High School
Students in secondary school, including college, intermediate and A-Level students.
Online · 6–9 November 2026
Mathematical Modelling Competition
One open-ended problem. One weekend. Teams of one to five.
An online mathematical modelling competition organised by NUST Math Nexus. Each division tackles one real-world challenge with no single textbook answer. Form your team, build and test your model, and defend your conclusions in a standard research report.
The problem is released in
Friday 6 November at 5:00 pm PKT
Problem releases: 8 days, 23 hours, 43 minutes remaining.- Working window
- 64 hours
- Teams
- 1–5 students
- Two divisions
- School & University
- Base prize pool
- PKR 40,000
Key dates
All times are Pakistan time and enforced by the server clock.
- Wed 28 Oct, 12:00 am PKTRegistration opensTeams register and upload proof of payment.
- To be announcedRegistration closesRosters lock. Verified teams have their Team IDs.
- Fri 6 Nov, 5:00 pm PKTProblem releasedThe 64-hour working window starts.
- Mon 9 Nov, 9:00 am PKTSubmissions closeReports and notebooks due. Late uploads are refused.
What it is
NUST MMC is an online mathematical modelling competition organised by NUST Math Nexus. Each division receives one real-world problem that has no single correct answer. Teams build a mathematical model, test it, explain its limits, and present the result in a standardised PDF report accompanied by a Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb) containing Python code and a short video explanation. Entries are judged on the quality of the modelling and the clarity of the reasoning. The competition has two divisions, High School and University.
- 01
Register & verify
Register your team and upload proof of payment. You get your Team Key immediately; your official Team ID follows once the committee verifies the payment.
- 02
Problem release
At the release time, the competition problem for your division unlocks online. The 64-hour working window begins immediately.
- 03
Model & analyze
Collaborate with your team to formulate equations, run simulations, test edge cases, and validate assumptions against real data.
- 04
Submit solution & code
One PDF of up to 20 pages (summary sheet, report, executive memo and a video link), plus your Python notebook if you wrote code. Submissions are final.
Who can enter
Teams have one to five members, all at the same academic level. A team enters one division only. One person may belong to one team only.
University
Students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate programme.
Prize pool
Every member of every registered team receives a certificate of participation.
High School · first placePKR 20,000
University · first placePKR 20,000
A guaranteed base of PKR 40,000 in total. The pool grows as more teams register.
Fees
Fees depend on division and team size: a base fee plus a per-member fee. Teams in Pakistan pay by bank transfer and upload the receipt while registering.
| Team size | UniversityPakistan · PKR | High SchoolPakistan · PKR | InternationalOutside Pakistan · USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 member | PKR 1,650 | PKR 2,900 | USD 26 |
| 2 members | PKR 2,100 | PKR 3,600 | USD 32 |
| 3 members | PKR 2,550 | PKR 4,300 | USD 38 |
| 4 members | PKR 3,000 | PKR 5,000 | USD 44 |
| 5 members | PKR 3,450 | PKR 5,700 | USD 50 |
Base fee plus a per-member fee: University 1,200 + 450 per member · High School 2,200 + 700 per member · International 20 + 6 per member.
- Bank
- HBL
- Account title
- SANIA ADA
- Account number
- 22927917578499
- IBAN
- PK80HABB0022927917578499
Rules in brief
- §R1.2The High School Division is for students enrolled in secondary school. The University Division is for students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate programme.
- §R1.5A team competes in one division only. All members of a team must be at the same level; teams mixing levels are not accepted.
- §R2.1A team has one to 5 members.
- §R2.4Teams must not collaborate with other teams.
- §R4.3Submissions received after the deadline are disqualified.
- §R4.4Single final submission: Once submitted, no edits, revisions, or resubmissions are permitted under any circumstances. Submissions are permanent, immutable, and final. Teams must verify each checklist requirement and confirm finality before uploading.
- §R5.1Each team submits one Solution Report PDF and, if any code was used to develop the model, one Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb) file containing only Python code. No external GitHub repository links are collected or evaluated.
- §R5.3The four main-solution items together must not exceed 20 pages; the Solution Report therefore has at most 17 pages. References, Appendices, and the Report on Use of AI do not count toward the limit. Pages beyond the limit will not be read.
- §R6.1The PDF is typed, in English, in at least 12 pt font, on A4 paper with margins of at least 1.5 cm.
- §R7.1The team ID is the only identifier allowed on every page of the PDF and inside the Jupyter Notebook. Personal names, schools, and institutions must not appear anywhere.
- §R8.2A team that submits no video loses 10% of its total score.
- §R10.1Plagiarism, or copying a solution from any source, results in disqualification.
Why take part
- 01
A problem with no answer key
You decide what to include, what to ignore, and how to defend that choice — exactly how mathematical modelling works outside the classroom.
- 02
A real deadline
Sixty-four hours, a team, and a fixed format teach rapid planning, iteration, and division of work in a way coursework seldom does.
- 03
A complete body of work
You leave with a rigorous report, a video walkthrough, and working Python code (.ipynb) that you can showcase to universities, researchers, and employers.
- 04
Fair & anonymous judging
Submissions carry only a team ID. No names or institutions appear in the solution report, ensuring every paper is evaluated strictly on merit.
- 05
A growing prize pool
Guaranteed base prize pool of PKR 20,000 for High School and PKR 20,000 for University (PKR 40,000 total base). The prize pool may increase as more teams register.
- 06
Practice for IMMC and NMMC
Provides an authentic sandbox and ideal preparation for the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IMMC) and the National Mathematical Modelling Competition (NMMC).
Questions
Can I join more than one team?
No. A person may be a member of one team only. The registration system enforces this strictly by email address.
Can a team have members from different institutions?
Yes, provided all members belong to the same educational tier (all secondary/college for High School, or all undergraduate/graduate for University).
What email addresses are required for registration?
Every member of a University Division team must provide an official institutional student email (e.g. @*.edu.pk, @*.edu). Personal email providers are rejected. High School Division participants may provide either a student email or a personal email address.
Can we change team members after registering?
No. Team rosters are locked once submitted to maintain integrity and prevent identity transfers.
What programming languages and code formats are allowed?
Only Python is permitted for computational models and simulations. If you used code in your solution, you must upload a single self-contained Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb) alongside your PDF. External GitHub repositories are no longer required or accepted.
Who receives prizes and certificates?
Cash prizes are awarded exclusively to the 1st place champion in each division (High School and University). All verified participating team members receive an official Certificate of Participation. Winning teams receive a Certificate of Merit.
Will teams receive feedback on their models?
Yes. Following the announcement of winners, general feedback and problem debriefs will be provided so all participating teams can review common modelling approaches, strengths, and areas for improvement.
Can we get a refund if our plans change?
No. Registration fees are strictly non-refundable under all circumstances once paid and submitted.
What if our payment proof is rejected?
If payment cannot be verified, the team status will show 'Rejected' with a specific reason. You can resubmit an updated payment proof via the status page without re-registering.
What time zone are deadlines measured in?
All official deadlines are in Pakistan Standard Time (PKT, UTC+5). The website countdown also displays the deadline converted to your local time.
Can we edit our submission after uploading?
No. Once submitted, no resubmissions, edits, or revisions are permitted under any circumstances. Submissions are strictly final and immutable. Teams must thoroughly review all deliverables against the mandatory checklist and confirm finality before submitting.
What if we miss the submission deadline?
The server rejects uploads once the deadline passes. Late submissions cannot be accepted under any circumstances.
What must the solution submission contain?
A single PDF (max 20 pages) comprising a 1-page Summary Sheet (with Google Drive video link), Table of Contents, Solution Report (max 17 pages), and a 1-page Executive Memo. Back matter (References, Appendices, AI Disclosure) does not count toward the 20 pages. If code was used, upload your .ipynb Python notebook file separately alongside the PDF.
What is the team key and what if I lose it?
The Team Key is a secret 15-character code shown when you register, along with a downloadable credentials file that holds it in encrypted form. Use either to check your team’s status. If you lose both, email the committee from the team leader’s address; once they verify it is you, they can re-issue the key.
Have further questions?
Inquiries regarding rules, payments, or institutional coordination may be directed to our student organizing committee.
Official Email Address:
nustmathsnexus@gmail.com