| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,695–$2,195; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $3,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 qualifying competition-achievement discount: $100. One $100 completion-paid discount with proof for specified MATHCOUNTS National, USAJMO or USAMO achievements.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 sliding-scale Louisiana-family contribution: $200–$3,000. Suggested contribution depended on combined household income; accepted families could request more aid.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | 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 | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 standard online placement test: $50–$100. Students not recently enrolled generally tested; scheduled-session fee rose closer to summer and was nonrefundable and nontransferable. A special session could cost $150.; 2026 qualifying competition-achievement discount: $100. One $100 completion-paid discount with proof for specified MATHCOUNTS National, USAJMO or USAMO achievements.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 sliding-scale Louisiana-family contribution: $200–$3,000. Suggested contribution depended on combined household income; accepted families could request more aid.; Payment plan: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Case-by-case plans were available after acceptance.; 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 4–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 6–10 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher |
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| Additional eligibility | 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 | Requirement: Be a rising fourth- through twelfth-grader for Math Challenges or a seventh- through twelfth-grader for Advanced Studies; Requirement: Provide accurate age, grade, math-course and official contest-score history; Requirement: Take an assigned placement test unless exempt as a recent IDEA MATH student; Requirement: Accept the academic team's final course placement; Requirement: Attend all live Eastern-time Zoom classes with camera and microphone on; Requirement: Complete homework and present mathematical solutions in class; Exclusion: The two summer tracks have different grade ranges, dates, course levels and prices; Exclusion: Registration alone does not complete enrollment; tuition must be paid in full; Exclusion: A preferred course is not guaranteed because placement, enrollment, staffing and capacity control offerings; Exclusion: Only enrolled students may enter the live Zoom classroom, and recording or photography is prohibited | Residency: Louisiana and out-of-state students may apply; tuition differs by residence; Requirement: Junior Division: current grade 6, 7, or 8 in the application school year; Requirement: Senior Division: current grade 9 or 10 plus at least a B average in the prior full term and current year; Requirement: Submit Louisiana gifted-classification documents or acceptable aptitude-test/alternate qualifying evidence; Requirement: Demonstrate readiness for a seven-week residential academic, arts, and community program; Requirement: Musically Gifted applicants must complete a separate audition process; Exclusion: Applicants outside the published grade bands; Exclusion: Senior Division applicants below the B-average requirement; Exclusion: Incomplete gifted-identification, grade, testing, or teacher documentation; Exclusion: Applicants applying after all spaces are filled |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 28, 2026; Ends August 11, 2026; 5–6.43 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 7 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | Online | 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 | New residential campus for 2027 is not announced; Amherst, Massachusetts was the historical 2026 location | Live online in U.S. Eastern Time | Lake Charles, Louisiana |
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| Selection and application | 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: Placement is academic and capacity-limited rather than governed by a published acceptance rate. Likely class sizes were 6-12 in early prealgebra levels and 6-16 in others, with stated caps of 16 or 20. | Selection: Applicants must meet gifted-identification or aptitude criteria and grade-specific requirements. Applications were reviewed until spaces filled; the program does not publish applicant counts, capacity, or an acceptance rate. Application materials: Separate audition information for the Musically Gifted track |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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