Not runningThe Prove it! home page says the residential program will not be offered in 2026 and that big changes are in the works to reach a wider audience, with no return date given. According to archived versions of the official site, the last residential session was held in 2018; the 2020 in-person program was cancelled because of COVID-19 and replaced by a free online program, and the site has announced every year since 2021 that the program would not run. Students who want to learn proof writing over the summer can consider the Ross Mathematics Program, PROMYS at Boston University or MathILy in this library.

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Prove it! Math Academy

Prove it! is a two-week residential math program at Colorado State University that teaches students strong in computational contests to write proofs. The official site says it will not run in 2026, and the last residential session was in 2018; this page keeps the past details and lists proof-based alternatives.

Any status, must study in the US
Tuition

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Size and selectivityRate not published

Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Pexels

Eligibility: Any status, must study in the US
Cost: Tuition
Latest deadline: TBA

Prove it! at a Glance

Host: Run by Prove it! Math Academy (the site is copyrighted by Monks Math Ltd.), founded in 2015 by Kenneth G. Monks, a mathematics professor at the University of Scranton, and taught mainly by mathematicians in the Monks family; hosted by the Department of Mathematics at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado
Field: An introduction to mathematical proof for students strong in computational contests: propositional logic, sets and functions, induction, combinatorial proofs, invariants and the extreme principle, taught through competition-style problem solving
Grades and age: Under the 2020 rules: students who had completed 8th grade, meaning those entering grades 9 to 12 that fall or graduating from high school that year; at least 14 and under 19 on the first day of the program
Citizenship and residency: Under the 2020 rules, applicants had to be attending high school in the US or Canada; the site sets no citizenship requirement, and home-schooled and international students use the equivalent grade.
Cost: Under the 2020 rates: $3,291 for applications submitted by March 15 and $3,464 after, covering housing, meals, field trips and instruction but not airfare; a free shuttle ran between Denver International Airport and campus on arrival and departure days. Students whose school has a Mu Alpha Theta chapter could apply for that organization's summer grants. Fees after any relaunch will be set on the official site.
Dates and format: Two weeks in residence; the site says the program runs every two years, in even-numbered years, and students must attend the full program. Students lived in double rooms in Laurel Village Piñon Hall at Colorado State University, took three-hour classes each morning and afternoon, spent evenings on group problem sessions or outings in Fort Collins, visited Rocky Mountain National Park, and closed with a Prove it! Math Conference. The 2020 session had been planned for June 22 to July 5.
Application dates: No information has been posted for a next session. In the 2020 cycle, applications were due March 15, decisions came by April 1 and admitted students accepted by April 15; remaining places were filled on a rolling basis until June 1.
Application materials: Under the 2020 process: complete the admissions test (four multi-part problems, with full work and explanations, partial solutions welcome and no discussion with others), then fill out the online application and upload the solutions as a PDF.
Size and selectivity: The number of applicants, the cohort size and the admission rate are not published.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-07 · proveitmath.org

About Prove it!

Prove it! Math Academy was founded in 2015 by Kenneth G. Monks, a mathematics professor at the University of Scranton, and is taught mainly by mathematicians in the Monks family at Colorado State University. It is a two-week residential program that helps high school students who are strong in computational contests move to writing proofs, with classes on propositional logic, set theory, induction and combinatorial proofs.

Under the 2020 rules, the program admitted students at least 14 and under 19 on the first day who were attending high school in the US or Canada, and applicants submitted solutions to an admissions test. Tuition in 2020 was $3,291, or $3,464 for applications after the deadline. The cohort size and admission rate are not published. MIT Admissions lists Prove it! among the math programs its applicants like.

The official home page says the residential program will not be offered in 2026 and that big changes are in the works. According to archived versions of the site, the last residential session was held in 2018; the 2020 in-person program was cancelled because of COVID-19 and replaced by a free online program, and it has not returned in any year since. EDUBUS recommends that students who want to learn proof writing turn to programs that are still admitting, such as Ross, PROMYS or MathILy, while watching the Prove it! site for news.

How to Apply to Prove it!

There is no application cycle while Prove it! is paused. Students who planned to apply can turn to proof-based programs such as Ross, PROMYS or MathILy and plan around each program's own deadline.
The past admissions test is still posted on the official site; it asks for complete proofs and accepts partial solutions. Working through it is good practice for the qualifying problems of other math programs.
Check the Prove it! site for announcements. The program says big changes are in the works, so its format, dates and fees after any relaunch may differ from the 2020 cycle.

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.

Prove it!: Frequently Asked Questions

Can an Irvine student apply to Prove it! for summer 2027?

It is not yet known. The Prove it! site says the residential program will not be offered in 2026 and has not said whether it will return in 2027. Irvine students can watch the official site while preparing for other math programs that are still admitting.

Who is Prove it! designed for?

Prove it! aims to help students who are strong in computational contests make the move to proof writing. The site names rising 9th graders who did well in MATHCOUNTS or AMC in middle school, students preparing for USA(J)MO, and rising 11th graders hoping to apply to RSI or MIT PRIMES.

Can an international student studying in Irvine apply to Prove it!?

Under the 2020 rules, yes. Prove it! required applicants to be attending high school in the US or Canada and set no citizenship requirement, so an international student at a high school in Irvine was eligible. Rules after any relaunch will be set on the official site.

Which proof-based math programs can students consider while Prove it! is paused?

EDUBUS suggests proof-based programs that are still admitting: the Ross Mathematics Program spends the whole summer on number theory proofs, PROMYS at Boston University is built around number theory lectures and problem sets, and MathILy centers on discrete mathematics. All three are open to all nationalities and offer need-based aid.

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