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√mathrootsMIT PRIMES

√mathroots is a 14-day residential math program on the MIT campus run by MIT PRIMES with MIT Admissions. Tuition, housing and meals are free, and families pay only for travel. It is open to students aged 14 to 18 who are US citizens or attend a US high school, with no competition background required.

Any status, must study in the US
Free

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Eligibility: Any status, must study in the US
Cost: Free
Latest deadline: Mar 3, 2026

√mathroots at a Glance

Host: Run by MIT PRIMES in the MIT Department of Mathematics, jointly with MIT Admissions; founded in 2015 as a three-year pilot sponsored by the MIT School of Science and the Mathematics Department
Field: Problem solving and an introduction to proof: lectures, problem sessions and group activities on mathematical ideas outside the standard curriculum. No competition or research background is required
Grades and age: Current high school students aged 14 to 18 who will still be in high school the following academic year; rising 9th graders and graduating seniors are not eligible. Students should be comfortable with high school algebra, geometry, trigonometry, exponents and logarithms; Precalculus is strongly recommended and calculus is not required
Citizenship and residency: US citizens, or students of any status attending high school in the US. Students who are not US citizens and do not attend a US high school are not eligible. MIT Admissions and MITES describe the program as serving students from underrepresented backgrounds or underserved communities; the √mathroots site now welcomes all eligible students and strongly encourages those who show resilience, resourcefulness and initiative in overcoming barriers to learning. The official site governs.
Cost: Free: tuition, housing and meals are covered by the program's funders. Families pay for travel to and from MIT; limited travel scholarships are available for students with need and are discussed after admission, with no separate application.
Dates and format: Fourteen days in residence on the MIT campus. Students live in an MIT dormitory with residential counselors on duty around the clock; there is no commuter or Zoom option. The program has 12 academic days and 2 rest days, and each academic day has a lecture and a problem session in the morning and again in the afternoon. The 2026 session ran July 1 to July 15.
Application dates: Applications open in early January and close in early March; late applications are not accepted. The 2026 deadline was 11:59 pm Eastern on March 3, 2026, decisions were released on April 11, and there is a waitlist. The 2027 application opens in early January 2027; the deadline has not been announced.
Application materials: Applications go through the MIT PRIMES SlideRoom portal. The official site lists these requirements: the name and email of one recommender must be entered by the deadline, and the recommender has two weeks after the student deadline to submit the letter; a portfolio is optional and need not be math (visual art, music or projects are welcome). The site does not describe any qualifying problems or essays.
Size and selectivity: The number of applicants, the cohort size and the admission rate are not published. MIT Admissions describes participants as nationally selected, and the program keeps a waitlist.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-07 · mathroots.mit.edu

About √mathroots

√mathroots is a free 14-day residential math program for high school students, run by MIT PRIMES in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Mathematics jointly with MIT Admissions. Students live in an MIT dormitory and learn mathematical ideas outside the standard curriculum through lectures, problem sessions and group activities, with an introduction to proof techniques and systematic problem solving. The program has 12 academic days and 2 rest days; the 2026 session ran from July 1 to July 15.

The program is open only to US citizens or students attending high school in the US, aged 14 to 18, who will still be in high school the following year. Tuition, housing and meals are free; families pay for travel, and students in need can request a travel scholarship after admission. The cohort size and admission rate are not published, and MIT Admissions describes participants as nationally selected. The 2026 application closed on March 3, with decisions released on April 11.

√mathroots was founded in 2015 as a three-year pilot sponsored by the MIT School of Science and the Mathematics Department, and MIT Admissions lists it among its MIT summer programs. Past sessions have included an MIT tour, a college fair and lunch with MIT Admissions. EDUBUS recommends it to students who love math but have had few chances at competition training: it requires no competition background, and tuition, housing and meals are free.

How to Apply to √mathroots

Applications open in early January and close in early March, and recommendation letters are due two weeks after the student deadline. Ask a teacher who knows your math work well before winter break.
The program strongly encourages students who show resilience and initiative in overcoming barriers to learning. Describing how you kept learning math with limited resources fits the program better than a list of awards.
The program strongly discourages attending another program at the same time. If admitted, keep the first half of July free for √mathroots.

Application Support for √mathroots

EDUBUS starts with an assessment of grades, competitions and research, then decides which programs to aim for and which to hold as back-ups. We then guide each application form, essay, qualifying problem set and interview, and help turn the summer into part of the college application.

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Listed by MIT AdmissionsSummer Programs Recommended by MIT AdmissionsThis program is one of the 23 selective summer programs listed by MIT Admissions. See the full list with eligibility, cost and selectivity for each.

√mathroots: Frequently Asked Questions

How much does √mathroots cost an Irvine family?

√mathroots is free: tuition, housing and meals are covered by its funders. An Irvine family pays only for travel to and from the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Families with financial hardship can request a travel scholarship after admission, and these are limited.

Can an international student at a high school in Irvine apply to √mathroots?

Yes. √mathroots accepts US citizens and students attending high school in the US, so an international student enrolled at a US high school is eligible. Students who are not US citizens and study outside the US cannot apply.

Does √mathroots require competition experience?

No. √mathroots asks only for comfort with high school algebra, geometry, trigonometry, exponents and logarithms. Precalculus is strongly recommended, calculus is not required, and no competition or research background is needed. The program teaches systematic problem solving and how to communicate solutions.

What is the latest grade at which an Irvine student can apply to √mathroots?

√mathroots only admits students who will still be in high school the following year, so junior year is the last chance. An Irvine student can apply in 9th, 10th or 11th grade as long as they are between 14 and 18; rising 9th graders and graduating seniors cannot apply.

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Sources9 sources · checked 2026-10-07

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