The Ross Program is an intensive summer experience designed to encourage motivated pre-college students to explore mathematics. During those weeks, students are immersed in a world of mathematical discovery.

Dr. Arnold Ross founded this multi-level program at Notre Dame University in 1957. Its growth was then spurred by the launch of the Sputnik satellite and the subsequent surge of interest in science education. Arnold Ross’s Program has run every summer since then, associated mostly with Ohio State University from 1964 through 2018. In 2019, the Program moved to Ohio Dominican University. In 2020 and 2021 the Ross Program was entirely online, but in-person sessions resumed in 2022 at Ohio Dominican University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Our central goal has always been to instruct bright young students in the art of mathematical thinking and to inspire them to discover for themselves that abstract ideas are valuable and important. First year participants take the basic course in number theory. For most students, this is the first time they are asked to consider entirely new questions, to develop methods that they have not seen before, and to justify every answer.

The value of a mathematics education lies not only in obtaining proficiency in computational tasks, but also in building a foundation for critical thinking. Students who have never asked why things work the way they do are not prepared to lead the way to future scientific innovation. It is precisely this independence of thought and questioning attitude that the Ross Program strives to nurture.

罗斯数学训练营成立于1957年, 与Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)和Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)并称为美国三大顶尖数学训练营。2016年以前，每年有400多名来自世界各地的顶尖高中生申请，仅招收50名新生，录取率不足10%。中国学生的录取率则更低。

鉴于该训练营的国际影响力深远，学员高中毕业后多被美国常青藤联盟大学以及其他世界名校录取，入选训练营意味着一条腿跨入了世界名校。以2011年的学员为例，在已知去向的24名学生中，6人入读哈佛大学，5人麻省理工，3人耶鲁大学，2人普林斯顿，1人宾夕法尼亚大学，其他7人分别进入了杜克大学，加州伯克利大学，滑铁卢大学，密歇根大学等名校。

“简单问题，深度思考”是罗斯训练营的主要理念。美国及其他世界名校数学教授倾情授课，课外辅导与讨论相结合，通过具体的数论问题研究，旨在激发学员对数学学习的兴趣，培养辩证思维能力。营期全封闭管理学习，为数学爱好者提供难得的学习交流平台。

Eligibility

Ambitious pre-college students with interests in mathematics and science are invited to apply. First-year students range in age from 15 to 18 years old. (In rare cases, younger or older students are accepted.) Admission decisions are based on several criteria, including: school transcripts; teacher recommendations; essays concerning the applicant’s interests and goals; and the applicant’s work on some challenging math problems.

Undergraduate math majors and math graduate students are invited to apply to be a Ross Counselor.

NOTE. The Ross Program cannot accommodate students who must arrive more than two days after the start of classes.

招生对象： 对数学、科学感兴趣且具备一定英文基础的国内及国际15-18岁学生。

Costs and Financial Aid

Each Ross student is asked to pay a program fee of $6000. Those funds are used to pay for six weeks of room and board, to hire instructors and counselors, and to cover incidental costs of developing and running math courses.

NOTE: Financial aid is certainly available. Accepted applicants are encouraged to apply for aid if their families have some financial need. We hope to provide enough support to enable every accepted applicant to attend this great Program.

To Apply

The Ross Program application is posted on the to apply page. For full consideration, completed applications must be submitted by March 31. The Ross Admissions Committee begins reading the application on April 1.

Acceptance decisions will be made later in April, and the process will be completed by May.

The Ross Program admits students of any race, color, gender, and national or ethnic origin.

Ross Program Support

The Ross Program is supported in several ways. Partners in this mathematical enterprise include:

American Mathematical Society

Jane Street

Related Programs

Some other excellent summer mathematics programs are listed on the AMS mathcamps webpage. The two programs closely related to Ross are PROMYS at Boston University, and the Honors Summer Math Camp at Texas State University.

Questions?

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information. You are also welcome to email us at ross@rossprogram.org.

学生感言

2011 年学员：姚同学（ 南京外国语学校 ） 入读耶鲁大学 （ 全奖 ）

“在高二暑假前申请了一个美国的数学夏令营，这个选拔性很强的夏令营强调个人的独立思考，而不是同学间的相互竞争。在这之前，我仔细研读了班上数学达人所推荐的书目， 做了一些准备，但是这个夏令营的困难程度还是超出了我的想象。夏令营中只有我和一个西 班牙人是国际生。为了防止分心，营员们都不允许携带电脑。每天虽然只有一个小时的讲课， 但是剩余的时间都是用来独立思考数学题的。每一道题都需要写出完整的解题报告，如果方 法不正确，或者证明不严密，都会被退回来重做。这在旁人看来也许像是炼狱般的两个月里， 我却凭借对数学的热爱，做到了乐在其中，对数学的兴趣不减反增。”

2012 年学员：马同学（ 南京外国语学校 ） 入读哈佛大学 （ 全奖 ）

“暑假参加了一个叫做 Ross 数论夏令营, 每天一小时的课, 剩下全部用来独立思考题 目。六周时间,不给带电脑一直在做数论,模拟了 200 年的数论发展史,一定要做完一个成套题 目才能做下一个。当六周结束的时候,学到的东西远远超乎想象。”

2013 年学员：陈同学（ 南京外国语学校 ） 入读麻省理工学院

“高二升高三的暑假，我在美国的暑期学校项目里重新认识了数学。以前接触的数学毕 竟还是以竞赛为主，我们会使用各种各样的定理去解决非常复杂的奥数题，却并不能够保证 真正理解每一道定理的由来。而在这个项目里，我们学会了知其然更知其所以然，从基础的 开始，思考每一条定理的缘由。很多在小学生看来是天经地义的等式都被画上了一个个问号，为什么 0 不能等于 1 ？为什么一个数不是奇数就是偶数？正是在最为严格的证明下，我们在离开夏校的时候学到了的竞赛时并没有接触到的东西，从最基础的定义建立起了属于自己的数论系统。这些经历让我明白，要搭建起数学的琼楼玉宇，我们就要做到踏实、缜密地搭建起它的一砖一瓦。”