10 Ivy League Robotics Programs for High School Students
Ivy League programs offer high school students a chance to engage with rigorous academics, gain hands-on experience, and explore new subjects in a challenging and supportive environment. For students passionate about robotics, these programs provide an excellent opportunity to develop skills in programming, design, problem-solving, and teamwork — key abilities in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Participating in an Ivy League robotics program not only deepens your understanding of the field but also enhances your college applications. Admissions committees value students who take the initiative and pursue advanced learning opportunities, demonstrating their commitment to academic growth and intellectual curiosity.
If you’re ready to explore robotics through cutting-edge projects and expert instruction, this list of 10 Ivy League Robotics Programs for High School Students is the perfect place to start!
1. Columbia Engineering’s Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost:
Residential Fee: $10,790
Commuter Fee: $5,875
On-Campus Room/Meals/Evening Activities: $4,915
A detailed cost breakdown can be found here.
Application Deadline:
Priority Deadline: December 18, 2024
Final Deadline: March 3, 2025
Dates:
July 7 - July 25, 2025
July 28 - August 15, 2025
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent high school graduates
Columbia Engineering's Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE) is a premier pre-college opportunity for students passionate about STEM disciplines. Open to rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent high school graduates, SHAPE offers two 3-week sessions featuring hands-on, project-based courses taught by Columbia University faculty. The program fosters an immersive experience, blending rigorous academics with creative exploration, workshops, and college preparatory activities.
A standout course within SHAPE is Robotics and Autonomous Driving, which delves into cutting-edge technologies shaping the future of automation. Participants design and build robotic cars, programming them to navigate mazes and solve real-world challenges. The course integrates 3D modeling with SOLIDWORKS, sensor technology, and locomotion principles, encouraging creativity and competitive innovation.
2. Secondary School Program by Harvard
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA or Virtual
Cost: $4,050 – $14,950 (depending on length and type) + $75 application fee
Application Deadline: February 12, 2025
Dates:
4-Week: July 13 – August 8, 2025
7-Week: June 21 – August 9, 2025
Eligibility: Students must be at least 16 years old by June 21, 2025, not turn 19 before July 31, 2025, and graduate high school to enter college in 2025, 2026, or 2027
Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program (SSP) offers motivated high school students the chance to engage in rigorous, college-level courses for academic credit. With options for a 4-week or 7-week session, students can explore various subjects, including Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, Drones, and Artificial Intelligence course, which provides an in-depth exploration of cutting-edge technologies shaping the future.
Through hands-on exercises and simulations, students gain insights into sensor technologies, vision-based perception, systems-level autonomy, and engineering design principles. The curriculum also covers modern AI and machine learning algorithms, emphasizing their applications in fields such as self-driving cars and drone delivery systems. With access to Harvard’s expert faculty and resources, students are challenged to explore both the potential and ethical implications of these transformative technologies.
3. Summer@Brown
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: $2,960 - $10,386; You can find a detailed program cost breakdown here.
Application Deadline: May 9, 2025
Dates: Multiple sessions between June 22 - July 25, 2025
Eligibility: Students completing grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18 by June 15, 2025
Summer@Brown provides high school students with a dynamic learning experience through over 230 non-credit courses. This in-person program emphasizes active learning without the pressure of formal grades, allowing students to explore college-level academics and develop independence in an immersive environment. The course offered on Artificial Intelligence: A Computational Account of Intelligence is particularly relevant to robotics, offering insights into the transformative role of AI in technologies like self-driving cars and intelligent systems.
This course introduces you to the mathematical foundations of AI, exploring key areas such as machine learning, decision-making, and computational modeling. You’ll gain hands-on experience programming "intelligence" into machines and understanding how AI principles drive real-world innovations. The curriculum emphasizes both the possibilities and risks of AI, preparing you to navigate its applications thoughtfully.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,218 - $6,238; You can find a detailed program cost breakdown here.
Application Deadline: May 9, 2025
Dates: Multiple sessions between June 16 to July 25, 2025
Eligibility: Students completing grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18 by June 15, 2025
Summer@Brown is an online program by Brown University that allows students to choose from over 50 courses that provide rigorous, active learning experiences. The program offers participants the choice to study in one of three ways: asynchronously, mostly asynchronously, or blended. Students get to engage in independent research, challenge themselves by taking up college-level academics, and earn a Digital Certificate of Completion. Students who complete a 3-week or longer online course receive a Course Performance Report.
The course AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning introduces students to the dynamic fields of analytics, business, and programming, focusing on real-world applications of AI and data-driven strategies. This hands-on course covers key topics such as machine learning algorithms, data analysis, and AI tools used in business decision-making. You will apply these concepts to a real-world project, gaining practical experience in developing machine-learning models and analyzing data.
5. Laboratory Learning Program by Princeton University
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: March 14, 2025
Dates: Dates for 2025 are TBA. Updated program information will be available on February 15, 2025.
Eligibility: Students enrolled in a US high school who are sixteen years old or more by June 15, 2025.
The Laboratory Learning Program offers high school students a full-time, free research experience in the sciences or engineering at Princeton University. Participants are integrated into ongoing research projects, working closely under the supervision of Princeton faculty and research staff. The program provides an immersive opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a professional research setting. Princeton offers over 40 research opportunities spanning diverse fields, such as:
Antibiotic Discovery: Investigating new compounds to fight antibiotic resistance.
Sustainable Catalysis: Developing greener chemical reactions to reduce environmental impact.
Robotics for Coral Reef Conservation: Using robotics to monitor and protect endangered coral reefs.
Computational Biology: Applying computer models to solve complex biological problems.
Internships typically last 5-6 weeks during regular summer office hours, with no evening or weekend commitments. The schedule is customized to align with the specific research project and the availability of research personnel.
6. ColumbiaX: Robotics by Columbia University
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free to audit; $249 for the certificate
Application Deadline: No information is available currently.
Dates: Dates for 2025 are TBA. The course will run for 10 weeks, for 8-10 hours per week.
Eligibility: This course can be purchased by interested students on EdX.
ColumbiaX: Robotics is an instructor-paced online program that provides you with a foundational understanding of robotics, focusing on the core techniques needed to design and represent robots capable of performing real-world physical tasks. Guided by expert instructors, this course delves into the principles of robotic representation, equipping you with the knowledge to tackle challenges in the rapidly evolving field of robotics.
The curriculum covers a wide range of essential topics, including kinematics, dynamics, control systems, motion planning, and trajectory generation. It emphasizes both theoretical understanding and practical application, utilizing tools like the Robot Operating System (ROS) for hands-on projects. You’ll also learn to represent 2D and 3D spatial relationships, manipulate robot arms, program and navigate mobile robots, plan complete robot systems, and develop applications for robots.
7. PennX: Robotics: Locomotion Engineering by UPenn
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free to audit; $349 for the certificate
Application Deadline: No information is available currently.
Dates: Dates for 2025 are TBA. The course will run for 12 weeks, for 8-10 hours per week.
Eligibility: This course can be purchased by interested students on EdX.
PennX: Robotics: Locomotion Engineering is a self-paced course that explores the design, construction, and programming of dynamic, legged robots capable of navigating real-world environments. As part of the Robotics MicroMasters program, this course addresses mobility challenges faced by robots in unstructured terrains, from climbing stairs to traversing rocky landscapes.
The curriculum covers key topics such as agile, bioinspired sensorimotor systems, simplified models of complex dynamic systems, and strategies for achieving stable locomotion. You’ll progress through a detailed syllabus, including studies of linear and nonlinear mechanical systems, the theory of dynamical systems, and advanced locomotion models like the Spring Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP). Some hands-on projects you’ll undertake involve designing and controlling robots, including a brachiating robot, a vertical hopper, and a running controller for the Jerboa robot.
8. Columbia University Pre-College NYC Residential Summer
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $12,750 per session + $80 application fee
Application Deadline: March 2, 2025
Dates:
Session A: June 30–July 18, 2025
Session B: July 22–August 8, 2025
Session AB: June 30–August 8, 2025
Eligibility: Domestic and international students who will be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the fall and students currently enrolled in grade 12, ages 16 or older by the start of the program.
The NYC Residential Summer Program At Columbia University offers high school students the opportunity to take over 70 courses in various subjects, including data science, machine learning, and programming. Students spend about four hours in class each weekday and gain a Columbia University Certification of Participation upon successful completion.
The Data Science and Machine Learning course introduces foundational concepts in data science and machine learning, with hands-on Python coding experience. Students explore algorithms and real-world applications, preparing them for advanced work in data analysis, which is essential for robotics systems. Introduction to Programming with Python is a course that offers an intensive dive into Python coding, crucial for building robotics programs. Students learn programming fundamentals, problem-solving, and data structures, all of which are key skills for designing and programming robotic systems.
9. Columbia University Academic Year Weekend Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,810 per session
Application Deadline: December 5, 2024 (Spring 2025)
Dates: Spring 2025: January 18–March 23, 2025
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
The Academic Year Weekend Program at Columbia offers high school students worldwide the opportunity to engage in rigorous online courses over ten weekends. Students choose from over 20 courses, participating in live virtual classrooms, and connecting with peers through student life activities and college preparation events. The program also provides mentorship and the chance to join virtual clubs or Digital Community Groups for a more enriching experience.
Courses like Data Science and Machine Learning 1 & 2 introduce students to essential concepts and algorithms in data science and machine learning, both of which are crucial for robotics, particularly in areas like robot perception and autonomous decision-making. Introduction to Programming with Python and Programming with Python 2 equips you with knowledge on how to code in Python, a foundational skill for robotics development, enabling them to build and program robots effectively, from simple control systems to complex machine learning models.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $5,070 per course, plus an $85 technology fee and a $75 application fee
Application Deadline: Applications for Summer 2025 will open in mid-January.
Dates: (Tentative; based on 2024 program dates)
Session A: May 27 - June 28, 2025
Session B: July 1 - August 2, 2025
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors, age 16 or older, by the program start date
Yale Summer Online offers live online seminars and lecture courses with small class sizes to foster in-depth interaction between students, peers, and faculty. This program allows high school students to experience a collaborative academic culture, with courses covering computer science fundamentals, programming, and data science. Students commit to 15-20 hours per week per course, engaging in group projects and one-on-one sessions with faculty. You also earn Yale College credits, which are transferable to other universities.
The Introduction to Programming course equips students with problem-solving skills and programming knowledge in languages like Python, C, SQL, and JavaScript. Topics such as algorithms, data structures, and software engineering are foundational to robotics, as they support building and optimizing robotic systems. The Algorithms and Mathematical Tools for Computer Science courses dive deeper into the mathematical models and algorithms critical for developing efficient robotic systems, especially for automation and machine learning tasks.
If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI is founded by Harvard graduate students. Through the programs, you get a chance to 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 AI & ML with us. You can apply here!
Tyler Moulton is Head of Academics and Veritas AI Partnerships with 6 years of experience in education consulting, teaching, and astronomy research at Harvard and the University of Cambridge, where they developed a passion for machine learning and artificial intelligence. Tyler is passionate about connecting high-achieving students to advanced AI techniques and helping them build independent, real-world projects in the field of AI!
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