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For parents

Is This Summer Program Worth It?

Answer a few questions about a program and see whether it looks selective or pay-to-attend.

Answer for one program. Each question says how to find the answer; “Not sure” is an answer, and it goes on your list of things to check.

Answered0 of 8
Question 1. Is it free, does it pay students a stipend, or does need-based aid cover most of the cost for families who need it?

Look for the cost and financial-aid pages. “Limited scholarships” is not the same as aid that covers most of the cost.

Question 2. Does it publish an acceptance rate, and is it low, with most applicants turned down?

Look on the admissions or FAQ page. If it isn’t published, email and ask how many applied last year and how many were admitted.

Question 3. Does it ask for real application work: essays, recommendations, a problem set or a portfolio?

Read the application itself, not the brochure. A form, a transcript and a deposit is not real application work.

Question 4. Is it run by the university’s own faculty or department, not an outside company using the campus or the university’s name?

Look for “in partnership with” or “hosted at”, and check the footer and the terms page for a company name. If payments go to a company, a company runs it.

Question 5. Does the student produce real work (research, a project, a performance) rather than mostly lectures and tours?

Look at a sample daily schedule. Count the hours spent making something versus listening or sightseeing.

Question 6. Did a letter or email say your student was already “nominated” or “selected” before they applied?

Look at how you first heard about it. An invitation to apply is fine; being “selected” before applying is a sales letter.

Question 7. Does it give college credit? (Doesn’t change the verdict)

Look for the credit details, then check whether the colleges your student is considering accept it.

Question 8. Would it cost more than your family is comfortable paying? (Doesn’t change the verdict)

Add tuition, housing, travel and spending money. Only your family can answer this one.

Your verdict shows up here

Answer all 8 questions. “Not sure” counts as an answer: it goes on your list of things to check.

Shown in full

How we score

Lore’s rule of thumb. It isn’t an official formula, and it doesn’t judge whether a program is good for your student. “Not sure” always counts 0.

Points for each answer
QuestionYesNo
Free, pays, or well-funded+2−2
Low published acceptance rate+3−2
Real application work+1−2
Run by the university itself+1−2
Students produce real work+1−1
“Selected” before applying−30
College creditContext only00
Over your budgetContext only00
Looks selective
A total of +4 or more, and no “selected” letter before applying.
Looks pay-to-attend
A total of −3 or less.
Mixed signals
Anything in between, or fewer than 3 of the first 6 questions answered yes or no. A “selected” letter before applying holds the verdict here at best, whatever the total.

The honest part

Don’t count on a paid program to impress admissions

MIT’s admissions office, on its own blog:

“I do not recommend these summer programs as a thing to do ‘to look good on a college application.’ This should be for personal development. We do not expect that students do these programs.”

MIT Admissions blog (mitadmissions.org, opens in a new tab) last checked pending our review

A pay-to-attend program can still be worth it if your student wants to learn the subject. That’s a family choice, not an admissions strategy.

Many strong options cost little or nothing: competitions, free programs, a project your student runs themselves.

This checks signs of selectivity, not whether a program is good for your student. The weights are our judgment, not an official formula.

Where these facts come from

  1. MIT Admissions, on its own blog: “I do not recommend these summer programs as a thing to do ‘to look good on a college application.’ This should be for personal development. We do not expect that students do these programs.”

    MIT Admissions blog (mitadmissions.org, opens in a new tab) last checked pending our review Report a problem with: MIT Admissions, on its own blog: “I do not recommend these summer programs as a thing to do ‘to look good on a college application.’ This should be for personal development. We do not expect that students do these programs.” (an email to us)

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