Summer Program for Applied Rationality and CognitionSPARC

SPARC at a Glance

Host

SPARC (Summer Program for Applied Rationality and Cognition Inc.), a nonprofit loosely affiliated with the Center for Applied Rationality; the director, Yan Zhang, is an assistant professor of mathematics at San Jose State University

Field

Applied rationality and quantitative thinking: using techniques from decision theory, behavioral economics and statistics to form accurate beliefs and improve mental habits; classes range from causal modeling and cognitive science to cognitive biases and forecasting calibration, with some programming labs

Grades and age

Current high school students, or students who have not finished their first year of college; most admitted students are in at least 11th grade, and younger students are welcome to apply

Citizenship and residency

International students are welcome. Students who do not meet the criteria but would like to attend can email the program to discuss exceptions.

Cost

Completely free, with boarding and food provided. Admitted students can apply for need-based scholarships to cover travel.

Dates and format

Typically about two weeks in late July on a college campus in California; the 2026 session ran July 22 to August 1 at California State University, East Bay. Each day has four to five hours of classes or activities, mostly discussion-based classes of six to eight students, with invited speakers many evenings and two rest days of staff- and student-run activities.

Application dates

Applications for 2027 open in January 2027, with the deadline posted on the apply page. The previous (2026) application was due January 24, 2026, and the program aims to notify all applicants by April 15.

Application materials

A custom written application, followed by a short interview if necessary. No grade reports, test scores or recommendation letters are required; the program looks for accomplishments, projects or awards applicants are proud of.

Size and selectivity

The FAQ says SPARC admits about 30 students from an average applicant pool of 500.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-07 · sparc.camp

How to Apply to SPARC

• SPARC does not ask for test scores or recommendations; decisions rest on its own written application. Prepare one or two concrete projects or accomplishments that show curiosity, self-reflection or problem solving.
• The program says the math can be challenging but is not the basis for the whole application, and some classes are taught in tracks for different backgrounds. Students with ordinary math preparation but a real interest in decisions and cognition can still apply.
• The 2027 application opens in January, and the last deadline fell in late January, earlier than most summer programs. Start preparing in December and subscribe to updates on the website.