Beam is designed to support students who would not otherwise have access to STEM enrichment opportunities.
Our primary admissions criteria are mathematical: Are you ready for BEAM’s programs?
We focus on students who come from lower-income families. A majority of our students will be the first in their immediate families to attend college.
More about how BEAM defines access:
Economic access
Historically, the median family income for students attending BEAM is $32,000 per year. As a rough guideline, a student from a family of 4 with income above $80,000 would be unlikely to be admitted without other special circumstances. See the “Additional Information on Income” section for a chart that adjusts that this approximate income ceiling for a range of family sizes.
BEAM considers extenuating circumstances when making eligibility decisions. We gauge family income, savings, debt, and other circumstances to get a full picture of whether your family could afford a program like BEAM at full (or any!) cost. There is a place to include this information in the financial eligibility form.
Please call or email BEAM if you have any further questions about financial eligibility.
Parent education
We understand that doors to STEM education and careers are more open to students who have parents with college degrees. A majority of students in our programs will be the first in their immediate families to attend college.
School access
We take into consideration that different schools provide different enrichment opportunities to students, such as after school clubs, math teams, and tailored STEM instruction. We prioritize students attending schools that either don’t provide these opportunities or can’t access those opportunities because of additional enrollment or participation costs.
Additional information on income
As stated under the “Economic Access” section, a student from a family of 4 with income above $80,000 would be unlikely to be admitted without other special circumstances. The chart below adjusts that this approximate income ceiling for a range of family sizes.
| Family Size | Annual Income Approximate Ceiling |
|---|---|
| 2 | $51,000 |
| 3 | $64,000 |
| 4 | $78,000 |
| 5 | $91,000 |
| 6 | $105,000 |
| 7 | $118,000 |
| 8 | $131,000 |
| For each additional family member over, add | $13,500 |
| Family Size | Annual Income Approximate Ceiling |
|---|---|
| 2 | $49,000 |
| 3 | $62,000 |
| 4 | $75,000 |
| 5 | $88,000 |
| 6 | $100,000 |
| 7 | $114,000 |
| 8 | $127,000 |
| For each additional family member over, add | $13,000 |
This page was last updated January 2025 and reflects BEAM’s policies for admissions to summer programs for summer 2025.