comprehensive overview of PROMYS, including the PROMYS acceptance rate and tips and tricks for how to get in.

For clarification, this blog focuses on the U.

S. program PROMYS, not to be confused with the newly branched PROMYS Europe and PROMYS India programs.

What is PROMYS?

Founded in 1989, PROMYS is a 6-week residential summer high school program hosted on the campus of Boston University.

With a strong emphasis on mathematical exploration, the typical day for students includes a morning lecture on Number Theory, independent time spent solving problem sets, and the opportunity to engage in lab projects.

Image Credit: PROMYS official website PROMYS is open to domestic U.

S. and international students, although students residing in Europe and India are welcome to apply to the PROMYS partner programs, PROMYS Europe and PROMYS India.

Participants have to be at least 14 years old and have completed 9th grade, but have not yet enrolled in college by the start of the program.

From day one, we treat all participants as mathematicians.

Over six immersive weeks, participants practice the art of discovery through their intensive efforts to prove fundamental mathematical ideas.

PROMYS Website The program cost for PROMYS is $6,10

0. For U.

S. families that make less than $80,000 a year, the full tuition is waived.

Otherwise, financial aid options and scholarships are available.

What's the PROMYS acceptance rate?

PROMYS is one of the most competitive high school math programs in the country.

While it varies year to year, PROMYS traditionally has an acceptance rate of around 10%.

Acceptance is based on a holistic review.

Each year, 80 students are selected, out of which 60 are first-year students and 20 are returning students.

Students who are not admitted on their first try are encouraged to apply again the next year.

What are the requirements for PROMYS?

Now that we’ve established that PROMYS is highly competitive, it is important to make sure your application is complete and includes all application material requirements.

See the list for all application components below: Solutions to the relevant year’s problem set uploaded as a PDF 1 Teacher recommendation who can speak to your enthusiasm and aptitude for doing mathematics A high school transcript (can be unofficial) Around 5 short essays, with prompts ranging from describing your mathematical experiences to interests and hobbies Financial aid form completed after the main application submission, if applicable.

PROMYS Problem Set See an example of the PROMYS problem set from the 2019 application cycle below.

Image Credit: PROMYS 2019 Problem Set Each year, these problem sets from PROMYS usually comprise 10 such questions.

Though they can all be solved with no more than a standard high school mathematics background, most of the problems require considerably more ingenuity than is usually expected in high school.

You should keep in mind that we do not expect you to find complete solutions to all of them.

Rather, we are looking to see how you approach challenging problems.

PROMYS Website Unfortunately, PROMYS does not release solutions to their past problem sets.

Applicants are encouraged to utilize resources on their own time to improve their problem-solving skills and intuition for numbers.

How Do I Get into PROMYS?

Now that we’ve established that PROMYS is highly competitive, you need to have an exceptional application to distinguish yourself in the applicant pool.

If you’re a PROMYS hopeful, make sure you follow these steps.

Start early.

Giving yourself ample time to prepare your application—including solving the problem set—will reflect on the overall quality of your application.

In addition, starting your PROMYS application early ensures that your recommender and school counselor have enough time to prepare their materials on your behalf.

The rule of thumb is to ask for letters of recommendation or transcripts at least three weeks in advance.

See the PROMYS application timeline below for the most recent year: Early January 2024: Applications open.

March 1, 2024: Deadline for all applicants.

March 15, 2024: Deadline for financial aid application.

April 30, 2024: Admissions decisions released.

June 30 to August 10, 2024: Program duration.

Highlight your personality and achievements.

Utilize your application to your advantage.

Make sure to personalize your essays as much as possible in order to hammer home who you are as a person and why you deserve a spot in the program over everyone else.

In addition, the extracurriculars you describe in your application are just as important as the character you showcase in your essays.

Since you’re applying to a math-centric program, think about what place math has in your life and the steps you’ve taken to explore it.

Fulfill all application criteria.

Make sure that you’ve fulfilled all requirements prior to the deadline.

Do not risk a void application because of late or missing materials.

Concluding Remarks High school summer programs are an excellent way to get a head start on exploring the field you’re interested in and can add an extra boost to your college application.

PROMYS is just one of many great programs to consider.

However, don’t worry if programs don’t work out for you.

Check out Rishab’s Student STEM Guide for the tell-all on how to snag independent research internships to enrich your summer.