CERN-Solvay student camps

The CERN-Solvay student camps are residential camps for high-school students aged 16+ who are curious about CERN and want to learn more about fundamental research in particle physics. For an entire week on site, participants will have the exciting opportunity to do hands-on experiments, visit research facilities at CERN, attend lectures and Q&A sessions, explore STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, and take part in social activities. All participants will work in small groups on dedicated research projects guided by volunteers from CERN’s scientific community. The camps will be entirely in English. We will select 30 high-school students from all over the world for each camp. The first camp took place in October 2023 (see the camp agenda here). Applications for the second and third camps were open from 1 December 2023 to 15 January 2024. The second camp took place 25 May to 1 June 2024, and the third camp will take place from 5 October to 12 October 2024. We currently do not know whether a camp will be planned for 2025. This page will be updated as soon as we know. If you are interested in attending a future camp, please monitor this page for any changes (no need to contact us). 

 

Who is eligible?

  • The most important prerequisite for application is the digital certificate obtained after completing the online course of the CERN-Solvay Education Programme (see the dedicated page).
  • You need a good knowledge of the English language (the entire programme will be in English).
  • You must be at least 16 years old and enrolled in high school when submitting your application. If you are about to turn 16, or turning 16 before the camp starts but after the application closes, we ask that you wait until the next camps are announced at a later date. No exceptions can be made regarding those eligibility criteria.

 

What costs are associated with attending one of the CERN-Solvay student camps?

  • There is no participation fee. Accommodation & meals will be covered for all selected students. However, selected students are expected to arrange and finance their trip to and from CERN on their own.
  • There are limited funds available to support a small number of students by means of a travel grant. Information regarding this funding will be made available as requested by students accepted into one of the CERN-Solvay student camps.

 

When and how can you apply?

  • We accept applications for both the second and third camps from 1 December 2023 to 15 January 2024 (11:59 PM Central European Time). You can apply for either one of the camps or for both, according to your preference. We will inform all applicants about the outcome of their application on 1 March 2024.
  • We only accept applications made through our online application form. You can only access the application form once you obtain a digital certificate after completing the online course of the CERN-Solvay Education Programme. Please note that you have to be logged-in with the same account you created for the online course.
  • The application form consists of different sections:
    • Information about you
    • Information about your school
    • Questions about your motivation
    • Upload of a 1-minute video
    • Upload of one reference letter
    • Upload of your latest grade report / transcript / interim report card
  • You can preview the online application form here if you would like to prepare your application ahead of obtaining your digital certificate.

 

 

@cern_ontiktok 📣 Dear science enthusiasts, did you hear that registrations are open for the CERN-Solvay student camp? 🗓️ Two camps in 2024: June and October. ⏰ Application period: 1 December 2023 to 15 January 2024 (at 11:59 PM CET). 🔗 Register now and find out all about it: cern.ch/solvay-camp #AtCERN #CERNScienceGateway ♬ original sound - CERN