| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based fee and participant-travel assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. SSP committed to cover 100% of demonstrated need; exact award depends on family circumstances and may include participant airfare or other required travel.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 application fee: $0. Completely free to apply.; Need-based fee and participant-travel assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. SSP committed to cover 100% of demonstrated need; exact award depends on family circumstances and may include participant airfare or other required travel.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Last year's cycle (2026): Lost-wages stipend: $3,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grade 11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Grades 7–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 15–18; Requirement: Be a current high-school junior; Requirement: Be at least 15 and not yet 19 during all program dates; Requirement: Complete for credit and a grade by June any high-school physics plus precalculus; Requirement: If the school does not offer physics, complete calculus for credit and a grade by June instead; Requirement: Commit exclusively to the entire assigned residential session; Exclusion: Current freshmen, sophomores and seniors; Exclusion: Self-study used in place of the required graded coursework; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the complete assigned session; Exclusion: Applying to more than one SSP project in the same cycle | Residency: Primarily Chicago, surrounding suburbs, and Northwest Indiana; nonlocal students need their own lodging and transportation; Requirement: Enter grade 7-12 in the school year after the summer program; Requirement: Show strong interest and readiness through school mathematics, competitions, or sustained engagement; Requirement: Submit the correct grade-cohort form, short essay, teacher questionnaire, current math-teacher recommendation, and transcript/grade report; Requirement: Arrange daily local transportation and any needed lodging; Requirement: Attend the four-week weekday day camp; Exclusion: The program does not provide housing or transportation; Exclusion: Application and mathematical enthusiasm do not guarantee admission; Exclusion: Participation does not guarantee a grade, academic credit, recommendation, contest result, college admission, or admissions advantage |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 5 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Albion, Milledgeville, McMinnville, River Falls, Waterville, Bethlehem, Galesburg, 2026 campus assigned after admission; campus list can change by cycle | Chicago, Illinois, University of Chicago campus; Chicago area, surrounding suburbs, and Northwest Indiana |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Admission is limited and holistic. SSP reported about 700 participants admitted across every 2026 track, but did not publish Astrophysics application totals or a track-specific acceptance rate. Application materials: One required recommendation from a current school math or science educator; Optional second recommendation, preferably from a math or science educator | Selection: The University describes the four-week summer camp as significantly selective. It seeks enthusiastic and talented students with strong school performance, math-competition interest, or sustained mathematical curiosity. Applicant totals, seats by cohort, selection rate, rubric, and late-application capacity are not published. Application materials: Short applicant essay; One recommendation letter from the current mathematics teacher |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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