MITES Summer Program

MITES Summer is a free six-week residential STEM program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for high school juniors. The program runs from late June to early August, and the 2026 session ran June 20 to July 31, 2026. Participants live in MIT dormitories in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the entire program. Each student takes five courses: math, life sciences, physics, a humanities course, and a project-based elective. MIT and outside funders cover all program costs, including food and housing, so students pay only for travel to and from campus.

Open to 11th graders who are US citizens or permanent residents with a current green card; visa holders are not eligible. Students apply online in the fall of their junior year, and the application typically opens in November. Applicants submit six short-answer responses, an unofficial transcript that shows their GPA, and three recommendations sent through the online portal. Test scores are optional. The student deadline has been February 1 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, and recommendations are due February 15. Admission decisions come out in mid to late April.