PROMYS Europe • PROMYS India • PROMYS Foundation

Application

Student Application

“PROMYS was the first time I felt truly challenged and stimulated in a mathematical environment. Rather than just teaching me how to solve problems, it taught me how to think in a new way.” Grace Elliot, Student 2021

To be eligible, students must have completed at least 9th grade (or its equivalent) and be at least 14 years old by the start of the program. Unfortunately, there is no flexibility on these requirements. Students may attend during the summer between high school and college or during a gap year. Students who already attend university are not eligible to apply as students, although they may apply for a counselor position. Sign up to be notified when the PROMYS 2025 application becomes available next January.

PROMYS strives to create an inclusive and welcoming community. We strongly encourage students to apply who are from low-income backgrounds, female or nonbinary, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or other groups underrepresented in STEM.

Application Process

Four components of the application must be submitted by the deadline:

  1. solutions to a challenging problem set
  2. letter of recommendation
  3. high school transcript
  4. application form which includes short answers

First-Year Student Application

The application deadline CLOSED on March 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. Please give yourself plenty of time to work on the problems and to write up your solutions! Many applicants give themselves weeks to think about the problems. PROMYS will email applicants with their admissions decision by the end of April 2024.

Applications to PROMYS are submitted through Submittable. Click on the To Apply button below and follow the simple instructions to create your password-protected account. You will be able to save your progress on the application before your final submission. The Submittable platform works best on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. To access tech support from within the system, click on . For other questions, you can email us at promys@bu.edu.

To be submitted by the APPLICANT

1) Problem Set Solutions. Please upload your solutions (as a single PDF no larger than 10 MB) with your online application. If you are handwriting your solutions, please use dark ink and wide margins so a scan of your work will be legible. You must convert JPEGs and other formats to PDFs. If your PDF file is larger than 10 MB, you may need to compress it.

2) School Transcript (or report card). Please upload your transcript with your online application. This can be an unofficial copy provided to you by your school. We are not able to process transcripts that are labeled "Secured" at the top or show the lock symbol. If your transcript is in this encrypted format, please send us a scan or screen shot as a PDF. Homeschooled students should please upload a description of courses and studies undertaken.

3) Online Application. You will be asked to upload your problem set solutions and school transcript with your application. There are several short answer questions regarding your interest in the program. You may want to type your responses into a word document from which you can cut and paste into the application form.

To be submitted by the APPLICANT'S TEACHER

4) Teacher Recommendation Form. Please ask a current or former mathematics teacher (or a mathematics coach, professor, or mentor) to submit a recommendation form on your behalf. You will be asked to enter your recommendation writer’s name and email address on the application form. When you click “Send Request Now,” the system will email your recommendation writer a link to the recommendation form.

We strongly recommend that you click the "Send Request Now" button NOW without waiting until you submit your application form. Please inform your teacher that the link to the form will come from notifications@email.submittable.com and not PROMYS.  The submission deadline for the recommendation form is March 1. Your application will not be considered until your recommendation form has been received.

Within the Submittable portal, the recommender field of your application form will note whether a response has been received from your teacher. If you have already submitted your application, the Submittable system will notify you by email when your recommendation form has been received (please check your spam folder as well as your inbox).

Please note: It is the applicant’s responsibility to request a recommendation and to follow up with the teacher as needed.

To be submitted by the APPLICANT’S PARENT (if applicable)

5) Financial Aid Application. To be considered for financial aid, please have a parent or guardian complete the financial aid form by March 15. On the Financial Aid question towards the end of the application form, you will be asked to enter your parent's email address. When you click “Send Request Now,” the system will email your parent a link to the financial aid form. We strongly recommend that you click the "Send Request Now" button NOW without waiting until you submit your application form. Please inform your parent that the link to the form will come from notifications@email.submittable.com and not PROMYS. Your application will not be considered until the financial aid form has been received.

Other PROMYS Programs

PROMYS Europe

Pre-university students who are 16 or older and ordinarily resident in Europe are eligible to apply to PROMYS Europe at the University of Oxford in England. Students may apply to either PROMYS or to PROMYS Europe but not both for the same summer.

PROMYS India

Secondary and higher secondary students in India are eligible to apply to PROMYS India run in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. All PROMYS India students will receive full scholarships including tuition and room & board. Students may apply to either PROMYS or to PROMYS India but not both for the same summer.

Yongren (永仁) Fellowships for Students in China

Students in China are invited to apply for a Yongren (永仁) Fellowship if they would be unable to attend PROMYS without financial assistance. Yongren Fellowships provide a full scholarship to PROMYS covering tuition, visa fees, round-trip travel, room and board, and books. For more information, visit the Yongren Fellowships page.

 

 

For students in India:
Now that PROMYS India has been launched at IISc Bangalore, Mehta Fellowships will no longer be available for students in India. Students in India who would need financial assistance to attend PROMYS should apply to PROMYS India instead.