The Math Corps at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Program Description: 

The Math Corps began as a phenomenal program at Wayne State University that has changed the lives of thousands of students from Detroit over the past few decades. It is a free math summer camp for middle school students and high school mentors: among those who attend, at least 90 percent graduate from high school, and 90 percent of these students will go to college or into the military. Inspired by this program, math faculty members at the University of Michigan started a Math Corps site in summer 2019. 

The Math Corps at U(M) is based at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and runs Monday through Thursday for one month. The program closely follows the Math Corps practices originally established at Wayne State in that it is a free summer camp for middle school students in Ypsilanti that partners them with high school mentors from Southeast Michigan.  

Each summer, Math Corps welcomes around 60 middle schoolers, 35 high schoolers, and 25 college students to the university’s campus. Campers are placed on a team that consists of ten middle schoolers, five high schoolers, and one team leader in college. The college students work as instructors and mentors. The high school students serve as teaching assistants and program assistants. With this model, college students have teaching opportunities, high schoolers gain valuable mentorship and work experience, and middle schoolers are able to keep their math skills fresh over the summer. The positions for college and high school learners are paid roles. 
 
Each day of the camp has a morning and an afternoon component. In the morning, the focus is entirely on the middle school students. In the afternoon, the middle school students participate in a variety of hands-on activities, while the high school students engage in two mathematics courses of their own, one of which is an advanced course at the college level. Instruction is provided through a variety of formats and includes topics in the fundamentals of mathematics and exposure to advanced topics as well. The curriculum used is unique and has been developed over the past 20 years within the Math Corps itself. All necessary supplies are provided by Math Corps to increase program accessibility. 
 
Breakfast and lunch are also provided. Students arrive at Central Campus in Ann Arbor via bus from Ypsilanti Community Middle School and High School each day and are provided with transportation back. High school campers stay an extra hour for their own math education and then are provided with bus tokens for their return trip. 

Impact:

Math Corps prioritizes mentorship, fostering a positive learning environment, and building a sense of community. Over 110 middle, high school, and college students participate each year. About 25 college students, most of whom are typically former Math Corps students themselves, work as instructors and mentors. The students are broken into teams with each team having ten middle school students, five high school students who are paid as teaching assistants (TAs) and one college student (CI) at the head. The CIs and TAs not only serve as teachers and role models for the middle school students but in many instances, as essentially “big brothers” and “big sisters”. 
 
It also provides students with a chance to learn in a university setting. Math Corps makes the campus experience less frightening, allows students to envision themselves at a university, and contributes to academic achievement and college readiness. 

Population Served: 

Middle and high school students in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and current college students. 

Key Steps for Implementation: 

• Modeled after Math Corps, a program started in 1992 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. 

• Math Corps at U(M) began in 2019. 

Learn more here.

Page last updated in August 2026