| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $700–$1,175; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 SYP need-based, named and sponsored support: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Eligibility, value and covered expenses varied; several sponsored Pathways were no-cost, while other awards were partial or location-specific.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Historical 2026 terms included free attendance for domestic households below $85,000, case-by-case aid above that threshold and for international students, and possible travel grants. Confirm 2027 terms.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 Exploration enrollment deposit: $150. Historical nonrefundable per-course deposit; Pathway applications required no deposit.; Course-specific lab/material fee: $0–$1,500. Historical published range among examples; many courses had no added fee, while Advanced Build: Gaming Computer added $1,500.; 2026 SYP need-based, named and sponsored support: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Eligibility, value and covered expenses varied; several sponsored Pathways were no-cost, while other awards were partial or location-specific.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): HCSSiM application: $0. The official finance page says applying is and will remain free.; Need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Historical 2026 terms included free attendance for domestic households below $85,000, case-by-case aid above that threshold and for international students, and possible travel grants. Confirm 2027 terms.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 Summer I or Summer II fellowship: $4,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grades 6–11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Use the student's current or most recently completed grade, not the upcoming fall grade; Requirement: Select a course whose listed grade band includes that grade; Requirement: For a Pathway, complete its selective application and supplemental-document requirements; Requirement: Meet any program-specific citizenship, academic, health or safety requirement; Exclusion: Current grade-12 students, early-middle-college students and secondary-school graduates are ineligible; Exclusion: Some Pathways exclude international participants or impose U.S.-citizenship rules | Requirement: Be a high-school student who has not already graduated; Requirement: Show strong motivation for sustained, proof-oriented college-level mathematics; Requirement: Complete the applicant form, motivation letter, Interesting Test, and mathematical sponsor process when the next cycle opens; Requirement: Commit to the full six-week residential session under the published program model; Exclusion: Students who have already graduated from high school under the published FAQ; Exclusion: Assuming the historical Hampshire College campus, 2026 dates, or 2026 price applies in 2027; Exclusion: Assuming grades, college credit, admission to Hampshire College, or another college outcome | Residency: Must be able to participate at an available Project SEED site or eligible virtual project; in-person site selection considers a safe daily commute; Requirement: Document household annual income at or below 300% of applicable Federal Poverty Guidelines; Requirement: Provide an accepted tax, free/reduced-lunch, SNAP/WIC, TRIO, or SAT/ACT fee-waiver eligibility document; Requirement: Preferably be a current high-school sophomore, junior, or senior; the 2026 cycle also allowed graduating seniors; Requirement: Have completed at least one high-school chemistry course and demonstrate interest in science or chemistry; Requirement: Obtain parent/guardian permission if under 18; Requirement: Be available for the full project, normally at least eight weeks and about 40 hours weekly for in-person research; Requirement: Meet the local site's commute, safety, lab, onboarding, and schedule requirements; Exclusion: Applicants who cannot document the financial-eligibility requirement; Exclusion: Applicants without completed high-school chemistry; Exclusion: Applicants unable to commit to the selected site's full schedule or safely commute for an in-person placement; Exclusion: Assuming prior lab experience is required or guarantees selection; Exclusion: Assuming application guarantees a placement, preferred lab, virtual option, $4,000 next-cycle amount, conference trip, publication, college credit, recommendation, scholarship, admission advantage, or job |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 8–10 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | In person | Hybrid |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Location | Houghton, Michigan, Michigan Technological University campus; supervised live-in or commuter participation | New residential campus for 2027 is not announced; Amherst, Massachusetts was the historical 2026 location | Participating university, government, and industry research sites; virtual projects may also be offered |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: Standard Explorations enrolled in order received while seats remained. Pathways used grades, short responses and supplemental documents; no portfolio-wide applicant count or acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Unofficial transcript, short responses and a recommendation/certificate/other evidence where required by the Pathway | Selection: Application review uses the form, letter, Interesting Test, and mathematical sponsor recommendation; no current acceptance rate or 2027 capacity is published. Application materials: One sponsor who knows the applicant in a mathematical context and can provide a recommendation | Selection: Local coordinators select among financially and academically eligible applicants based on performance, science interest, full-summer availability, site capacity/budget, safe commute, and mentor/project fit. ACS publishes no single current acceptance rate. |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21Source 5 · checked 2026-08-21Source 6 · checked 2026-08-21Source 7 · checked 2026-08-21Source 8 · checked 2026-08-21Source 9 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 |
|---|