🎓 CTP Ethiopia: Summer Sessions 2026

In-person cohort decisions are out! If you applied, please check your email now!

Thank you to everyone who applied! We're proud of you for taking the leap. 🎉

Online cohort applicants: decisions are coming soon, stay tuned!

We did it! 🎉

Our 2026 Summer In-Person Cohort has officially wrapped, and it's been an incredible few weeks!

This summer, we welcomed a group of driven, top-selected high schoolers and gave them the foundation they need to approach the college process with confidence.

These students now have the roadmap and the skills to keep building their applications long after this program ends.

Huge thanks to our instructors and mentors for guiding them every step of the way. 🙌

Congratulations to our 2026 Summer Cohort. We can't wait to see what you build from here! 🎓✨

Decisions for our online cohort will be released soon. Stay tuned!

🎓 CTP Ethiopia: Summer Sessions 2026

Online cohort decisions are out! If you applied, please check your email now!

Thank you to everyone who applied! We're proud of you for taking the leap. 🎉

Extracurricular Activities for International students with financial aid

1. Pioneer Academics Research Program
🗓 Deadline: their will be coming deadline, search
🔗 https://pioneeracademics.com/


2. Pioneer Academics Global Problem Solving Institute
🔗 https://pioneeracademics.com/the-global-problem-solving-institute/admission/


3. Lumiere Education Research Program
🔗 https://www.lumiere-education.com/


4. Ladder Internships (Founded by Stephen Turban)
🔗 https://www.ladderinternships.com/


5. Veritas AI Research Program (for AI enthusiasts)
🔗 https://www.veritasai.com/about-us


6. Harvard Venture & Technology Summer Program 2026
—-It has application fee, but if u could pay this is good program
🔗 https://www.vtsp.com/


7. Horizon 1-to-1 Research Program
🔗 https://horizoninspires.com/


8. Science Mentorship Institute (Sci-MI)
🗓 Deadline: Varies by program
🔗 https://www.sci-mi.org/index.html


9. Young Founders Lab (Startup Bootcamp)
🔗 https://www.youngfounderslab.org/


10. StandOut Connect (Internships with innovative companies)
🔗 https://www.standoutconnect.org/


11. Leaders of Africa Institute – Research Methods Program
🔗 https://www.institute.leadersofafrica.org/program/research-methods-program

12, Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program
Deadline- August 15, 2026, it is open now,  so you all should apply
🔗https://www.asdrp.org/apply

13,The New york academy of science
Dealine: explore that
🔗https://www.nyas.org/learning/high-school-research-programs/the-junior-academy/

14,Yale Young Global Scholars
Dealine: early, around mid october, regular, around early january
🔗https://globalscholars.yale.edu/about

 15, Yale Young African Scholar
Dealine: check this but mostly it is the same with YYGS 
🔗https://africanscholars.yale.edu/about-us

16, Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS)
Deadline: u can check on the lin, so good program 
🔗https://tellurideassociation.org/

17,Summer Science Program (SSP), residential
Deadline: u can check on the website, and because it has different program with different location Check that carefully
🔗https://ssp.org/

18, The Global Youth Excellence and Leadership Program (GYEL) 

🔗https://gyel.org/

19, Student Research Institute (SRI)/ Harvard Undergraduate OpenBio Laboratory’s Research Institute 

🔗https://soco.college.harvard.edu/00003/openbio-home/

20, Teen In health
🔗https://teensinhealth.org/ The Research Fellowship Deadline is August 31, 2026 11:59 PM PST

21, The Climatebase Fellowship 
🔗https://climatebase.org/fellowship?utm_source=weekly_newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=cbf10&utm_content=cbf10-617blast
Apply to Cohort 10 of the Climatebase Fellowship by August 24.


22, Summit Education / Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders in STEM
-It is divided in to two A, Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) 
                                   B, Summit Research Scholars (SRS). 
🔗https://www.summiteducation.org/

23, Addiscoder
🔗https://www.addiscoder.com/

24, Seaside Sustainability Internship Program  and Has other programs
🔗https://www.seasidesustainability.org/internships
🔗https://www.seasidesustainability.org/home

25, Leaf's online programmes 
 🔗https://leaf.courses/

26, Indigo Research program( Their is a program that they give full financial aid) try to find that
 🔗https://www.indigoresearch.org/

27, Research Science Institute (RSI) 
This one is INSANELY competitive, but it is one of the best programs on the list.
RSI is a six-week STEM program at MIT involving:
Intensive STEM coursework
Original research
Research mentorship
Final research presentation
And importantly, it is free. The CEE describes RSI as bringing together U.S. and international students for a cost-free program
 🔗https://www.cee.org/programs/research-science-institute
🔗https://www.cee.org/

28, PROMYS 
Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS) is another excellent mathematics option.
It is a six-week intensive mathematics program at Boston University involving:
Number theory
Advanced seminars
Mathematical exploration
Research/mentoring
Guest lectures
The 2026 program information states that full and partial financial aid is available, and that financial aid for international students is considered case-by-case
🔗https://promys.org/

29, Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
SUMaC is another strong option for mathematically talented students.
Financial aid is open to all applicants and that aid can be awarded to both domestic and international participants.
🔗https://sumac.spcs.stanford.edu/

30,  REGENERON SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH - This is award but can be counted as activity- One of the most prestigious award ever for high school students
🔗https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/

31, Mathcamp - Canada/USA Mathcamp 
 Ages 13–18
International students  accepted
International students can receive partial or full scholarships
Travel grants can also be provided
Admission is need-blind, including for international students
Five-week intensive mathematics program
The official site specifically says international students are eligible for financial aid and that Mathcamp can meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, including travel assistance.
🔗https://www.mathcamp.org/




32, Harvard Summer School (Secondary School Program & Pre-College)
Financial Details: Need-based financial aid available (requires applying by the financial aid priority deadline).
International Eligibility: Accepts international students for both online and residential tracks.
🔗https://summer.harvard.edu/high-school-programs/

33, LaunchX Entrepreneurship Program
Financial Details: Need-based financial awards and fee waivers available.
International Eligibility: Fully open to international students worldwide.
🔗https://www.launchx.com/

34, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
Financial Details: Need-based financial aid offered for eligible families.
International Eligibility: Open to global applicants who meet test/academic qualification thresholds.
🔗https://cty.jhu.edu/

35, The Knowledge Society(TKS)
 🔗https://www.tks.world/

36, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Pre-College
Financial Details: Need-based scholarships available (scholarship deadline is typically late January).
International Eligibility: Accepts international students across residential and online options.
🔗https://precollege.risd.edu/

37, University of Notre Dame Pre-College
Financial Details: Need-based financial aid available.
International Eligibility: Welcomes applications from international students.
🔗https://precollege.nd.edu/

38, Smith College Summer Science & Engineering Program (SSEP)
Financial Details: Partial and full need-based financial assistance available.
International Eligibility: Open to international female-identifying high school students.
🔗https://www.smith.edu/academics/programs-courses/precollege-programs/summer-science-engineering-program
39, Stanford Summer Humanities Institute — SHI 
Students study subjects in the humanities at Stanford, with topics such as history, literature, philosophy, political thought, etc.
open to all applicants, and international students can receive aid based on demonstrated financial need and Best for: History, literature, philosophy, politics, culture, writing. 
🔗https://summerhumanities.spcs.stanford.edu/

40, Economics for Leaders — EFL 
This one is particularly interesting if you're looking for economics + leadership + business.
The Foundation for Teaching Economics runs programs where high-school students study economics while developing leadership skills. Their site says 2026 applications are closed and 2027 applications are expected to open in December 2026.
🔗https://fte.org/

41 ,Rustic Pathways Climate Leaders Fellowship — in partnership with Stanford's Deliberative Democracy Lab
Free for accepted students, focused specifically on climate leadership — a strong match biology/environmental science direction.
Recognition Opportunities
Certificate of Completion (all graduates)
Climate Leadership Award (top projects per cohort)
Letters of Recommendation (upon request)

 
🔗https://climateleadersfellowship.org/

42, John Locke  Institute Programs
🔗https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/about

Competitive events

Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad runs events focused on experimentation, engineering, data analysis, and scientific reasoning. While not solely a research-focused activity, this competition can introduce you to concepts, skills, background, and ongoing research to help you carry out your own investigations. It is also one of the most widely recognized STEM competitions for high school students.

Regeneron Science Talent Search
This prestigious competition rewards advanced independent STEM research projects. You can develop and submit scientific papers and presentations at the regional/local level to stand a chance to secure national recognition and prizes for your work.

National History Day’s Contest
National History Day encourages students to conduct original historical research through papers, documentaries, exhibits, or performances. The theme changes each year, with recent areas of focus revolving around innovation in a historical context. 

John Locke’s Global Essay Prize
This essay competition focuses on philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, and law. It is a strong option for humanities-focused students interested in analytical writing.

Math Olympiad Competitions
Math Olympiad is a recognized competition designed to help you develop logical reasoning and problem-solving abilities. Advanced mathematical exploration can also be a form of, or at least a step toward, academic research, helping you tackle computational, cybersecurity, or quantitative research work.

Science fairs
School, regional, and large-scale science fairs (such as the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair) are valuable research opportunities for high school students. You can choose a suitable fair to submit original independent or group research work, developing experimentation, data collection, and presentation in the process. 

Model United Nations
Model UN requires you to take on the role of key diplomatic and political figures and conduct extensive research into international relations, policy issues, and geopolitical conflicts. Your MUN position papers can become substantial analytical projects.

Community-based research

1, Community survey
You can study local opinions about transportation, education, sustainability, or healthcare through survey-based research. You can use the findings to explore solutions for existing issues. Such community projects will help you connect academic work with real-world issues.

2, Nonprofit collaboration
You can work with nonprofits, as they often need help collecting or analyzing data related to outreach, community engagement, or program effectiveness. This creates practical research opportunities for you outside traditional academic settings. You can look up and contact local nonprofits actively looking into areas that align with your research interests.

3, Local wildlife or biodiversity monitoring
You can track bird populations, plant species, or ecosystem changes within your region to examine patterns and environmental problems or behavioral changes. Such ecological observation-based projects are flexible and relatively low-cost.

4, Public transportation usage research
Urban planning and transportation studies can involve analyzing commuting patterns, accessibility, or public satisfaction with local transit systems. You can zero in on the transport use within your area to identify issues or areas for improvement. 

5, Oral history interviews
You can interview older community members about historical events, migration stories, or cultural traditions. This can produce meaningful qualitative research that you can use to document living history not recorded in books.

Independent Research Projects

1, Local environmental study
You can study pollution, biodiversity, water quality, or waste management issues in your local area. Environmental monitoring projects are among the most accessible research activities for high school students interested in sustainability. You can continue collecting data, adding data points, and refining your work throughout high school and beyond.

2, Social media trend analysis
This can be a psychology or sociology research project to examine how social media habits influence productivity, mental health, or communication patterns among teenagers. Surveys and publicly available data can support your analysis.

3, Local history research
You can interview community members, examine archives, and study regional historical events. Such history research projects allow you to combine storytelling with academic investigation.

4, Economic case study
You can analyze pricing trends, local business growth, or consumer behavior within your community to build a case study. As an economics project, this activity can help you develop data analysis and interpretation skills.

5, Computer science/coding project
Coding-based research activities for high school students typically include building machine learning models, developing apps, testing algorithms, or conducting a cybersecurity analysis. These projects often combine technical implementation with written analysis.

6, Public health awareness research
You can investigate public understanding of nutrition, exercise, mental health, or preventive healthcare through surveys and interviews. Then you can communicate your findings through posters, reports, or even videos to raise awareness of public health challenges. 



7, Literary analysis paper
If you are interested in English and humanities, you can conduct research through comparative literary analysis, cultural criticism, or thematic studies, focusing on a genre, literary piece, movement, or one or more authors. Literary research can help you examine the role literary works play in shaping public perception and behavior as well as how history shaped writing.

8, Political science investigation
As research areas, public policy and political behavior offer many accessible investigation opportunities. You can analyze voting trends, political messaging, or youth civic engagement. You can present your findings to peers, community members, and the larger public to start a conversation about a political or civic issue. 

9, Educational inequality
Researching access to educational resources, technology gaps, or learning outcomes can help you combine sociology, education, and policy analysis into one project. You can conduct a full-fledged study or present data in the form of a video, article, or poster to an audience of educators, students, and parents.

Best resources for college application 

1, Borderless 

Borderless is an admissions platform specifically built around international students applying to universities abroad, particularly students targeting competitive universities and scholarships.
Borderless is especially valuable because it includes real stories from international students and explains their actual college application journeys. They share their backgrounds, extracurricular activities, college lists, essays, financial-aid experiences, challenges, and the strategies they used to get admitted to universities. These stories give students practical examples of how others built successful applications and show that students from different countries and circumstances can also achieve their goals. 
Its mission is basically: your country or background shouldn't determine whether you have access to good college-admissions guidance. The founders themselves are former international students, and the company says it was created because many talented students don't have access to counselors who understand international admissions.

2, snowday

🔗https://www.snow.day/
Snowday is a very useful website for high-school students because it brings together 2,100+ extracurricular and enrichment opportunities in one place, including summer programs, competitions, research, leadership, coding, writing, STEM, business, humanities, and community service.
It is especially helpful for college applications because you can search and filter opportunities by field, location, cost, date, and other criteria, while also seeing expert recommendations and Snowday's financial-accessibility ratings.
The most important part is that it helps students discover activities that can strengthen their college applications, such as research programs, competitions, leadership opportunities, internships, and academic programs, instead of having to search hundreds of websites individually. For example, Snowday lists programs with details about eligibility, deadlines, costs, financial aid, and international-student eligibility.


3, College Essay Guy

🔗https://www.collegeessayguy.com/
For the supplemental essay- 🔗https://www.collegeessayguy.com/supplemental-essays 
 Personal statement-🔗https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement-resources

College Essay Guy is a valuable resource for students applying to college, especially for personal statements and supplemental essays. It provides free guides, example essays, brainstorming exercises, videos, podcasts, and application advice. It explains how to find your story, choose an essay topic, structure your essay, show your personality and values, revise your writing, and make your application feel authentic.
One of its biggest strengths is its collection of real successful college essays with explanations of why they worked, which allows students to see how strong applicants turn their experiences into compelling stories. It also covers the activities list, “Why Us” essays, supplemental essays, college lists, and the overall application strategy

4, Edu Grands

Webiste 🔗https://edugrants.uz/
Telegram 🔗https://t.me/edugrandsuz

EduGrants is a platform that brings together verified scholarships, grants, and educational opportunities from around the world. It currently lists 1,000+ opportunities across 30+ countries and is used by 20,000+ students.
It is particularly useful for college applicants because you can filter opportunities by country, education level, field of study, type of funding, and deadline. It also provides deadline reminders and application tracking, making it easier to find opportunities that match your profile and avoid missing important deadlines.
Another important feature is that EduGrants doesn't only list university scholarships. It includes summer programs, exchange programs, mentorships, internships, and other educational opportunities. For example, its listings include fully funded programs for talented high-school students as well as free mentorship opportunities

5, From Lumiere education website with this link

🔗https://www.lumiere-education.com/blog-1-1/categories/programs

6, Opportunity Alerts, They post different opportunities including high school activities
🔗https://t.me/opportunity_alerts

Important Youtube channel You should subscribe to 

1, Cassandra Hsiao [https://www.youtube.com/@CassandraHsiao]

2, College essay Guy[https://www.youtube.com/@Collegeessayguy]

3, Pratik Vangal [https://www.youtube.com/@PratikVangal]

4, ElevatEd School [https://www.youtube.com/@elevatedschool]

5, Ivy League Road Map - especially the shorts[https://www.youtube.com/@ivy_roadmap]

Instagram

1, Ivy Road map [https://www.instagram.com/ivy_roadmap/?hl=en]

2, tineocollegeprep [https://www.instagram.com/tineocollegeprep/?hl=en]

3, Amir Rakhimov [https://www.instagram.com/rakhimoff_amir/?hl=en]

4, limmytalks [https://www.instagram.com/limmytalks/?hl=en]

5, Stephen | Lumiere Education [https://www.instagram.com/lumiere_edu/?hl=en]

6, Snowday [ https://www.instagram.com/snowday_edu/?hl=en ]

Telegram Channels

1, Bobirjon's Blog | IELTS 9 | SAT 1600 [https://t.me/BobirjonsThoughts ]

2, asadbek aka [ https://t.me/asadbek_closer ]

3, Opportunity Alert [https://t.me/opportunity_alerts ]

4,𝕜𝕓'𝕤 𝕠𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕙𝕦𝕓 [ https://t.me/kb_opportunity_hub ]

5, Edu Grands [https://t.me/edugrandsuz ]

6, Elpizo learning centre channel [ https://t.me/Elpizo224 ]

UNIVERSITIES THAT GIVE FULL RIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

🇺🇸 United States

Early Decision 1 (ED1)

Recommended

Vanderbilt University — ED1
Swarthmore College — ED1
Rice University — ED1
Haverford College — ED1
UChicago — ED1
Smith College — ED1
Vassar — ED1
Wellesley — ED1
UMiami — ED1
Wellesley — ED1

Early Decision 2 (ED2)

Recommended

Vanderbilt University — ED2
Swarthmore College — ED2
Rice University — ED2
UChicago — ED2

“Ivy ED if your application is really good”

University of Pennsylvania — ED
Columbia University — ED
Princeton University — ED



Brown University
Yale University
Harvard University
Dartmouth College
Cornell University
Duke University
Amherst College
Williams College
Bowdoin College
Carleton College
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU)
Tufts University
Berea College
Stanford University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Johns Hopkins University
Northwestern University
Colby College
Washington and Lee University
Trinity College
Brandeis University
Babson College
Oberlin College
Bates College
Pomona College
Notre Dame

🇶🇦 Qatar

Northwestern University–Qatar
Carnegie Mellon University–Qatar
Georgetown University–Qatar

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

NYU Abu Dhabi
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI).

🇨🇳 China

Duke Kunshan University

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

HKUST
Lingnan University

🇰🇷 South Korea

Pusan National University
Yonsei University
KAIST — fee waiver note you wrote: ask in October
CHQUM

🇨🇦 Canada

University of British Columbia (UBC)
University of Toronto

🇹🇷 Turkey

Türkiye bulslari Scholarship

University of Toronto

Description: Study at Canada’s top-ranked research institution located in Toronto. The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship recognizes exceptional international students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, creativity, and strong leadership impact within their school and community.

Deadline:November 6, 2026

Learn more and apply here

@ctpsummer

Please Please Please listen this

Don’t limit yourself to applying only to universities in the USA. There are many excellent universities in China, South Korea, Canada, Turkey, the UAE, and other countries that offer full-ride or fully funded scholarships to international students. Take some time to research them—you may find amazing opportunities that you didn’t know existed.
And remember, getting your bachelor’s degree outside the USA doesn’t mean you’re giving up on the USA. You can always pursue your master’s degree in the USA later. What matters most is finding an affordable university where you can get a strong education and build a great academic profile.

BTW for research U can use Borderless website , go to the playlist which say full scholarship in asia so You can see from their which asia/china/southkorea university give fullride

As you guys know the main weapon in Math sat exam is Desmos, I feel bad for those who did their sat math exam without Desmos and got Cooked😭😭😭😭😭😭

Desmos[ https://www.desmos.com/calculator ] is a graphing calculator that lets you enter mathematical equations and see them visually as graphs.
For the Digital SAT, Desmos is extremely important because the calculator is built directly into the test. It can help you solve or check many problems involving equations, functions, systems, quadratics, graphs, inequalities, and data much faster than doing everything by hand.
The biggest advantage is that Desmos lets you see the mathematics. For example, instead of manually solving two equations, you can graph both and see where they intersect. Instead of solving a quadratic step by step, you can graph it and find its x-intercepts.
So, learning Desmos is not about avoiding math. It is about learning when and how to use a powerful tool to save time, reduce calculation mistakes, and solve certain SAT problems more efficiently.
The most important skill is recognizing which questions are faster with Desmos and which are faster by hand.

Good Resources/Video to watch
1, https://youtu.be/-pGNBb8M3LQ?si=kfJl-_XLStDZv8z8
2, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFmt1VwZte8&list=PLf3ypEs9Kobgascv5bwpOadB0UiVI5IQS
3, https://youtu.be/jCT0jTVzKy0?si=sGPVvQSrH58OwKMT

Smart Essay Strategies That Can Help You Get Into Top Universities
Your college essay is your voice. Make it powerful.

1. Share a Journey, Not Just Information

📖 Don’t just say what you’ve done. Tell a story about a moment that changed you.

🎲Set the scene

🎲Show the challenge

🎲End with a lesson learned

A real story is more powerful than a list of facts.

2. Change Your Sentence Rhythm

✍️ If every sentence sounds the same, your writing becomes boring.
Mix short and long sentences to create a natural flow.
Let your writing feel like a conversation, not a report.

3. Show the Real You

🌟Your grades and awards are in your application.
Use your essay to show your character, values, and how your life experiences shaped your decisions.

This is where you prove you're more than just a student. you're a human with a story worth telling.

🎓 HOW TO TURN A DEFERRAL INTO AN ACCEPTANCE at an Ivy League!

|✉️ The Power of the Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI)💡💡|

If you’ve been deferred from your dream Ivy League school after applying Early Decision or Early Action⚡️don’t panic. how to use a LOCI to boost your chances:
🎯 What’s a LOCI?

A Letter of Continued Interest is a short, professional letter you send to update the admissions committee between your early application (Nov) and the final decision (Jan–March).

📌 What Makes a Strong LOCI?
1. Start with Commitment

Make it clear: This school is my first choice!

🔼Say it right at the beginning.🔼
2. Show Growth & Impact

Include 2–3 major updates since your application:
🏆 Awards
⚙️ Projects
🧪 Research
🗣 Speaking or leadership roles

Big national or competitive accomplishments work best!
3. Be Clear & Concise

🎯No fluff.
🎯Not a second personal essay.
🎯Keep it short, focused, powerful.

❄️ When LOCIs Don’t Help
If you don’t have significant new achievements, the LOCI won’t make a big difference. Focus on real growth, not just restating your interest.

⚡️ Finally⚡️:
Admissions teams are busy- give them exactly what they need to see why you’re an even better candidate now.

A huge thank you to our CTP 2026 Summer instructors for compiling these valuable strategies and insights! 🙌