About

MIT PRIMES is one of the most selective math research opportunities available to high school students. Founded in 2010 by the MIT Department of Mathematics, it offers a year-long, research-based program in which students work under the mentorship of MIT faculty and graduate students (the national PRIMES-USA came later in 2013). Unlike summer programs such as PROMYS or Mathcamp, PRIMES is not about coursework or problem solving: its entire focus is on producing original research in mathematics and theoretical computer science. PRIMES is free of cost and runs for an entire year.

Each year PRIMES-USA admits around 50–60 students, yielding an estimated acceptance rate of under 10%. However, the effective rate is much lower, since applicants are highly self-selecting and the application process weeds out casual applicants, with math problem sets, essays, and recommendations. In fact, PRIMES goes farther than any other program, recommending that applicants either be a USAMO or USAJMO qualifier, have taken a college-level math course or have a recommendation from a college math professor, or have participated in a prior high-level math program. Admission is restricted to U.S. high school sophomores and juniors living outside the Greater Boston area (the original PRIMES caters to students within the Greater Boston region). The program is free to attend.

The year-long program is divided into distinct quarters from January - December.
Students are paired with faculty and graduate students from MIT and other schools, where they work on open-ended problems in areas like combinatorics, number theory, algebra, topology, and theoretical computer science. Weekly meetings focus on research progress, literature review, and proof development. Students also attend MIT seminars, write formal research papers, and present findings at the annual PRIMES conference. The structure replicates graduate-level research more closely than any other high school program.

PRIMES has quickly developed a reputation as one of the most rigorous pre-college research credentials in the U.S. Alumni have co-authored papers in peer-reviewed mathematics journals, often cited in professional literature. Many later distinguish themselves in competitions such as the Intel/Regeneron STS or the Putnam Exam. Admissions officers recognize PRIMES as an exceptional marker of mathematical research potential, on par with RSI or Simons, though on a smaller and more specialized scale. Astonishingly, about 45% of PRIMES alumni go on to attend MIT!