Stanford University Mathematics Camp

Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC) welcomes a select group of rising high school juniors and seniors from around the world for intensive study in advanced mathematics.

Spend the Summer with Peers Who Share a Passion for Mathematics

SUMaC leads participants on a journey in advanced mathematics through lectures, guided research, and group problem solving. In an environment centered on mathematics, participants explore current lines of mathematical research, the historical development of important areas of mathematics, and applications across scientific disciplines.

Advanced Mathematics

Explore mathematics beyond the scope of what is typically taught in the classroom. SUMaC is for students who have an exceptional interest in mathematics, and who are prepared for study of abstract algebra and number theory, or algebraic topology.

Academic Enrichment

The SUMaC courses are not for credit or grade—they are designed for pure mathematical enrichment.

Intensive Exploration

SUMaC focuses on mathematics that is motivated independently of ties to other sciences; nonetheless, important applications are introduced and pursued along the way.

College-Level Workload

Similar to what they would experience in a college course, participants can expect a heavy and engaging workload of assignments to work on outside of the live class meeting times.

Application Now Closed

Our application for the 2024 Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC) is now closed. To learn about future opportunities, please join our mailing list.

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2024 Program Dates

SUMaC courses will be offered across two sessions this summer, with classes meeting Monday–Friday.

Session One: Online

June 17 – July 5, 2024*
3 Weeks

Session Two: Online

July 8 – 26, 2024
3 Weeks

Session One: Residential

June 23 – July 19, 2024*
4 Weeks

Arrival Day: June 23, 2024
Departure Day: July 19, 2024

*Due to the immersive nature of this program and limited duration of the program, class will meet as scheduled on July 4.

Session Two: Residential

No residential program offered in Session Two

Attendance Policy

Online: Participants must be fully involved in the program and should be remotely present for all program classes and activities. Participants are required to attend their course at the specified daily class time with their microphone and camera on.

All activities are designed to provide participants with a well-rounded experience both inside and outside of the classroom. Participants should not have any non-program commitments that directly conflict with required program activities.

Residential: Participants must be fully involved in the program and should be present for all program activities. Students are required to arrive on designated arrival dates and remain until the end of the program.

All activities, including co-curricular programming, are designed to provide participants with a well-rounded experience both inside and outside of the classroom. Participants should only miss scheduled activities for health reasons, religious observances, or family emergencies.

Online and Residential Options

The joy of mathematics is brought into every aspect of the SUMaC program. The online experience and residential programs have equal levels of academic rigor and content. The residential SUMaC experience provides in-person social opportunities and field trips with peers, while online SUMaC provides virtual social opportunities with peers, guest speakers, and teaching assistants.

We receive many more qualified applicants for this small program than the space we have available. The residential program will serve 40 participants and the online program will serve 64 participants. Applicants should consider these program sizes when selecting whether they would like to be considered for the residential, online, or both SUMaC offerings.

Online Academic Enrichment

Faster-paced three-week curriculum
Daily TA and peer problem solving sessions and online guest lectures
Final research projects are presented during one day
64 participants

Real-Time Online Instruction
Courses meet for live, online classroom discussion with their instructor and peers. Participants engage in daily problem sets, work with Stanford students who serve as teaching assistants, and attend virtual guest lectures from mathematicians and others who use mathematics in their respective fields.

Student Engagement
Active participation is key to creating an online community of engaged learners, and participants are expected to participate in class and to collaborate with their peers, instructors, and teaching assistants.

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Residential Stanford Experience

Four weeks of curriculum
Daily weekday TA sessions and structured evening and weekend social activities
Final research projects presented at the end of the program
40 participants

An Interactive Experience
When you come to SUMaC, you will learn and develop as a student, make new friends, and be challenged intellectually.

Explore Stanford's Campus
Live and learn on the beautiful Stanford campus and get a taste of what it is like to be an undergraduate.

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Our Stories

The Stanford University Mathematics Camp has taught students much more than key concepts in contemporary mathematics. Program participants have forged careers and friendships in what many, looking back, say was a life-changing experience. Meet Mykel Kochenderfer, Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Engineering at Stanford. Professor Kochenderfer participated in SUMaC, attended Stanford as a student and, ultimately, joined the faculty.

“The most valuable aspect of this program was definitely expanding my exposure to higher-level mathematics. I never knew that math could be this interesting or that these topics even existed. It was truly a pleasure getting to learn topics in group theory and getting to apply it to real-life applications such as the Rubik's Cube. I'm also not used to writing proofs, so this course also helped brush-up my skills.”

“What made SUMaC special to me were the people. In my class, I made strong bonds with my classmates, TA, and instructor. We would work on problem sets every day, argue about math proofs, and share our own math experiences. Everyone at SUMaC was so supportive of each other and I am so thankful to have met them.”

“I would highly recommend SUMaC to other high school students because it not only teaches students interesting mathematical topics outside of the realm of high school or competition math, but also because it shows them how to think above and beyond the problems that they are given; any problem can lead to another one, and through SUMaC I became better at being more inquisitive in my approach to mathematics.”