MIT PRIMES

Who can enter

• Grades: 9-12
• Ages: any HS student
• Citizenship: US-based students (in-person component in Cambridge, MA) or international (PRIMES-USA, online)

PRIMES is for mathematics only. Highly selective — ~20 students accepted per year.

The pathway

Application in November → acceptance in January → year-long research mentored by MIT graduate students, resulting in a publishable paper or conference presentation.

Key dates

• Application Deadline: November 30 (check mit.edu/primes for exact date)

Dates shift each cycle — always confirm on the official site.

What you submit

• Two-page research proposal on a math topic
• Math competition scores (USAMO/PUTNAM/IMO preferred but not required)
• Two recommendation letters
• Transcript

Format & judging

• Paper: required — Research paper or extended abstract, submitted to arXiv or presented at MIT PRIMES Conference in May
• Oral defense / interview — PRIMES Conference in May — students present their year's work to MIT faculty.
• Max team size: 2

Awards

• Note: No prize money. The prestige is the mentorship and publication. PRIMES alumni have extremely strong college applications.

Worth knowing

PRIMES is one of the most prestigious HS math research programs in the world. Acceptance alone is a major college application achievement. PRIMES-USA is the remote version for students who cannot travel to Cambridge.