| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): Historical new-applicant application fee: $75. Nonrefundable; returning students could request a waiver code under 2026 rules.; Historical program deposit: $275. Nonrefundable and credited toward the student's total bill.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Lost-wages stipend: $3,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher | Grades 10–12 (provider uses rising grades) |
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| Additional eligibility | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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 | Minimum age 13; Citizenship: Domestic and international applicants under separate rules; Requirement: Be a rising high-school sophomore, junior, senior, or graduating senior; Requirement: Hold an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0 or obtain approval through the GPA Exception Appeal route; Requirement: Select a first- and second-choice three-credit course and satisfy course prerequisites; Requirement: Carry health insurance and submit the required documentation; Requirement: Attend the entire three-week program and complete college-level work; Requirement: International applicants must satisfy English-proficiency and immigration/document rules; Exclusion: Domestic applicants under age 13 under 2026 rules; Exclusion: Prior participants dismissed from the program; Exclusion: International students requiring an F-1/I-20 from the program for campus study; UMD directs them to online and does not issue an I-20; Exclusion: Use of a B visa for campus study; Exclusion: Applicants unable to commute for a standard campus course or meet all synchronous attendance requirements |
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| Session dates or duration | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 5 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | Unconfirmed — check official site | In person | Hybrid |
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| Housing and supervision | Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Unconfirmed — check official site | Albion, Milledgeville, McMinnville, River Falls, Waterville, Bethlehem, Galesburg, 2026 campus assigned after admission; campus list can change by cycle | College Park, Maryland, University of Maryland campus commuter option or 100% online |
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| Selection and application | Unconfirmed — check official site | 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: Competitive and space-limited, with applications reviewed first-come, first-served after requirements are met. Early applicants are more likely to receive their first course choice; no overall acceptance rate is published. Application materials: No essay or recommendation under the 2026 application |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09 | 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 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22 |
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