How It Works

  • Apply

    Interested contributors propose a project to work on.

  • Code

    Accepted GSoC contributors spend the summer coding with guidance from a mentor.

  • Share

    Submit your code for the world to use!

Contributors

Potential GSoC contributors contact the mentor organizations they want to work with and write a project proposal based on ideas the organization has suggested. Once accepted, GSoC contributors spend a few weeks becoming familiar with the community norms and codebase while determining expected milestones with their mentor for the summer. GSoC contributors then spend 12+ weeks coding on their projects.

Organizations

Open source projects apply to be mentor organizations. Once accepted, organizations discuss possible ideas with contributors and choose the proposals they wish to mentor for the summer. They provide mentors to help guide each contributor through the program.

Mentors

Community members and committers already active in the mentoring organizations can choose to mentor a contributor project. Mentors and GSoC contributors work together to determine appropriate goals for the program period. Mentor interaction is a vital part of the program.

Full Program Timeline

Organization Application Period
Open source organizations can submit their applications to be mentor organizations for GSoC.
Organizations Announced
Potential GSoC contributors discuss project ideas with accepted mentor organizations.
Contributor Application Period
Potential GSoC contributors can register and submit their proposals to the mentor organizations that interest them.
Proposal Review Period
Organizations review and select contributor proposals.
Contributor Projects Announced
Accepted GSoC contributors are paired with a mentor and start planning their projects and milestones.
Community Bonding
GSoC contributors spend 3 weeks learning about their organization’s community and preparing for their coding project.
Coding Period
GSoC contributors work on their Google Summer of Code projects.
Evaluations
Mentors and GSoC contributors submit their evaluations of one another.
GSoC contributors Submit Code and Final Evaluations
GSoC contributors submit their code, project summaries, and final evaluations of their mentors.
Mentors Submit Final Evaluations
Mentors review their GSoC contributor code samples and determine if they should pass the Google Summer of Code Program.
Results Announced
GSoC contributors are notified of the pass/fail status of their Google Summer of Code projects.
View program timeline