| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Catalog terms: $1,799–$1,999; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): U.S. family-income guarantee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. U.S. students from families under $80,000 attended free in 2026.; Full/partial need-based aid and international aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Aid available where cost is a barrier; international aid considered case by case.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Catalog terms: Individual reservation registration fee: $100. Published as nonrefundable; verify at checkout because policy terms can change.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): U.S. family-income guarantee: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. U.S. students from families under $80,000 attended free in 2026.; Full/partial need-based aid and international aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Aid available where cost is a barrier; international aid considered case by case.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 4–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 11–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 9–18; Requirement: Enroll in the correct program for age at camp: Space Camp 9–11, Space Academy 12–14 or Advanced Space Academy 15–18; Requirement: Nine-year-olds must have completed or currently be enrolled in fourth grade; Requirement: Complete payment, releases, health, medication, emergency and other required forms by the session deadlines; Requirement: Be able to participate safely in the selected program with any required accommodations arranged in advance; Requirement: International participants need proper United States entry documents and conversational English; Exclusion: Family, adult, educator, group, aviation, cyber, robotics and Elite programs have separate requirements and prices; Exclusion: Registration does not guarantee a preferred roommate, activity, simulator access or session until confirmed; Exclusion: Some water, motion, physical or specialty activities can have medical restrictions; Exclusion: The program is educational simulation and not affiliated with astronaut selection or NASA employment | Citizenship: United States citizen; Residency: Permanent residence within 50 miles of the NIST Gaithersburg or Boulder host campus; Requirement: Be a high-school junior or senior at application, or a recent high-school graduate who has not started college; Requirement: Have at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale; Requirement: Demonstrate strong interest in scientific research; Requirement: Commit to the entire seven-week in-person program; Requirement: Provide own local housing and transportation; Requirement: Complete federal security, fingerprinting, badging, health, volunteer, and work-permit requirements if selected; Exclusion: Non-U.S. citizens are ineligible under the current rule; Exclusion: Students outside the 50-mile permanent-residence radius are ineligible; NIST states no exceptions; Exclusion: The internship is unpaid and does not guarantee a stipend, publication, award, recommendation, college credit, federal job, or college-admissions outcome | Ages 14–18; Residency: Students from the United States and abroad are eligible; international financial aid is case by case; Requirement: Be age 14-18 by the applicable program cutoff; Requirement: Have completed grade 9 or equivalent before the session; Requirement: Not be enrolled full time in a college or university by the program's first day; Requirement: Be available for the entire six-week residential session and comply with dormitory, curfew, visiting, safeguarding, and conduct rules; Requirement: Independently attempt the official application problem set and explain experiments, conjectures, proofs, and partial progress; Requirement: Submit the required recommendation, transcript, form, short answers, and any financial-aid documents; Requirement: Retain scratch work and be prepared to explain reasoning if originality is verified; Exclusion: Applicants outside the age/education window or already full-time college students at program start; Exclusion: Collaborative, copied, AI-assisted, internet-generated, uncited, or inadequately explained problem-set work; Exclusion: Applicants unable to reside for the full six weeks or follow residential/safety expectations; Exclusion: Assuming all eight problems must be solved or that prior advanced courses/research are required; Exclusion: Assuming selection guarantees aid, publication, conference presentation, college credit, recommendation, admission advantage, internship, or job |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 1 week; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 7 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | 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 | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Huntsville, Alabama | Gaithersburg, Maryland, Boulder, Colorado, NIST Gaithersburg and NIST Boulder campuses; permanent residence required within 50 miles | Boston, Boston University campus, Massachusetts |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Standard student programs are purchased first-come, first-served by age and session capacity; they are not merit-selective. Invitation-only Elite and scholarship programs are separate. | Selection: NIST describes SHIP as competitive, and laboratory mentors review complete applications and may interview candidates. The official pages do not publish the current applicant count, placement count, acceptance rate, lab quotas, or scoring rubric. Application materials: One-page personal statement covering research interest, preferred NIST laboratory, post-high-school plans, and housing/transportation plan; One STEM-teacher online recommendation and one teacher or professional recommendation; Possible phone or in-person mentor interview | Selection: About 80 high-school students are selected through demonstrated mathematical thinking in the problem set, academic context, recommendation, transcript, and short answers. PROMYS does not publish the current applicant count or acceptance rate. Application materials: One recommendation |
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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 2026-08-22Source 6 · checked 2026-08-22Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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