A. Your parent or guardian may apply for aid after admissions decisions are released. Admitted students can request the Financial Aid Application on the status page of the application portal.
A. Yes, the financial aid application is typically due three days after admissions decisions are released, and extensions to that deadline may be requested.
Deadlines for the aid application will be provided after admission decisions are released.
A. No, the financial aid application is available after admission decisions are announced. This means that your need for aid has no impact on whether you will be admitted or not. We aim to make Summer Science Program accessible to all participants and encourage you to apply regardless of financial need. We will do our best to make Summer Science Program possible for all students with financial need.
Please see the Financial Aid section for more information.
A. Summer Science Program is not a college prep course, but the experience will provide students with the skills and experience to better understand themselves and their interest in STEM. The Summer Science Program experience will help you strengthen your time management, intrinsic motivation, written and verbal communication, effective group participation, ability to read primary literature and do real science (where you don’t know the outcome before you start). We’ll also help you learn what it takes to succeed at college outside of class/lab, including the social and living aspects of campus life. Overall, after Summer Science Program you’ll understand yourself better, which will make you a better college applicant and a better college student. Further, the experience of doing real science research will help give you a visceral sense of whether STEM is the right path for you or not.
After Summer Science Program, we also offer an optional mentorship program called SSP Connect where we pair our participants with a young alumni mentor who can help guide you through the college application process.
A. Summer Science Program is open to current high school juniors who have completed the prerequisites by summer. Applicants must also be at least 15 years old, but not yet 19, during all dates of the program.
A. You must commit to arriving on the designated arrival day and staying on campus until departure day. All participants must agree to commit exclusively to Summer Science Program, and not also be engaged in other coursework, programs, or internships remotely. Summer Science Program is immersive and requires full participation. If you have a special circumstance, feel free to inquire, but exceptions are not typically granted outside of emergency situations.
A. Summer Science Program does not discriminate based on race, gender, national origin, or disability. We are able to provide reasonable accommodations for many circumstances; please contact admissions@ssp.org to discuss possible options.
A. Yes, assuming you meet the prerequisites. Summer Science Program is not collecting or considering standardized test scores for admission for 2025 (including PSAT, ACT/SAT, APs, etc.). The only exception is that international students will be permitted to include test scores that demonstrate English proficiency.
A. By “pre-calc” we mean trigonometry and matrices. If you have taken a course covering these topics, you are welcome to apply.
A. In the IB curriculum, we consider HL and SL Analysis and Approaches and HL Applications and Interpretations sufficient for meeting the Calculus requirement. In the Cambridge curriculum, we consider IGCSE Math Higher Tier, IGCSE Additional Mathematics, and Math A-levels as sufficient.
Keep in mind that though all courses above meet the minimum prerequisite for Calculus, there is a difference between just meeting the prerequisites and demonstrating a strong curriculum.
A. Yes. If you are admitted to the Summer Science Program and have not yet obtained a visa, it will be important to get an appointment scheduled as soon as possible. We can provide a letter of support, after admissions decisions are released, that you may take to your interview.
A. Caltech and Harvey Mudd were in the original consortium that operated Summer Science Program for many years. While participation in Summer Science Program will make you a better college applicant, it is no guarantee of admission to any college. See the Affiliate page for more information.
A. Yes, Summer Science Program is open to all, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.
A. Only a parent or guardian may apply for aid after admissions decisions are released, by submitting the Financial Aid Application, which admitted students will request on the status page of the application portal.
A. Admitted students will be invited to apply for aid at the time of admission. Deadlines for the aid application will be included at that time.
A. The Financial Aid Application is designed to help the Financial Aid Committee judge how much your family can reasonably afford. Major considerations include income, assets, college expenses for your family members, and special circumstances such as unusual expenses or unemployment. Summer Science Program is typically free for a student with a family income of less than $75,000 (assuming typical expenses). A family income under about $140,000 will likely qualify for a discount.
A. Yes, international applicants will also be able to request a financial aid application at the time of admission. We ask that English translations of income tax forms and other documents be provided.
A. Yes. Your parent may request travel aid on the financial aid application. Determination of financial need also takes travel expenses into account.
A. No, you must choose one when you register. You may change to another project while the application is open, but you may not change after the deadline. We encourage you to explore the details of each project under the ‘Explore’ tab of our website and apply to the program that sounds most appealing. Try not to stress, and follow your instincts. Regardless of the program you choose, your Summer Science Program experience will be about much more than the exact research you do.
A. Exchange students who are not U.S. Citizens nor Permanent Residents (green card holders) but are currently studying in the U.S. would still be considered international applicants.
Please visit the International Applicants page for more information.
A. We prefer evaluations from your current science and math teachers if possible. If necessary, we’ll accept evaluations from any two adults outside your family that can describe your character, interests, and academic preparation.
A. Wherever possible, we ask that all evaluations be submitted using the evaluation forms within the application portal. This helps ensure equity amongst evaluations and ensures smooth, efficient processing. The optional third evaluation form is available in the checklist of your application portal.
A. No, all applications are considered together, and no preference is given to applications received early.
That being said, completing and submitting your application well before the deadline will lead to increased peace of mind on your side as well as ours. High volumes on and near the application deadline can lead to longer processing times that affect how quickly we can mark the receipt of your documents.
A. It is important to get all required parts of your application to us by the deadline. Use the status page to check which pieces we have received and which pieces are outstanding. Confirm with your teachers and registrar they have received an email from Summer Science Program and are able to submit by the deadline. Our application review process begins quickly, and we cannot accommodate late applications.
A. Here are some tips and tricks for dealing with log in/application issues:
A. Within your application portal, you will have a Checklist displaying the various required application pieces, their due dates, and whether they were received. After an application piece arrives, it can take up to a week for us to open, process, and log it, so please wait before inquiring.
A. After your application is submitted, it will no longer be possible for you to reopen it to add or edit information. Although we have no doubt your achievement is well-earned (congratulations!!), rarely if ever do individual updates change a decision made on an application. Our review process is holistic, and if you have an impressive achievement to report, we’re guessing your application reflected that high level of achievement! Take some time to consider whether your update will substantially change our holistic understanding of your application. If it would, you may email the update to admissions@ssp.org.
A. Each application is read and carefully considered by an Admissions Committee of staff, volunteer alumni, and former faculty.
A. We will update your application status and email decisions to applicants in mid-March for international students (please see our international page) and mid-April for domestic students.
A. Everyone on our Alternate List is qualified to attend, but we will only be able to offer admission to a few. The degree to which we admit from the Alternate List varies per year.
A. Yes. Complete travel instructions (and lots of other instructions) are sent to admitted students with their enrollment documents.
A. If the activity only takes a small amount of time each week, and can be done on a flexible schedule that does not conflict with the Summer Science Program schedule, that may be okay. However, Summer Science Program is an immersion experience, so please note that there will be very little free time for activities outside the program available each day.
A. Summer Science Program welcomes participants from any religion, religious tradition and background. Attending religious services is possible, if there is one operating near your campus. However, we cannot guarantee the locations or schedules of places of worship, so please note in your application if that is a factor to consider in campus placement.
A. Everyone receives a letter of completion, and you may request a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.
A. The simple answer is “no”. Each participant completes the prescribed research program under the guidance of the Academic Directors and in collaboration with two teammates, but all of that work is done under the Summer Science Program banner. Your data and specific project may be unique, but Summer Science Program maintains intellectual property over the outcomes, as it devised the topic, prepared the materials, and has the primary contribution in this regard. Thus, for entry into a competition, you would need approval from SSP International, Inc. and an academic director and be able to demonstrate that you have completed research outside of the program that has advanced the project in a significant and unique way. If your goal is to do publishable work or come in with your own research topic, Summer Science Program is not the best place to accomplish that.
A. Absolutely! You’ll join an alumni network 3,500+ strong and be eligible to participate in SSP Connect, a volunteer mentorship program for SSP alumni in the fall.
SSP International is a nonprofit offering inspiring science immersion experiences. Founded in 1959, its mission is to provide opportunities to accelerate learning, doing and belonging in science. SSP International’s flagship program is Summer Science Program, a leading education experience for exceptional high school students in astrophysics, biochemistry, genomics and more.
