PROMYS is a six-week summer program at Boston University designed to encourage strongly motivated high school students to explore in depth the creative world of mathematics in a supportive community of peers, counselors, research mathematicians, and visiting scientists.

Non-credit

Residential

Accepts International Students

Financial Aid

Final project

Each summer, PROMYS admits approximately 80 high school students ages 14–18, including 60 first years and 20 returning students. About 25 undergraduates from top mathematics programs, many of whom are PROMYS alumni, serve as counselors. In addition to mentoring 3–4 students, the counselors conduct their own mathematical research and run minicourses and talks.

Number Theory is the core lens through which all participants explore mathematics. Returning students also take part in advanced seminars and engage in original research projects. Six faculty members, three of whom are math professors at Boston University, guide the lectures, seminars, and exploration labs. Additionally, professional mathematicians, scientists in academia or industry, and visiting alumni serve as research mentors, recitation leaders, and guest lecturers.

At PROMYS, the opportunities for mathematical exploration abound!

Each weekday begins with all participants attending Number Theory lecture from 9:00–10:30 a.m. The main activity of first-year participants is their intensive efforts to solve an assortment of challenging problems in Number Theory. Daily problem sets encourage participants to design their own numerical experiments and to employ their own powers of analysis to discover mathematical patterns, formulate and test conjectures, and justify their ideas by devising their own mathematical proofs.

Advanced Seminars
Each summer, returning students and motivated first-year participants take one or more of the Advanced Seminars offered on diverse topics. PROMYS faculty and visiting mathematicians lead the seminars which meet two or three times per week for lecture and also feature engaging problem sets.

Guest Lectures
Our regular weekly activities are supplemented by diverse lectures by faculty and guests of the program. These lectures introduce participants to related scientific fields and include discussions of the ethics and philosophy of science, the relationship between pure and applied science, and career options.

Research Projects
All students have the opportunity to participate in the process of scientific research — PROMYS-designed exploration labs for first-year students and research projects mentored by professional mathematicians for returning students. Every summer, research mathematicians propose original problem statements for the PROMYS program. Each returning student selects a problem, then teams of four engage in open-ended exploration under the mentor's guidance. At the end of the summer, students write up and present their research to the entire PROMYS community. Some of these papers have been published or presented at conferences like the Joint Mathematics Meetings.

Exploration Labs
First-year students may also choose to participate in open-ended projects called Exploration Labs. They work in small groups, guided by a counselor and faculty member. At the end of the summer, the students write up their findings and make a presentation of their research to the assembled PROMYS community.

Counselor Minicourses
Counselors contribute to the mathematically rich environment at PROMYS by doing their own research and by designing and presenting a wide range of lectures on topics of special interest. They organize minicourses open to all participants and counselor seminars intended for their peers.

A Typical Day at PROMYS

During the six weeks of PROMYS, each weekday begins with the entire program gathering for Number Theory lecture from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. At the end of lecture, students receive the daily problem set and meet with their counselor to get feedback on the previous day’s work. Besides the Number Theory lecture, students are given a lot of independence to choose other activities and how to use their time. Some students participate in a lab project or one or more of the advanced seminars. On average, students have from 1.5 to 3.5 hours of scheduled class time each weekday.

A lot of mathematical activity takes place during unscheduled time, including on weekends! Students spend most of the day (and often the night) working both independently and collaboratively on problem sets – first year students typically focus on the daily Number Theory problems, while returning students spend most of their time on problem sets for advanced seminars. Students are challenged to design their own numerical experiments, make conjectures, and justify their ideas in proofs. Students receive regular guidance from counselors. Most students work in the dorm, but some choose to work in the library, in an empty classroom, or in some of the outdoor green spaces around campus.

StudentsDorm Life
Students live in dormitories at Boston University with two students per room – an excellent opportunity to get a taste of college life. There are separate living quarters according to gender identity; curfews and visiting hours do apply. Counselors live on the same floors as PROMYS students, and are placed close to the students they mentor whenever possible.

Other Activities
While the focus at PROMYS is on mathematics, people do take breaks for non-math activities once in a while. Counselors organize weekly “mandatory fun” to build community, as well as frisbee, basketball, or volleyball games on the weekends. Some students enjoy jogging along the Charles River in the morning before lecture, playing games, or practicing their musical instruments. Still, participants spend almost all of their time engaging with mathematics and with each other.

PROMYS

Jul 02 - Aug 12

6 weeks

Residential

6000 USD

Cost
$6,000 for the six-week residential program. [The actual per-student cost to PROMYS of over $8,500 is subsidized for all students thanks to donors and sponsors.]

Financial Aid

At PROMYS, we would like every accepted student to attend regardless of financial circumstances. The program is FREE (including tuition, room and board) for domestic students whose families make under $80,000 adjusted gross income per year. Aid for international students is determined on a case-by-case basis.

We give financial aid based on demonstrated need. Awards can cover up to the full cost of participation for the six weeks of the program. To be considered, please submit a financial aid form by March 10. Applicants can request that the financial aid form be sent to their parents though the application portal.

International Students
Financial aid for international students is considered on a case-by-case basis. If you are an international student who requires financial aid to attend PROMYS, we encourage you to apply and submit a financial aid form by the application deadline.

If you are a student at school in China who requires financial assistance to attend PROMYS, please apply for a Yongren (永仁) Fellowship.

If you are a student in India who would require financial assistance to attend PROMYS, please apply to PROMYS India 2023 which is awarding full scholarships for all students.

Special Scholarships
AMS Scholarships
With support from the American Mathematical Society (AMS) Epsilon Fund, PROMYS is delighted to offer a Ky and Yu-Fen Fan Scholarship: a substantial or full scholarship for a talented high school student. There is no separate application for this scholarship.

Breakout Fellowship to PROMYS
All applicants to PROMYS, both domestic and international, will be under consideration for a Breakout Fellowship, a full scholarship for which there is no separate application.

Generously funded by Jacob Lurie, Terence Tao, and Richard Taylor, recipients of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics, the Breakout Fellowships to PROMYS were created to enable the participation of mathematically talented students who might not otherwise be able to attend. Thanks to matching donations from PROMYS alumni, there is a fully funded Breakout Fellowship endowment so that one scholarship can be offered annually

In addition to the opportunities above, funding may be available from other sources such as Mu Alpha Theta, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, or the Spirit of Ramanujan STEM Talent Initiative.