RSI admits approximately 80 students each year, of which about 50 are from the United States. Admission to RSI is extremely competitive. There is no tuition or room-and-board charge to attend RSI. Students in all branches of science and mathematics attend the program.
The core of the program is a four-week mentorship, in which each student is assigned a mentor (who may be a scientist, a mathematician, an engineer, a physician, or other person working in a scientific or technical capacity) and performs research under the supervision of that mentor. At the end of the program, the student presents his/her work in the form of both a written research paper and an oral presentation.