Summer Engineering Programs for High School Students (2027 Guide)

Last updated: October 28, 2026

Summer engineering programs for high school students range from free, six-week residential programs at MIT and Carnegie Mellon to one-week camps where you try several engineering fields before choosing a major. The best ones have early deadlines, often in December or January, so the time to plan for summer 2027 is now. Below are more than 20 programs, grouped by cost and grade, with eligibility and 2027 dates checked on each official site in October 2026. Programs that had not posted 2027 details are marked with their 2026 dates.

Want to do real engineering research with a PhD mentor? See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Free and fully funded engineering programs

These programs cost students little or nothing, which is one reason they draw so many applicants. Most are for students entering their senior year, so juniors should apply in the fall and winter.

MITES Summer (MIT). A six-week residential program at MIT for rising seniors. Students take five courses and receive a written evaluation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The program is free; students pay only for travel to and from MIT.

MIT Women's Technology Program (WTP). A four-week residential summer program at MIT for students in the summer after 11th grade. WTP has about 20 places and receives more than 300 applications each year. Physics and calculus are not required. The 2027 program runs June 26 to July 24, the application deadline is December 21, 2026, and it is free to apply.

MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI). A four-week, project-based program for students entering their senior year. Students must live in or attend high school in the U.S. Students first self-register for online prerequisite courses, which open February 1; registered students receive the summer application in March. BWSI is tuition-free for families below an income threshold listed on its website.

Carnegie Mellon SAMS (Summer Academy for Math and Science). A six-week, merit-based program that is fully funded, so there is no cost to attend beyond travel.

Michigan State Quantum Motor City. An NSF-funded program in Michigan State's High School Engineering Institute that was free for participants.

Missed a deadline, or want research you can do from anywhere? See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Engineering research programs

Research programs put you in a lab instead of a classroom.

BU RISE (Boston University). A six-week program for rising seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Students in the research internship spend about 40 hours a week in a university lab. Applications open December 17.

Illinois Young Scholars (Grainger College of Engineering). A summer research program for rising 10th to 12th graders from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin.

learnSTEM STEM Research Program. One-on-one engineering research online with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university, such as MIT, Stanford, Columbia or UC Berkeley: 12 weeks, on your own schedule, from anywhere. You set a research question with your mentor by week four and finish with a completed research paper and a written evaluation from your mentor. If you want real engineering research with a top mentor's full attention, without moving to a campus for the summer, this is the program for you.

Research is also possible without a summer program. Our guides to research topics for high school students and internships for high school students explain other routes.

University engineering programs for rising seniors

Purdue STEP: a one-week program for rising seniors (Class of 2028). Registration opens in January 2027.
Purdue MITE: a two-week program for rising 12th graders.
Rutgers RHEx: a one-week program for rising seniors.
Georgia Tech Summer Engineering Institute (SEI): a one-week residential program for students in grades 11 and 12 who are Georgia residents.
University of Maryland Discovering Engineering: a one-week program for rising juniors and seniors, with 25 to 30 students per session.
UT Austin MITE: a five-day program for juniors.

University engineering programs for rising juniors and sophomores

Rutgers Engineering Summer Academy: for rising juniors and seniors.
Michigan SEE Camp: a one-week residential camp hosted by the Society of Women Engineers at the University of Michigan for students entering 10th or 11th grade. The 2026 camp ran July 5 to 11.
Notre Dame Summer Scholars: a two-week residential program for current sophomores and juniors who will be 16 by August 1, 2027. 2027 sessions run June 19 to July 3 and July 10 to 24.
Texas A&M Camp SOAR: a six-day aerospace engineering camp for rising juniors and seniors. Applications open January 1, 2027.
Michigan State High School Engineering Institute: residential programs for students in grades 10 to 12 with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Illinois Engineering Your Options (EYO): a one-week program for high school students in grades 9 to 12.
Carnegie Mellon SEE: a one-week program for rising 8th to 11th graders.

In the STEM Research Program, each admitted student sets a research question with their PhD mentor by week four. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

College-credit and pre-college programs with engineering courses

Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Summer Session: college courses for credit for students who are at least 16 and currently sophomores or juniors.
Stanford Summer Session: for students at least 16 years old in grades 10 to 12. The 2027 session runs June 19 to August 15.
Penn Engineering Summer Academy (ESAP): a three-week program running July 11 to 30, 2027.
Columbia Engineering SHAPE: for rising sophomores through seniors, with two three-week sessions. The first runs July 5 to 23, 2027.
Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation: college-level engineering courses for high school students.

How to get engineering experience in high school

A summer program is only one route. Others that admissions officers can see on your application:

Build something. A robot, an app, a bridge model you test to failure. Document what you designed, what broke and what you changed.
Join a team. FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad (Division C for high school) and similar teams teach design under deadlines.
Take the hardest math and physics you can. Engineering programs care most about these.
Do research. An engineering question with data and a written result shows more than attendance at a camp. See passion project ideas for high school students for ideas.
Use free resources. MIT OpenCourseWare has free course materials, and IEEE TryEngineering has engineering resources for middle and high school students.

Admitted students work one-on-one with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university, online, for 12 weeks. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

How to choose a summer engineering program

Check eligibility first. Many programs are limited by grade, age, residency or citizenship.
Note the deadline. WTP closes December 21, 2026. Other programs open in December or January.
Decide what you want: exploration or depth. One-week camps let you try several fields. Six-week programs and research let you go deep in one.
Look at the output. A written evaluation, a finished project or a paper is more useful than a certificate of attendance.
Plan the cost. Several of the strongest programs are free or funded. Apply to those, and keep a backup.

For more on what admissions offices value, see what colleges look for and how to get into MIT.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most prestigious summer engineering program for high school students? There is no official ranking. The free, residential programs at MIT and Carnegie Mellon (MITES, WTP, BWSI and SAMS) are among the best known, and they receive many more applications than they have places. WTP, for example, receives more than 300 applications for about 20 places.

Is the MIT summer program free? It depends on the program. MITES Summer is free, and students pay only for travel. BWSI is tuition-free for families below its income threshold. WTP is free to apply; check its website for program costs.

How do I get engineering experience in high school? Build projects, join a robotics or Science Olympiad team, take advanced math and physics, attend a summer program and do a research project with a mentor.

When should I apply to summer engineering programs? Start in the fall of the year before. Several deadlines fall in December and January, and some programs open applications in January.

Can I do engineering research online? Yes. Computational, data-driven and design projects can be done entirely online with a mentor.

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About the STEM Research Program

We look for students who are curious, self-motivated and ready for independent work. Prior research experience is not required. Each admitted student works one-on-one with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university, online, for 12 weeks, and sets a research question with their mentor by week four. Students finish with a completed research paper, a written evaluation from their mentor and a one-on-one college counseling session.

Start your application to the STEM Research Program → · Questions about eligibility? Contact us →