26 Engineering Summer Camps for High School Students
Updated: Oct 14
TL;DR
The 26 programs below run from free five-day seminars to credit-bearing courses at Penn, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins, grouped by format and region. Cost is the fastest filter, since several charge nothing while a residential pre-college course can pass $14,000. Most are open to grades 9 to 12, and deadlines land earlier than the summer dates suggest, with Columbia SHAPE, Penn ESAP and Carnegie Mellon’s SAMS all closing between mid-December and late February. Santa Clara’s Summer Engineering Seminar is free, five days long, and calls itself the last free residential pre-college engineering program in the country. If you would rather finish the summer with an engineering paper of your own, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you with a PhD mentor remotely.
An engineering summer camp is the fastest way to find out whether you actually like designing, building, and fixing things, or just like the idea of it. The camps below range from free five-day seminars to credit-bearing courses at Penn, Columbia and Johns Hopkins, and several cost nothing at all. They're grouped by format and region, so you can jump straight to short camps, longer pre-college courses, California options, free camps, or online courses.
How to choose between a short camp and a pre-college engineering course
Short camps run five days to two weeks and cost anywhere from nothing to about $5,000. Pre-college courses run three to six weeks, often carry university credit, and can cost up to $10,000. Which one fits depends on whether you are testing engineering or already committed to it.
| Short camp | Pre-college course |
Length | Five days to two weeks | Three to six weeks |
Cost | Free to about $5,000 | Roughly $4,000 to $10,000, and more for residential |
What you leave with | Exposure to several disciplines and usually one group project | University credit, a transcript line, or a graded individual project |
Credit | None | Varies, so check before you pay. Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation awards three JHU credits for an A or B, while Summer@Brown, WPI Frontiers and UC Berkeley’s BEYA run multiple weeks without awarding any |
Who it suits | You are still deciding whether engineering is for you, or which branch of it | You already know you want to study engineering and want something that counts |
Grade and age | Open to most 9th and 10th graders | Most require you to be 16 or a rising junior |
If you are a sophomore, the short camps are where almost all your options are. If you are a junior deciding between the two, the credit question is the one worth settling first, since it is the only difference that follows you onto an application. Our list of pre-college engineering programs covers the year-round options alongside the summer ones.
How much do engineering summer camps cost, and which ones are free?
Costs on this list run from nothing to roughly $16,000, and most of that gap comes down to length and whether you sleep on campus. Free options exist at every level of selectivity.
Free programs exist: Most free programs restrict eligibility by citizenship, geographical location, or age. Georgia Tech’s Summer Engineering Institute is free but restricted to Georgia residents, and Carnegie Mellon’s SAMS is fully funded for US citizens and permanent residents.
Commuter programs tend to be cheaper: Columbia SHAPE costs $6,241 for commuters against $11,492 for residential. Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation runs about $4,230 to commute against $10,190 residential, and its scholarships apply only to the commuter and online formats.
Need-based aid is available: COSMOS is state-subsidised by family income, Cornell CURIE offers both tuition and travel scholarships, and Michigan’s SEE Camp and UTSA’s Klesse camps both run aid for fees.
Budget outside of just tuition fees: Travel is rarely included, and application fees and deposits add up. Cornell Precollege charges $85 to apply, COSMOS charges $46, and Stanford’s online institutes add up to $100 in course materials.
How to get into a competitive engineering summer camp
Most programs here decide on GPA, a teacher recommendation, and one or two short essays. The factor you control most is timing, since several close in December or January for the following summer.
Work backwards from the earliest deadline: Columbia SHAPE opens in mid-November with a priority and scholarship deadline in mid-December. Penn ESAP opens its application on December 1, sets a priority deadline at the end of January, and a final deadline about a month after that. Carnegie Mellon’s SAMS closes in early February, and COSMOS runs a four-week January window.
Clear the prerequisites: Penn ESAP requires a 3.0 GPA and that you be at least 15 at the start. Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation expects Algebra II and a lab science. UCLA Engineering Design sets 3.2, rising to 3.5 for the Microcontrollers track.
Treat rolling admission as its own deadline: Purdue STEP, Northeastern Accelerate and WPI Frontiers all admit on a rolling basis and routinely fill before the published close. Northeastern’s 2026 enrollment closed before summer began.
Apply to more than one program: Many programs cap the number of students they admit, so it’s best to apply to multiple programs. Michigan’s SEE Camp takes about 40 campers from several hundred applicants, and Berkeley’s BEYA caps its cohort at 30.
Do engineering summer camps help with college applications?
Yes. A camp shows an admissions reader that you tried engineering. What makes it count is what sits on either side of it.
It gives a stated major some evidence behind it: If you write that you want to study mechanical engineering, a week at Purdue STEP or Cornell CURIE is a specific, checkable reason to believe you.
Credit-bearing courses carry more weight: Three Johns Hopkins credits or a Cornell transcript line is an academic result that admissions officers consider more valuable than a simple certificate of attendance.
Pair it with other activities: A student who attends an aerospace camp and then enters one of the engineering competitions or takes on a longer project has a trajectory. Participating in multiple engineering-related activities shows colleges that you are consistent and driven to study the subject.
Aim for program output: Programs ending with a research paper, project, or presentation give admissions officers a credible output to evaluate. Per our research, Lumiere alumni were 4x more likely to get into top universities than general applicants, with 97% of them mentioning their research project in the application.
How we selected these programs
We assessed every program on this list against five criteria.
Who teaches it: Whether you work with faculty, graduate researchers or undergraduate counsellors, and how much direct contact you actually get.
What you finish with: transferable credit, a completed design project or a portfolio piece, rather than attendance alone.
Published cost and what it covers: the full price including application fees and deposits, and whether housing and meals are inside or outside that figure.
Verifiable eligibility: grade, age, GPA, and residency requirements taken from the program’s own page, not from secondhand listings.
Access: whether need-based aid exists, and who is excluded by state, citizenship or commuting-distance rules.
Section | Top programs | Cost | Best for |
One- and two-week engineering camps at universities | Purdue STEP, Cornell CURIE Academy, WPI Frontiers, Northeastern Accelerate, Manhattan University Residential Summer Engineering Program | $1,900 – $7,095 | Students still deciding whether engineering is for them, or which branch, who want a short, low-commitment campus preview |
Pre-college engineering courses at top universities | Penn ESAP, Columbia Engineering SHAPE, Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation, Cornell Precollege Studies, Summer@Brown | $3,100 – $11,492 | Students already set on engineering who want university credit, a transcript line, or deeper coursework from faculty |
Engineering summer camps in California | COSMOS, UCLA Engineering Design, Santa Clara Summer Engineering Seminar, UC Berkeley Engineering Youth Academy (BEYA), Sally Ride Science Academy | Free – $16,000 (Berkeley Pre-College Scholars residential) | California students who want a top engineering program without a cross-country flight, from a free week to a four-week UC residential |
Free and low-cost engineering camps | Carnegie Mellon SAMS, Georgia Tech Summer Engineering Institute, Michigan SEE Camp, UTSA Klesse College Engineering Camps | Free – $650 | Students for whom cost is the main filter, though most limit eligibility by state, grade, or financial need |
Online engineering camps and courses | Free – $3,300 | Students who don’t live near a host campus or want a schedule that fits around other summer plans |
One- and Two-Week Engineering Camps at Universities
These short residential camps put you on a university campus for a week or two, usually rotating through several engineering disciplines or building one project from start to finish. They're a low-commitment way to test the field before you sign up for something longer.
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $2,500, including housing, meals and local transportation; need-based scholarships are offered after acceptance
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not published, and admission is rolling until sessions fill
Dates: Four one-week sessions between early July and early August (2026 ran July 5 to August 1)
Application deadline: Rolling until sessions fill, followed by a waitlist, so apply as soon as applications open
Eligibility: Rising seniors; three years of math and a year of chemistry or physics are recommended, and you submit PSAT, SAT or ACT scores with a transcript
STEP is a one-week seminar for rising seniors run through Purdue Engineering's honors program. You spend the week on campus exploring Purdue's engineering disciplines through hands-on activities and sessions with faculty and current students, which makes it a focused preview of what an engineering major there actually involves.
Who it's best for: A rising senior who is seriously weighing an engineering major and wants a one-week preview at a top engineering school for $2,500.
Location: Manhattan University, Riverdale, Bronx, NY (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $2,500, all-inclusive
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Application-based; cohort size not published
Dates: One week in August; the 2027 program runs August 1 to 7
Application deadline: Rolling registration while places last; spots are limited, so register early
Eligibility: Current 10th or 11th graders
This residential week rotates you through six engineering fields: chemical, civil, environmental, computer, electrical and mechanical. Living on campus is required, and the same department also runs a free Summer Engineering Awareness Program and shorter department camps if you want something lighter.
Who it's best for: A sophomore or junior near New York City who wants to sample six engineering majors in one late-summer week.
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $1,900 in 2025, covering room, meals and supplies, plus a $75 deposit; need-based tuition and travel scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 35 to 50 students per academy
Dates: One week, usually the third week of July
Application deadline: Usually in mid-February
Eligibility: Current sophomores and juniors with at least a 3.0 GPA who live and attend high school in the US (citizenship is not required)
CURIE is a one-week academy run by Cornell Engineering's outreach office that introduces you to the branches of engineering taught at Cornell through faculty-led sessions and a team research project. At under $2,000 with scholarships on top, it is one of the most affordable Ivy League engineering residentials on this list.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A sophomore or junior with a 3.0 or higher who wants a short, affordable week at Cornell Engineering and can apply by mid-February.
Location: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $4,995 per two-week session in 2027, including housing and meals; tuition assistance is available to domestic applicants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Rolling admission; each workshop has limited space
Dates: Two weeks; 2027 sessions run July 5 to 16 and July 18 to 30
Application deadline: Rolling from early December; usually apply by mid-March to be considered for tuition assistance
Eligibility: Rising 10th, 11th and 12th graders
Frontiers pairs a STEM "major" with a humanities, arts or business "minor", so you can spend two weeks on an engineering discipline while still taking a class outside STEM. The program is non-credit and adds college prep workshops and evening activities, and applying is free.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A rising sophomore, junior or senior who wants a two-week engineering taster with a non-STEM class on the side.
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $7,095 in 2026, including housing, meals and materials; every admitted student is considered for need-based aid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Cohort size not published
Dates: Two weeks; 2026 sessions ran July 12 to 24 and July 26 to August 7
Application deadline: Rolling until full; 2026 enrollment closed before summer, so apply early once 2027 applications open
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
This two-week program is about making things: you work with Arduino and C++, 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC machining on design projects in Boston. It's a strong fit if you learn best with tools in your hands rather than through lectures.
Who it's best for: A rising junior or senior who wants hands-on fabrication and prototyping and has a budget of around $7,000 or qualifies for aid.
Pre-College Engineering Courses at Top Universities
These courses run three weeks or longer, and several award college credit. They cost more than the short camps, but you get deeper coursework taught by university faculty.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $9,250 in 2026, covering tuition, housing, meals, materials and trips; limited need-based aid for US citizens and permanent residents
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not published, and a 3.0 GPA is the minimum
Dates: Three weeks; the 2027 program runs July 11 to 30
Application deadline: Applications open December 1, 2026; the final deadline is February 17, 2027
Eligibility: At least 15 by the program start with a 3.0 GPA or higher; students can't repeat the program
ESAP offers Penn credit for courses adapted from first- and second-year engineering classes, in Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Computer Graphics, Computer Science, AI x Bio, Nanotechnology and Robotics. You live on Penn's campus for three weeks and work in its labs.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A strong STEM student who wants Ivy League credit in robotics or nanotechnology and can apply by mid-February.
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY (commuter, with limited residential places in Session 1)
Cost/Stipend: $6,241 per session for commuters and $11,492 for residential students in 2026; need-based scholarships covering the full cost are available to domestic students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not published
Dates: Two three-week sessions; 2027 runs July 5 to 23 and July 26 to August 13
Application deadline: Applications open mid-November 2026, with a priority and scholarship priority deadline of December 16, 2026 (the 2026 final deadline was March 2)
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors, plus recent graduates; residential students must be 16 or older
SHAPE offers project-based engineering courses taught by Columbia Engineering faculty in robotics, computer science, electrical engineering, and innovation and design, with electives, workshops and company visits. Full scholarships exist, and applying by the December priority date gives you the best shot at one.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A student who can commute to Morningside Heights and is organized enough to apply by mid-December for scholarship priority.
Location: Johns Hopkins Homewood campus in Baltimore or Hood College in Frederick, MD (residential), plus commuter sites and online options
Cost/Stipend: In 2026, about $4,230 to commute at Homewood or Hood, $10,190 residential at Homewood, and about $4,225 online; need-based scholarships apply to commuter and online formats only
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 18 to 24 students per class with a 12:1 student-to-instructor ratio
Dates: Four weeks; the 2026 program ran June 29 to July 24
Application deadline: Usually an early action deadline in late January (January 30 in 2026)
Eligibility: Students who have finished at least sophomore year, with a lab science and Algebra II completed
Engineering Innovation offers Johns Hopkins credit through courses including Explore Engineering Innovation, Sustainable Energy Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Innovation and an Engineering Innovation Research Program. Because the same courses run residential, commuter and online, you can get the credit for less than half the residential price.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A student who wants transferable Johns Hopkins credit and would rather commute or study online to keep costs and scholarship eligibility in reach.
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (residential, commuter or online)
Cost/Stipend: $1,940 per credit in summer 2026, so a three-week residential course with housing and meals ran about $9,300 to $11,200; the rate rises to $2,013 per credit for 2027, plus an $85 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 1,500 students attend each summer across all subjects
Dates: Three- and six-week sessions from late June to late July (2026 ran June 22 to July 31)
Application deadline: Usually in early May for residential courses, with rolling admission, and most courses fill before the deadline
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors; residential students are 16 to 18
Precollege Studies enrolls you in regular, credit-bearing Cornell undergraduate courses. The engineering list is short: in 2026 it included ENGRI 1101 Engineering Operations and Calculus for Engineers, so check the 2027 course list before you commit.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A rising junior or senior who wants a real Cornell transcript and is happy with a small menu of engineering courses.
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI (residential, commuter or online)
Cost/Stipend: In 2026, from $3,748 for a one-week residential course to $10,858 for the five-week hybrid; online courses from $3,364; need-based aid is available to US applicants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No published acceptance rate; decisions are rolling
Dates: One-, two- and three-week on-campus sessions and a five-week hybrid between mid-June and late July (2026 ran June 15 to July 25)
Application deadline: Usually in May, with rolling decisions before then
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18
Summer@Brown offers more than 230 non-credit courses, including a dedicated Engineering and Technology area. You can pick anything from a one-week course to a five-week hybrid, which makes it easy to fit around other summer plans.
Who it's best for: A younger high schooler who wants a flexible-length, no-credit engineering course at an Ivy League campus.
Location: Residential and day sites across the US, plus online
Cost/Stipend: Roughly $3,100 to $7,800 depending on format and site; need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Qualifying test scores are required for most courses
Dates: Three-week sessions; summer 2027 is tentatively June 27 to July 16 and July 18 to August 6
Application deadline: Usually by early May, while space remains
Eligibility: Grades 5 to 12 for residential courses and 2 to 12 online, with CTY-qualifying test scores
CTY's Science and Engineering area includes courses such as Principles of Engineering Design and Physics of Engineering, taught at a pace built for advanced learners. You need qualifying scores from CTY's own test or an accepted standardized test before you can enroll.
Who it's best for: A high-scoring student, including a 9th or 10th grader, who wants a fast-paced three-week engineering course and already has qualifying test scores.
Location: University cities including Oxford, Cambridge, London, Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo and New York (residential), plus online
Cost/Stipend: Varies by city and pathway; bursaries are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to students aged 13 to 18; no prior engineering knowledge needed
Dates: Usually two weeks in July or August
Application deadline: Usually rolling, with late admissions closing in May
Eligibility: Ages 13 to 18 for Academic Insights, with separate courses for ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18; ages 15 to 18 for Career Insights
Immerse runs engineering in two formats: Academic Insights, which covers topics such as mechanics, electrical, civil, chemical and aeronautical engineering in university-style classes, and Career Insights, which adds industry visits and career coaching. Both are taught by tutors from top universities.
Who it's best for: A student who wants an international engineering summer, such as two weeks in Oxford or Cambridge, with no prerequisites.
Engineering Summer Camps in California
If you live in California, these camps are within reach without a cross-country flight, and COSMOS and the Santa Clara seminar are among the best-value options anywhere.
Location: Six UC campuses: Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego and Santa Cruz (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $5,518 in 2026 plus a $46 application fee; state-subsidized financial aid is available based on family income
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 150 to 250 students per campus; admitted students typically have a 3.5 GPA or higher
Dates: Four weeks in July (2026 ran July 5 to August 1)
Application deadline: 2027 applications open January 6 and close February 5, 2027
Eligibility: California high school students entering 9th through 12th grade
COSMOS places you in a cluster of advanced STEM courses on a UC campus for four weeks, with heavy engineering options at several sites: UC San Diego's program is run by the Jacobs School of Engineering, and UC Merced's 2026 clusters included Digital Twins and AI at Scale. You live in the residence halls and finish with a group project.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A California student with a 3.5 GPA or higher who wants four weeks living on a UC campus and can apply in early February.
Location: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (commuter; students 17 and older can apply to UCLA Housing separately)
Cost/Stipend: $3,002 in 2026
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Minimum 3.2 GPA (3.5 for Microcontrollers); every 2026 track filled
Dates: Three weeks; 2026 ran June 22 to July 10 (Session A) and July 13 to 31 (Session B)
Application deadline: Rolling from mid-February until tracks fill (2026 applications opened February 18)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 11 who are at least 15 by the start date
Formerly the Engineering Design Summer Institute, this program now runs as part of UCLA's Summer Precollege Focus Series. You pick one build track, Go-Karts, Microcontrollers, Rockets or Rovers, and earn two UCLA units.
Who it's best for: A Los Angeles-area 9th to 11th grader who can commute daily and apply as soon as February registration opens.
Location: Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Free, including housing and three meals a day
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; hundreds of students apply each year
Dates: Five days in July; 2026 introductory sessions ran July 12 to 16 and July 19 to 23, with a Year-Two session for returning students July 26 to 30
Application deadline: Usually at the end of March, with applications opening December 1
Eligibility: Current sophomores and juniors, with priority for sophomores and for students with little prior engineering exposure or limited means
SES is a fully funded, five-day introduction to bioengineering, civil, computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering, finishing with your own engineering project. Returning students can come back for an advanced second-year session.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A sophomore with little engineering background who wants a free week on campus and can write a strong 500-word essay.
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (residential, after three online Saturday sessions)
Cost/Stipend: $8,500 in 2026, including room and board; scholarships are available by application
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 30 students, a mix of US and international participants
Dates: Three online Saturdays in June, then a residential stretch in July (2026: June 13, 20 and 27, then July 6 to 24)
Application deadline: Usually at the end of March, with applications opening in January
Eligibility: Ages 15 to 17
BEYA keeps its cohort to just 30 students, starting with online sessions before three weeks living at Berkeley. It is non-credit and doesn't issue an I-20, so international students attend on a visitor visa.
Who it's best for: A 15 to 17 year old, including international students, who wants a small, close-knit engineering cohort at Berkeley.
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (residential, commuter or virtual)
Cost/Stipend: $635 per unit for commuter and virtual tracks in 2026; the residential track, including housing, runs roughly $14,700 to $16,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Admission is based on academic standing; no published acceptance rate
Dates: Six- or eight-week sessions between late May and mid-August (2026 sessions ran May 26 to August 14)
Application deadline: Usually in early March for the residential track and in June for the commuter and virtual tracks
Eligibility: High school students who are 16 or 17 during the summer and in good academic standing
Pre-College Scholars lets you take regular Berkeley Summer Sessions courses for credit alongside college students. There's no dedicated engineering track, so you build your own schedule from the lower-division course list.
Who it's best for: A 16 or 17 year old who wants real UC Berkeley credit and is comfortable choosing courses without a set engineering curriculum.
Location: UC San Diego Extended Studies, La Jolla, CA (in person)
Cost/Stipend: Priced per weekly workshop; scholarships cover one course for eligible students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment, with no selection process
Dates: Weekly workshops in July (2026 ran July 6 to 24)
Application deadline: Enrollment usually opens in January and stays open until workshops fill
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12 for the high school workshops
Sally Ride Science runs week-long STEAM workshops for high schoolers in areas such as AI, robotics, space exploration, epidemiology, digital media, marine biology and sustainability. There's no application, so it works well as a first step before a more selective program.
Who it's best for: A San Diego-area student who wants a no-application week of robotics or space science close to home.
Free and Low-Cost Engineering Camps
Cost shouldn't keep you out of engineering. These programs are free or close to it, though most limit eligibility by state, grade or financial need. Santa Clara's free SES is listed in the California section above.
Location: Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA (overnight on campus)
Cost/Stipend: Free in 2026
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Cohort size not published; open to Georgia residents only
Dates: About a week in early June (2026 ran June 7 to 15)
Application deadline: Registration for 2026 has closed and reopens ahead of the June 2027 session
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders who live in Georgia
SEI gives Georgia students a free week living and learning at Georgia Tech's College of Engineering, exploring engineering disciplines and campus life. Georgia Tech also runs a separate free TryEngineering Summer Institute for a smaller group of Georgia students.
Who it's best for: A Georgia rising junior or senior who wants a free week at one of the country's top engineering schools.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (residential, after a short virtual start)
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded; travel is not covered, and financial documentation is part of the application
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; no published acceptance rate
Dates: Six weeks; 2027 begins with a virtual Jumpstart June 21 to 22, then runs in person June 26 to August 7
Application deadline: February 1, 2027, with decisions by April 1
Eligibility: At least 16 by the start date, US citizens or permanent residents, and in 11th grade when applying
SAMS is a fully funded, six-week residential program with a core of math and science. Engineering comes in through its research-project options, such as Medical Devices in biomedical engineering and Engineered Meat, so it suits students drawn to the biomedical side of the field.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A junior who wants a free six-week residential at CMU and is interested in biomedical engineering projects.
Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (residential)
Cost/Stipend: About $650 all-inclusive in recent years, with need-based aid for camp fees
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; about 40 campers are chosen from several hundred applicants
Dates: One week, usually in early July
Application deadline: Usually around March 1, with applications opening in January
Eligibility: High school students entering 10th or 11th grade, especially those with limited access to engineering resources
SEE Camp is a one-week residential camp run by the Society of Women Engineers at Michigan. Campers work through the engineering design process across fields such as mechanical, civil and electrical engineering, guided by current Michigan engineering students.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A sophomore or junior without much engineering access at school who wants a low-cost, mentor-led week at Michigan.
Location: UT San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Cost/Stipend: Varies by camp, with day, overnight and scholarship options
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open registration until each camp fills
Dates: Week-long camps in June and July; in 2026 these were Engineering Overview (June 1 to 5 and June 22 to 26), Biomedical Engineering (June 8 to 12), Robotics and AI (June 29 to July 3) and Rocketry and Aerospace (July 6 to 10)
Application deadline: Rolling until each camp fills
Eligibility: High school students
UTSA's Klesse College runs separate week-long camps by discipline, from a general Engineering Overview to rocketry, robotics and biomedical engineering, with faculty lessons, lab tours and student-club-led builds. The overview camp is popular enough that it runs twice each summer.
Who it's best for: A San Antonio-area student who already knows which branch of engineering they want to try for a week.
Online Engineering Camps and Courses
These run fully or partly online, so they work wherever you live and fit around jobs or other camps.
Location: Online, with live classes
Cost/Stipend: $3,200 in 2026, plus up to $100 for course materials; need-based aid is open to domestic and international students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective, with a single round of admissions
Dates: Two-week sessions in June and July (2026: June 15 to 26 and July 6 to 17)
Application deadline: Usually in mid-March
Eligibility: Students in grades 8 to 11, depending on the course
The Summer Institutes offer two-week Stanford courses online, and the 2026 engineering list included Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and Orbital Mechanics and Aerodynamics. Classes meet live, so you need to attend each session.
Who it's best for: An 8th to 11th grader who wants a Stanford engineering course from home in just two weeks.
24. Kode With Klossy
Location: Online, plus in-person camps in nine cities including Chicago, Dallas, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and London
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Application-based; cohort size not published
Dates: Two weeks between June and August
Application deadline: Summer 2027 applications open in February
Eligibility: Ages 13 to 18; for young women and gender-expansive teens
Kode With Klossy runs free two-week coding intensives in web development, AI and machine learning, and data science. It's software rather than hardware engineering, so it suits students heading toward computer science or software engineering.
Who it's best for: A young woman or gender-expansive teen who wants a free, supportive start in software engineering.
Location: Remote, from anywhere in the world
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; more than 4,000 students applied for 500 places last year
Dates: Cohorts in summer, fall, winter and spring, with options from 12 weeks to one year
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Currently enrolled high school students with a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you one on one with a PhD mentor on an independent research project in subjects including engineering, computer science, data science and physics. You finish with an independent research paper of your own.
Who it's best for: A student who wants to go beyond a camp and write an individual engineering research paper with a mentor, from home.
26. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: AI Scholars is open to beginners; the AI Fellowship requires AI Scholars or prior experience with AI concepts or Python
Dates: 12- to 15-week cohorts in spring, summer, fall and winter
Application deadline: Rolling; cohorts start in spring (January), summer (May), fall (September) and winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students; AI Fellowship applicants need AI Scholars or AI or Python experience
Founded and run by Harvard graduate students, Veritas AI starts beginners with AI Scholars, a 10-session boot camp on AI, machine learning and data science with real-world projects. Students ready for more can move to the AI Fellowship, working one on one with a mentor on an individual project with support toward publication.
Who it's best for: A student curious about AI and machine learning engineering who wants to start from zero and build up to an independent project online.
Frequently asked questions: engineering summer camps for high school students
How old do you have to be for an engineering summer camp?
Most programs on this list accept students aged 14 to 18, or grades 9 through 12. A few open earlier: Immerse Education’s engineering courses start at 13, and Johns Hopkins CTY runs residential science and engineering courses from grade 5. The longer residential programs set the highest floor, with UC Berkeley’s BEYA taking 15- to 17-year-olds and Berkeley Pre-College Scholars limited to students who are 16 or 17 during the summer.
Can you do an engineering summer camp online?
Yes, and the online versions are usually a fraction of the residential price. Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes run engineering courses fully online with live classes, Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation offers its credit-bearing course online for about $4,225 against $10,190 residential, and Kode With Klossy runs free virtual coding intensives. If you want something longer than a camp, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program runs remotely from anywhere and pairs you with a PhD mentor on an independent engineering project. Online works well if you are not near a host campus or want a schedule that fits around other summer plans.
Do you need prior engineering experience to attend?
No, and some programs specifically prefer that you do not have any. Santa Clara’s Summer Engineering Seminar gives priority to sophomores with little prior exposure to engineering, and Immerse Education states that no prior engineering knowledge is needed for its courses. UC San Diego’s Sally Ride Science Academy runs open enrollment with no application at all. The exception is Johns Hopkins CTY, which requires qualifying test scores before you can enroll in most of its courses.
Are engineering summer camps only open to students in the host state?
Some are, and it is the first thing to check before you spend time on an application. Georgia Tech’s Summer Engineering Institute is free but limited to Georgia residents, and COSMOS is restricted to California high school students across all six UC campuses. Commuter programs create a similar limit without saying so, since UCLA Engineering Design and Sally Ride Science both assume you can get to campus daily. Most of the residential and online options on this list, including Penn ESAP, WPI Frontiers and Immerse, take students from anywhere.
Which branches of engineering can you study at a summer camp?
You can study most of them, and the shorter camps usually cover several at once. Manhattan University’s week rotates through chemical, civil, environmental, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering, while UTSA runs separate week-long camps in biomedical engineering, robotics and AI, and rocketry and aerospace. Longer courses go narrower: Penn ESAP offers tracks in robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and computer graphics, and UCLA asks you to pick one build track from go-karts, microcontrollers, rockets or rovers. If you already know your field, go narrow. If you do not, a rotating camp is the better use of a week.
What is the difference between an engineering camp and an engineering internship?
A camp teaches you engineering in a structured course, while an internship puts you inside an organisation doing work for someone else. Camps are easier to get into at 15 or 16, run on a fixed summer schedule, and usually end with a project you designed. Internships are rarer for high schoolers, often require you to be older, and give you a supervisor who can speak to how you work rather than how you learn.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.