8 Free Engineering Programs for High School Students
If you are an ambitious high school student interested in pursuing engineering, a summer program might be a valuable addition to your application.
Unfortunately, many programs are costly which is a barrier for many students. That’s why, we’ve identified some excellent programs that are free of charge! The drawback? Most of these are pretty hard to get into because of how prestigious they are, but it’s not impossible.
In this post, we have 8 free engineering programs for high school students.
MIT’s Research Science Institute
The Research Science Institute (RSI) is a research-based summer program sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) and hosted by MIT every summer. RSI invites 80 highly talented high school juniors from all over the world to attend this program. Throughout the 6-week, fully-funded program, you can conduct independent research in engineering (or other STEM subjects) and take college-level coursework. However, RSI is an extremely selective program, with an acceptance rate of under 5%.
Within the first week, you will have the opportunity to experience extensive STEM Classes by accomplished faculty. The main section of RSI is the 5-week research internship, where you can choose to pursue projects in engineering under the mentorship of experienced scientists and researchers! The program culminates with delivering your research in conference-stye oral and written reports.
If you are interested in learning about the types of research conducted by RSI students, you can look at the projects here!
Location: MIT Campus, Cambridge MA
Application Deadline: December 13, 2023
Program Dates: June 25th to August 5th, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
Students who are rising seniors (you will have to apply in the middle of your junior year). High school seniors are not eligible to apply.
It is recommended that PSAT Math Scores be at least 740 (or higher) and Evidence-Based Reading/ Writing Scores be 700 (or higher). ACT math scores should be at least 33, and verbal scores should be at least 34. However, you can offset lower scores through recommendations, high school grades, and science activities.
Note. There are different application processes for U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents and International Applicants. You can look here for specific details!
2. Anson L.Clark Scholars Program
The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University is a 7-week comprehensive research program. It allows you to gain hands-on research experience under the mentorship of Texas Tech faculty. Apart from one-on-one research with faculty, you can participate in weekly seminars, discussions, and field visits!
One of the research areas available for students interested in engineering is the electrical or computer engineering track. Scholars from the 2023 cohort, like Rachel Ma, have done projects like “Secure Sensing with Passive Radar for Spectrally Congested Spaces”. You can view past projects from other scholars here!
The Clark Scholars program is one of the most prestigious and selective programs, with an acceptance rate of less than 3% and only 12 students in each cohort. Therefore, having the title of an Anson L. Clark Scholar will be a valuable add-on to any college application. An additional benefit is the $750 tax-free stipend that is provided!
The Dean of Texas Tech has given advice on how to get into this very prestigious program which you can find here!
Cost: No Cost
Location: Texas Tech University
Application Deadline: February (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Program Dates: 6 weeks, June-August (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the program start date and should graduate in 2023 or 2024 (U.S. and International)
3. Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation - Engineering Track
Founded by Harvard and Oxford PhDs, Lumiere is a selective research program for high school students, where students work one-on-one with a PhD mentor to develop an independent research paper. The program offers an array of disciplines and you can opt to focus on any engineering subfield. Due to its one-on-one nature, you can expect to learn the most recent developments in the field and expand your skill sets by working directly with experts.
An added bonus is the opportunity you get to interact with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, CMU and more. This program is a particularly good option if you are interested in interdisciplinary research and want to create an individual research paper.
Cost: No Cost
Location: Virtual
Application deadline: Rolling, cohort-based. Applications for the spring cohort are now open. You can apply here!
Program dates: The upcoming cohort starts on December 18th.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Another program by MIT, MITES Semester, is a 6-month hybrid STEM program where you can deep dive into science and engineering disciplines. In this program, you will choose one project-based course, followed by a supplemental core course, which can either be in computer science, calculus, physics, science writing, or communication.
Through this program, you can delve into interdisciplinary subjects that involve engineering. For instance, past projects have included computational biology, embedded systems, machine learning, robotics, thermodynamics, climate change, and more!
Note. At the end of the MITES program, you will receive a written evaluation from your instructor outlining your strengths and growth areas and highlighting your contributions to the class. This is a valuable supplement for any college application!
Location: Remote
Application Deadline: February 1 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Program Dates: June - December (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
All high school juniors who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents.
Strong academic record (While they have not specified a cutoff, you can expect similar expectations of RSI - PSAT Math Scores to be at least 740 (or higher) and Evidence-Based Reading/ Writing Scores to be 700 (or higher). ACT math scores should be at least 33, and verbal scores should be at least 34.)
Passion for science, technology, engineering, and math - which is demonstrated through extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation.
Note. MIT strongly encourages students from these backgrounds to apply:
underrepresented backgrounds
undeserving students (defined as those from low socioeconomic means)
families with an absence of science and engineering degrees
students who are potentially the first family member to attend college
and students from high schools with low admittance rates to top-tier colleges (especially from rural or predominantly minority high schools).
5. Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)
Through NYUs ARISE program, you experience 2-weeks of college-level coursework, and then supplement this with 5 weeks of conducting research in a lab, all while being mentored by a graduate or postdoctoral student! You will gain experience in college-level research, expository writing, scientific methods, professional development, and ethics. You will conclude the program with a professional poster presentation and colloquium.
The subjects you can experience at ARISE are engineering, computer science, AI, machine learning and more! You can explore the full subject list here. If you are interested in this program, check out the ultimate guide to NYUs ARISE here!
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, New York
Cost: No cost
Application deadline: March (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program dates: June- August (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Students who will complete 10th or 11th grade by June 2024 can apply. Students applying must be NYC residents.
6. MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute
The Beaver Works Summer Institute is a 4-week program that teaches STEM skills through project-based, workshop-style courses. The program consists of 2 online programs from January to May, followed by the 4-week summer program. While the online program is open to all, the summer program is limited to a select group of students.
If you are interested in engineering, you should look at the Autonomous Cognitive Assistance (CogWorks) course. Through this 4-week course, you will learn how to apply foundational technologies of AI to build cognitive assistants. After the online course, successful students will be considered for participation in the summer program, where you will leverage professional cognition services (e.g., Amazon Alexa/Echo) and open-source tools to develop cognitive systems. At the end of the program, your project will compete against other participants.
Participating in this program will add value to your application due to the prestige of the host university and, above all, help you build key foundational skills (and even some advanced skills) in areas of your choice. It also allows you to demonstrate your ability to apply theoretical knowledge in practical situations. Here is everything you need to know about MITs Beaver Works Summer Institute!
Location: Remote + MIT Campus (Note - certain courses are in-person, while others are remote. You can look here for more details!)
Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions (Note. you must apply to the online course to receive the application link for the summer program!)
Program Dates: February 1, 2024 - August 6, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
Must be a student attending high school in the U.S.
7. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) - Department of Navy
The SEAP Program by the Department of Navy (DoN) allows high school students to conduct Naval research and explore technology while simultaneously being mentored by scientists and engineers who currently conduct research at DoN.
Prospective students can choose between the 30 labs spread out over the country. Lab choices are based on interest (e.g., very few labs offer marine biology as a topic of interest, while statistics and engineering are more common among the labs).
Some topics of research that have been covered at the SEAP program are:
Submarine life support
Development of ansys fluent workflow for axial fan simulation and flow around objects
Catalytic oxidation of Li-Ion electrolyte
Analysis of CSS Georgia bones and various consolidants
Design and development of AM prints for educational purposes
Get a more detailed understanding of their contributions here!
Stipend: Stipend of $4,000 (new participants) or $4,500 (for returning participants)
Location: Varies depending on lab choice.
Application Deadline: 1 August 2024 (for the Summer 2025 cohort).
Program Dates: Varies from lab to lab (expect it to be conducted in the summer months).
Eligibility:
Open to rising Juniors and Seniors (at the time of the program).
Must have turned 16 years old by the start date of the program.
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Note: Eligibility changes based on lab to lab (with some labs changing the grade and age minimum and others opening the program for permanent residents and dual citizens).
8. Santa Clara University Summer Engineering Seminar (SES)
This program is a 5-day immersion summer experience for high school sophomores and juniors who are interested in exploring engineering. You will experience a mix of specifically designed introductory workshops (by the Santa Clara engineering faculty) that will be presented through either lectures or interactive work.
Topics for this program cover an array of fields within engineering such as bioengineering, civil engineering, sustainable and environmental engineering, computer science engineering and more!
Apart from your course work, you will be allowed to complete your own engineering project and even experience life at Santa Clara through afternoon and evening recreational activities.
Location: Santa Clara University, California
Application Deadline: Not specified, but the 2024 application will go live on December 1, 2023.
Program Dates:
Session 1: July 14-18
Session 2: July 21-25
Session 3: July 28-August 1 (only for returning participants)
Eligibility:
Students who will complete their sophomore year by July 1, 2023
Students who are interested in broadly exploring the field of engineering and its various disciplines
Students who have not been exposed to the engineering profession through high school coursework, extra-curricular activities, similar programs and close role models working in engineering
Students who may lack the means to access engineering courses and programs, due to limited financial resources and/or a lack of school & community offerings.
Student areas listed below are highly encouraged to apply.
First-Generation to go to college
Women
Underrepresented groups in the field of engineering
Low-Income
If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!Image Source - Lumiere Education Logo