Montclair State University’s Academically Gifted and Talented Youth Program provides accelerated, inquiry based courses designed to meet the unique intellectual and social needs of high ability students.  Gifted students in grades 1-11 have an opportunity to enroll in fall and spring weekend courses as well as our six week summer camp. Kindergarten students are eligible for our spring semester. Students in grades 11 and 12 may enroll in college courses as part of our High Jump Program.

Classes are taught on Montclair State University’s 246 acre campus which provides students access to our state of the art technology and labs.Our program provides students with a balanced program of humanities, mathematics, and the sciences. Courses stimulate higher order thinking skills and problem solving and include a diverse array of topics including forensics, robotics, fractals and infinity, debate, animation and cartooning. Because of our small class size and low teacher-student ratio, we are able to provide students with customized programs.  Students delve into topics of personal interest while engaging with other students who have similar abilities and passions. Our instructors have diverse backgrounds and include university professors, teachers of the gifted, and professionals with real-world experience in the topics they present.Over the years, the Montclair State University Gifted and Talented Youth Program has grown in the number of courses offered, the number of grade levels included and in the number of students enrolled.  During the first semester, 28 years ago, 77 students in grades 7-11 enrolled and were offered only two courses.  In contrast, a total of 1,500 students registered for approximately 200 courses in the 2008-2009 academic year.Since the program’s inception in 1981, MSU has served more than 10,000 academically gifted and talented students.  They represent all of northern New Jersey, every county in the state, as well as out-of-state students from Philadelphia, Manhattan, Staten Island and Rockland and Westchester counties.