The Programme in Mathematics for Young Students (PROMYS) is one of the world’s top-tier summer secondary school programmes for students who have a passion for mathematics.

In this post, we provide an overview of the PROMYS Europe application, including key dates, application requirements, and tips and tricks for how to get in.

For clarification, this blog focuses on how to approach the PROMYS Europe application, not to be confused with the U.

S. partner programme PROMYS.

Find a comprehensive run-down on how to get into the U.

S. programme here.

What is PROMYS Europe?

PROMYS Europe is a 6-week residential summer secondary school programme hosted on the campus of the University of Oxford.

With a strong emphasis on mathematical exploration, the typical day for students includes a morning lecture on Number Theory, independent time spent solving problem sets, and attending guest lectures.

Image Credit: PROMYS Europe official website PROMYS Europe participants are asked to work beyond their centers of competence and to push the limits of their knowledge.

The PROMYS Europe community network provides all participants with a highly supportive and collaborative environment within which to learn.

PROMYS Europe PROMYS Europe is open to European residents.

Students residing elsewhere are welcome to apply to PROMYS, based in the United States, which accepts international applicants.

PROMYS Europe participants have to be at least 16 years old but have not yet enrolled in university by the start of the program.

Applicants may be in any year of secondary school.

The programme cost for PROMYS Europe is £195

0. Otherwise, financial aid options and fellowships are available.

Applications for financial assistance are considered independently of admission decisions and only after the admissions decisions have been taken.

PROMYS Europe What are the requirements for the PROMYS Europe application?

Given the extremely competitive nature of the U.

S. counterpart program, it’s safe to assume that PROMYS Europe is highly competitive as well.

Therefore, it is important to make sure your application includes all requirements.

See the list for all application components below: Solutions to the relevant year’s problem set uploaded as a PDF 1 recommendation from a mathematics teacher/coach/tutor/professor who can speak to your enthusiasm and aptitude for doing mathematics Around 5 short essays, with prompts ranging from describing your mathematical experiences to interests and hobbies PROMYS Europe application requirement: the problem set The PROMYS programmes uniquely requires the submission of problem set solutions as part of the application.

However, don't stress too much about it—the programme seems to put more emphasis on gauging applicants' line of thinking and reasoning ability rather than determining whether all problems have been completed or not.

See an example of the PROMYS Europe problem set from the 2024 application cycle below.

Each year, these problem sets from PROMYS Europe usually comprise around 10 such questions.

Though they can all be solved with no more than a standard high school mathematics background, most of the problems require considerably more ingenuity than is usually expected in high school.

You should keep in mind that we do not expect you to find complete solutions to all of them.

Rather, we are looking to see how you approach challenging problems.

PROMYS Europe Unfortunately, PROMYS does not release solutions to their problem sets.

Applicants are encouraged to utilize resources on their own time to improve their problem-solving skills and intuition for numbers.

How can I craft a winning PROMYS Europe application?

Now that we’ve established PROMYS Europe is highly competitive, you need to have an exceptional application to distinguish yourself in the applicant pool.

If you’re an aspiring hopeful, make sure you follow these steps to craft a winning PROMYS Europe application.

Start early.

Giving yourself ample time to prepare your application—including solving the problem set—will reflect on the overall quality of your application.

In addition, starting your PROMYS application early ensures that your recommender and school officials have enough time to prepare their materials on your behalf.

The rule of thumb is to ask for letters of recommendation or transcripts at least three weeks in advance.

See the PROMYS Europe application timeline below for the most recent year.

First-Year Students: January 9, 2024: Applications open.

March 10, 2024: Application deadline, including teacher recommendation.

April 22, 2024: Notification of application decision at the latest.

July 7 to August 17, 2024: Programme duration.

Returning Students:  January 3, 2024: Applications open.

January 28, 2024: Application deadline, including teacher recommendation.

February 9, 2024: Notification of application decision at the latest.

July 7 to August 17, 2024: Programme duration.

Highlight your personality and achievements.

Next, utilize your application to your advantage.

Make sure to personalize your essays as much as possible in order to hammer home who you are as a person and why you deserve a spot in the programme over everyone else.

In addition, the extracurriculars you describe in your application are just as important as the character you showcase in your essays.

Since you’re applying to a math-centric program, think about what place math has in your life and the steps you’ve taken to explore it.

Reflect on what sparked your interest in this field, any notable mentors you've had, any mathematical 'itches' you could spend hours investigating, etc.

Fulfill all application criteria.

Lastly, make sure that you’ve fulfilled all requirements prior to the deadline.

Don't let hours' worth of writing essays go to waste because you realized last minute your school forgot to submit your transcript.

Do not risk a void application because of late or missing materials.

Concluding Remarks Secondary school summer programmes are an excellent way to get a head start on exploring the field you’re interested in and can add an extra boost to your college application.

PROMYS Europe is just one of many great programmes to consider.

However, don’t worry if programmes don’t work out for you.

Check out Rishab’s Student STEM Guide for the tell-all on how to snag independent research internships to enrich your summer.