15 Math Programs for High School Students in Colorado
- Stephen Turban
- Mar 16
- 12 min read
If you are a high school student interested in mathematics, structured academic programs can help you explore topics that go beyond the standard school curriculum. These opportunities introduce you to areas such as number theory, applied mathematics, data science, and mathematical modeling while allowing you to learn from professors, researchers, or experienced instructors. Participating in a program can also help you strengthen problem-solving, logical reasoning, and quantitative analysis skills.
What math programs are available for high schoolers in Colorado?
Colorado offers a variety of math opportunities through universities, research institutes, and STEM-focused organizations. Some programs focus on advanced coursework or mathematical theory, while others emphasize research, data analysis, or interdisciplinary applications of mathematics. These programs allow you to deepen your understanding of mathematics while connecting with peers who share similar academic interests.
To help with your search, here are 15 math programs for high school students in Colorado.
If you’re looking for online STEM summer programs, check out our blog here.
Location: University of Colorado Denver, Denver
Cost / Stipend: Free. Fully funded tuition. Students purchase textbooks and student ID
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: Contact the program coordinator
Program dates: Full academic year
Eligibility: High school seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher recruited during the spring of 11th grade. Students complete two years of high school math, Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 or Algebra and Geometry, and two years of English including one year of composition, with a grade of B or higher in each course. Only first generation college students qualify. Eligibility limited to students from designated target high schools.
University of Colorado Denver’s Scholars Program offers first-generation college students the opportunity to begin preparing for their undergraduate experience early, including taking official CU Denver courses. You’ll enroll in one college class each semester of your senior year; you’ll be eligible to take advanced math courses, building off what you’ve learned in high school. If you’re looking for more applied math opportunities, courses in engineering, quantitative social sciences, or scientific fields like physics can also be a strong fit. Outside of your coursework, the program also offers monthly Saturday Academy meetings that cover leadership and interpersonal skills, college counseling, financial aid application guidance, SAT/ACT prep, and more. You’ll also attend a program-specific College Fair and Career Fair, where you can explore math and other quantitative disciplines and industries as you plan your next steps.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 1-on-1 structure; selective
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. You can apply here.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of specialized math topics. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose to pursue a research topic in pure Mathematics or to conduct math-focused research in quantitative fields such as Data Science, Astrophysics, Physics, Economics, Computer Science, Architecture, and Engineering.
Location: NIST campuses in Gaithersburg, MD, or Boulder, CO
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 4% overall acceptance rate for Colorado labs, with variation between individual labs
Dates: June 22 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 26
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA; recent high school graduates are also eligible. | Must be U.S. citizens | See site for details on preferred qualifications/STEM experience; individual laboratories have additional prior coursework preferences
NIST’s Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) provides a fully-funded 7-week opportunity to contribute to federal research. You’ll work in a NIST laboratory, with math-focused options including Communications Technology, Material Measurement, Physical Measurement, and Information Technology. Your focus areas might include computer access, security biometrics, cryptography, optical physics, electrotechnology, and more. You will collaborate with NIST researchers, offering mentorship and networking opportunities. By the end of the program, you will create a research poster to present at the NIST Summer Poster Session. You can find additional information about prior students’ work here.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program type. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: About 26 percent acceptance rate. One on one program structure
Application deadline: Multiple deadlines during the year for spring, summer, and fall cohorts
Program dates:
Spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks
Summer cohort runs 10 weeks from June to September
Eligibility: High school students with strong academic standing with GPA above 3.67 out of 4.0. Most accepted students are in 10th or 11th grade with an average GPA of 3.93 out of 4.0. Some tracks require prerequisites. Check the program site for details.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students with math-focused subjects such as theoretical math and knot theory, data science, machine learning, algorithms and data structures, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research. Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to research journals for publication as a high school student. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
Location: University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs
Cost / Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: Not specified
Program dates: June 1 to June 26. Students stay on campus from June 9 to June 13
Eligibility: High school students from El Paso County or Pueblo County who receive acceptance into the UCCS Pre Collegiate Development Program
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs hosts the Summer Academic Institute each year, a fully funded program that includes undergraduate-level academics and college prep. To attend, you’ll first need to join the Pre-Collegiate Development Program, which offers academic opportunities from 9th to 12th grade for first-generation college students. As a rising 11th or 12th-grade student, you’ll enroll in a UCCS course during the Summer Academic Institute, covering a semester's worth of material over the course of one month. You’ll study advanced mathematics concepts beyond those offered at your high school under UCCS faculty and receive guidance from graduate student TAs. You’ll also learn about academic and extracurricular offerings at UCCS and other University of Colorado campuses, meet with admissions officers to learn about the application process, and spend a week living in student dorms. During the school year, you’ll have access to educational and professional development workshops on topics such as leadership, preparing financial aid applications, time management, and more.
Location: Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Cost / Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: March 23
Program dates: June 8 to June 12
Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th grade students
Colorado State University’s GoGetMath Summer Program is a free, cross-disciplinary math program for Colorado high schoolers. You’ll study under CSU faculty members, undergraduates, and graduate students, learning advanced topics in mathematics and their applications to fields such as fractals, data science, cryptography, image processing, and more. You’ll complete interactive projects, working in CSU’s labs and academic facilities. You’ll explore academic pathways in mathematics at the college level, and learn about careers in the field from current industry professionals.
Location: Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Cost: $500
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: Open enrollment with rolling admissions until spaces fill
Program dates: June 22 to June 26
Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th grade students age 14 to 17
Colorado State’s Mechanical Engineering Summer Program offers the Designing Your World Track for high school students interested in applying math and science to hands-on engineering work. You’ll complete engineering design activities aligned with real-world research and professional work, including a full-cycle iterative design project identifying an engineering problem and working towards a final product solution. Your work may include robotics, programming, and working with Arduino hardware. You’ll tour and work in CSU’s Mechanical Engineering facilities, ranging from a mechatronics lab to a 3-D design facility to a machine shop. Alongside strengthening your quantitative and computational abilities and building abilities, you’ll also learn how innovations in mechanical engineering intersect with entrepreneurship and build soft skills in critical thinking and problem-solving.
Location: Cycles between a series of college campus locations in Colorado (Colorado College and Colorado School of Mines), Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and Canada
Cost: Sliding scale from $0 – $7,500, based on family income
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Most selective; 120 students (65 new students accepted each year; others are returning students)
Dates: June 28 – August 2
Application Deadline: February 23
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18; the camp is geared towards high schoolers, but college students who graduated high school early and graduating seniors are also eligible
Mathcamp is a prestigious math program for high school students ready to pursue undergraduate- and graduate-level mathematics. You’ll build a schedule of elective courses from over 120 options, including Fourier analysis, knot theory, complexity theory, and Galois theory. You’ll have access to an academic advisor to help guide your course selection based on your interests and provide support throughout the program. You’ll also attend a series of Colloquia discussions on specialized mathematics topics and a variety of guest lectures from professors and researchers. You can choose to work on a research project alongside your coursework. Many Mathcamp alumni have co-authored research papers with their mentors and received awards such as the Davidson Fellows, ISEF, and Siemens.
Location: Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
Cost / Stipend: $4,400 stipend
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: February 1
Program dates: June 1 to July 31
Eligibility: High school seniors age 18 or older by the internship start date, college students, graduate students, and first year medical students. High school applicants must be residents of Colorado
CU Anschutz’s Children’s Hospital offers a paid Summer Child Health Research Internship for high school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students focused on diverse research with healthcare applications. You can pursue math-focused internships in research areas such as statistics, quantitative medical research, and data science, contributing to ongoing research by Anschutz researchers and faculty. Your work might include applying statistical methods to develop diagnostic tools, conducting quantitative research on healthcare outcomes and disparities, and analyzing data from translational genomics research. You’ll attend weekly research seminars, where you’ll learn about program mentors’ work and build connections with a wider range of faculty members. At the end of the internship, you’ll write a report on your research contributions, accomplishments, and outcomes, and design a presentation on your work.
Location: Lockheed Martin, Denver, with other placements across the United States
Cost / Stipend: Paid internship
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: December 19
Program dates: 9 or more weeks from June through August
Eligibility: Current high school students age 16 or older who live within commuting distance of their selected office site. Applicants show strong STEM knowledge and clear interest in science, technology, engineering, or math.
Lockheed Martin’s High School Internships offer a summer program lasting over 9 weeks for students interested in higher education and careers in math, science, and engineering. Participants can contribute to aerospace and defense projects, collaborating with current employees on initiatives that integrate quantitative, computational, and engineering expertise. The program includes technical training, professional development, personalized mentorship, and opportunities to shadow senior staff and tour various facilities. Students will also expand their industry networks through company events, social activities, and community service projects. Many high school interns return to Lockheed Martin for undergraduate internships, which include further professional development and a high number of post-graduation job offers.
Location: University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, or CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
Cost: $2,400. Limited scholarships and financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: March 18
Program dates: June 3 to July 31
Eligibility: High school students age 16 or older who live within commuting distance of the campus sites. Non residential program.
The University of Colorado’s STEM Research Experience hosts high school students at its Boulder and Anschutz Medical campuses for a two-month research opportunity. Alongside another student who shares your interests, you’ll be mentored by a CU faculty member or graduate student to develop a STEM research project. Past research areas supporting math-driven projects include bioengineering, computational biology, and aerospace engineering; however, additional mathematics topics may be supported based on the mentor’s availability. You’ll spend 15-20 hours per week working on your project and additionally attending weekly seminars on research methods. You’ll develop a research poster on your findings at the end of the program, which you'll present at the STEM Research Expo.
Location: Online or in-person at Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: $3,750; financial aid offered (In-person cost: $8,950)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 64 students (In-person: 40 students)
Dates: Session One: June 15 - July 3 | Session Two: July 6-24 | Algebraic Topology is only offered in Session One
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Grades 10-11 | Students should have experience with proofs, high school geometry, and algebra; some background in number theory and modular arithmetic is recommended. | Applicants to the Algebraic Topology program are recommended to have experience with group theory and a stronger background in proofs and higher mathematics
SUMaC is an advanced summer mathematics program for high school students, offering two remote sessions in addition to its on-campus option. You will choose one of two SUMaC Programs depending on your math experience: Abstract Algebra & Number Theory offers a challenging yet accessible introduction. At the same time, Algebraic Topology is designed for students with a stronger background in advanced mathematics. You’ll spend your day in a combination of faculty lectures, problem-solving activities, and group assignments. You’ll also attend a series of guest lectures from mathematicians and industry professionals focused on quantitative work. You will finish a final math research project and present it at the program's conclusion.
13. MIT PRIMES-USA
Location: Remote
Cost / Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Very selective. Exact numbers not provided. Strict eligibility criteria limit the number of qualified applicants
Application deadline: December 1
Program dates: One year program beginning January 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors | Students in the Greater Boston area may apply to the in-person PRIMES
MIT PRIMES-USA provides highly advanced high school students with a year of mathematics research through a fully funded, remote program. You’ll be matched with an MIT professor mentor, starting the program by identifying an unsolved question in pure or applied mathematics and developing a research project to address it. You’ll begin with the Advanced Reading Period, where you’ll complete a deep dive into your subject area, meet weekly with your mentor, and write a reading report similar to a literature review. If your mentor is satisfied with your work, you’ll advance to the Research Period, where you’ll work intensively on your project, receiving as-needed feedback and guidance from your mentor. You’ll complete an interim research report in the spring, solidifying your progress and planning next steps, before continuing your work over the summer. You’ll ultimately finalize your project with the help of your mentor, write a research paper, and deliver a presentation to PRIMES mentors, peers, and other MIT affiliates.
14. MITES Semester
Location: Remote
Cost / Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: February 1
Program dates: Six month program from June to December. About 15 to 20 hours each week
Eligibility: 11th grade students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents in the United States. Students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, underserved or economically disadvantaged communities, rural areas, prospective first generation college students, and students from high schools with low admission rates to top colleges receive strong encouragement to apply.
MIT’s MITES Semester is a six-month virtual science and mathematics program for students who are underrepresented in STEM or face barriers to advanced academic programming and college preparation. You’ll choose a course from options in Calculus, Physics, Computer Science, or Science Writing and Communication, with the former two offering the advanced math training. You’ll study under MIT professors through a combination of lectures, discussions, and assignments. You’ll also enroll in a project-based elective course; while options vary yearly, prior math-oriented options have included astrophysics, geospatial data analysis, and machine learning. In this course, you’ll complete a small group research project drawn from the course material, which you’ll present at MIT during a fully-funded trip to campus.
Location: Remote
Cost: $1,049.50 for 3 credit hour courses. $1,366 for 4 credit hour courses
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: Rolling
Program dates: Courses offered during spring and fall semesters
Eligibility: Current high school students and post high school students who meet course prerequisites
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ Math Online offers high school students access to college-level math courses. These courses, similar to those offered to undergraduates, cover subjects such as Calculus III, Number Theory, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, and Discrete Mathematics. Students will explore advanced topics such as the Laplace transform, power series solutions, continuous functions, set theory, and combinatorics. Additionally, you can earn transferable college credits to help advance your degree.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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