11 Summer Robotics Camps for High School Students
Robotics Camps are a great way to spend your summer, learn some skills, and have fun. If you’re in high school and looking for Robotics camps to attend, we made a comprehensive list of 11 summer Robotics camps for high school students.
What are the benefits of Robotics Camps?
Robotics camps can offer invaluable benefits to students. They provide hands-on experience in building and programming robots, fostering practical skills in STEM fields. Furthermore, unlike formal programs and research initiatives, they center teaching through fun and engaging challenges – which can help students learn better. Robotics camps encourage creativity along with helping their participants improve their skill-set. Attending Robotics camps can display a student’s passion and dedication to curiosity and learning.
How have we ranked the camps?
We selected and ranked these programs based on these criteria:
1. Technical Rigor and Reputation: This criterion looked at the credibility of the program host, as well as what the camp offered in terms of the quality of education and the intellectual challenge offered.
2. Resources and Depth of Learning: In addition to technical rigor, we also looked at the resources and opportunities that could be available. At University organized camps, we looked at whether participants get to work with faculty, and make use of laboratories and other facilities exclusive to the university.
3. Accessibility: Lastly, we looked at how accessible these summer camps were. We looked at elements like whether or not it was virtual, how open the application was, and how wallet-friendly the camp was.
With that, here’s a list of 10 summer robotics camps for high school students!
1. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute
Location: MIT campus, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cost: No costs
Application Deadline: TBA, likely in March
Program Dates: TBA, likely in July.
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors
The Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI), a summer STEM camp hosted by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, is a great opportunity for high school students to engage in hands-on projects and learning experiences related to engineering and technical fields.
The camp offers specific Robotics courses, which delve into various aspects of Robotics, such as autonomous vehicle design, machine learning algorithms, and computer vision. Some of these courses include Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Build-a-Cubesat. You can see a full list of courses here.
You don’t need prior coding experience to participate in this camp. If you’re looking for exposure to the different skills required for Robotics in different fields, the courses at this camp do a great job covering them. You would get to learn from MIT faculty and graduate students.
2. Summer Program in Automation, Robotics, and Coding (SPARC) | NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering Campus, Brooklyn, New York
Cost: $2,825 (with an additional $970 if you’re residing on campus)
Application Deadline: TBA, usually in February
Program Dates: Two 2-week sessions, TBA but likely to be: Session 1 – June, Session 2 – July
Eligibility: High-school students.
SPARC (STEM Program for Augmented Reality, Robotics, and Coding) is a 2-week summer camp/program offered by NYU Tandon School of Engineering. It is designed to introduce students to the basics of Robotics, mechatronics, and programming.
SPARC is set up to cover the anatomy of a robot, the construction of a robot, the programming of a robot, and interfacing a robot with actuators and sensors. It will also cover other useful tid-bits like the application of microcontrollers and more. At the end of the program, participants also receive take-home kits to continue working on different Robotics projects.
While prior coding experience is beneficial, the camp is designed to accommodate students with varying levels of coding proficiency, allowing all participants to learn and improve their coding skills. Through this program, you get to interact with NYU Tandon’s faculty from their Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
3. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Robotics & Autonomous Systems Camp
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Cost: $950
Application Deadline: TBA, likely to be in June
Program Dates: TBA, likely to be in July
Eligibility: High school students aged between 15 and 18 years old.
The Robotics and Autonomous Systems Camp offered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University provides students with an immersive experience in the field of robotics and autonomous systems.
In the camp, students will focus on hands-on activities and projects, and you can expect that the camp will cover robot design, programming, and the application of autonomous systems in various industries. While prior coding experience is helpful, it is not a prerequisite for the camp, as participants will receive instruction and guidance on coding during the program.
It is a great way to get exposure to a lot of the cutting-edge developments in the field and improve your practical skills – especially when it comes to operating and designing autonomous systems!
4. Veritas AI Scholars and Fellowship Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: AI Scholars (10-session bootcamp) - $1,490/
Other programs include the AI Fellowship (12-15 weeks, 1-1 mentorship) - $4,200. Need-based financial aid is available.
Application Deadline: On a rolling basis.
Program Dates: Multiple dates on weekdays and weekends from July to September.
Eligibility: High school students (grades 8-12). For the AI Scholars program, no prior experience is required - just a keen interest in AI. For the AI Fellowship program, applicants need to have prior experience with Python or need to complete the AI Scholars program.
Veritas AI (our program!) is an AI program for ambitious high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the AI Scholars boot camp, students learn the fundamentals of AI, ML, and Python while working on collaborative, real-world projects under the guidance of AI practitioners and researchers. In the AI Fellowship, students work 1-1 with PhDs from top universities to create a personalized AI model over 12-15 weeks. You can find more information about the programs here and some past projects here.
Veritas AI offers students the opportunity to work on both AI and interdisciplinary projects, a component that can reflect well on your college application. Past projects by Veritas AI students have included projects on AI and music, AI and medicine, and even AI and astrophysics! This program is a great fit for both beginners and those looking to do a deep dive into AI.
5. St.Louis University Robotics Summer Academy
Location: St.Louis University Campus, Missouri
Cost: $650
Application Deadline: TBA, likely in April
Program Dates: Likely in June
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
The Robotics Summer Academy offered by Saint Louis University's College of Science and Engineering provides high school students the opportunity to build their own robots and custom hardware, coupled with courses in mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering to help the fabrication and design of robot parts.
This is a day camp (i.e., no housing provided, not an overnight program). Students get to participate with their robots in friendly competitions and take their robots home after the camp is over. While the camp never states that you need prior coding experience, this is one where having that experience in Java, Arduino, or Python will prove very handy.
That being said, even if you don’t have experience, you do receive guidance from faculty at St.Louis University. This is a highly selective camp with only 25 spots available.
6. Frontiers-- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Location: Worcester, Massachusetts
Cost: $3,595
Application Deadline: TBA, likely in March
Program Dates: TBA but based on previous years: Frontiers I – July, Frontiers II – July to August
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school
This summer camp offered by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) offers an immersive and challenging learning experience in various STEM disciplines – where students ‘major’ in a particular STEM subject and ‘minor’ in an arts discipline.
In the Frontiers camp, students interested in majoring in robotics will learn about force, torque, stress analysis, material properties, processing, selection, power requirements, microcontrollers, sensor operations, programming, and pneumatics – and use this information to solve a challenging robotics problem. Subgroups in the session also have an end-of-camp Robotics competition where students get to present their robots.
7. UT Austin's Academy for Robotics
Location: UT Austin Campus
Cost: $2,100
Application Deadline: TBA, likely to be in February
Program Dates: TBA, but based on previous years: Session 1 – June, Session 2 – June to July
Eligibility: High school students.
The Robotics Academy program offered by the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Computer Science combines course-based learning and hands-on practice for high school students in Robotics and related tech.
Some of the courses the camp teaches include Introductory Linux Usage, Introductory C++ programming, PID control, and more. Some of the hands-on projects include carrying out robotics projects in simulation, competing in a robot race, and more.
An additional non-Robotics benefit to this camp is that it offers its’ students the opportunity to learn about what UT’s look for in college applicants. All in all, it’s a great opportunity to get a thorough crash course in Robotics, as well as meet and interact with UT Austin’s faculty in the Department of Computer Science.
8. Columbia University's Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)
Location: Columbia University, NYC
Cost: $4,900 – financial aid available.
Application Deadline: TBA usually the priority deadline is in January. Applications after the priority deadline can be submitted till April but will have an application fee ($50).
Program Dates: there are two 3-week sessions. Dates are TBA for 2024. But based on previous years - Session 1 – July 5th to July 25th, Session 2 – July 26th to August 15th
Eligibility: High School Students
"SHAPE" Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers, organized by Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, is a selective pre-college summer program for high school students interested in engineering and Robotics.
The robotics track tutors students in building a robot – from design to construction to programming. You don’t need prior coding experience, but having some base knowledge of Python and Javascript will always be helpful.
In this program, you have the opportunity to work in college-level, project-based courses under the tutelage of faculty in Columbia. So, if you’re interested in gauging this level of coursework and possibly attending Colombia, this might be worthwhile for you to try! While this isn’t a summer camp – it’s an exceptional opportunity.
9. Introduction to Robotics | Illinois Institute of Technology
Location: Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois.
Cost: $595 (if you’re attending it as a day camp/non-residential), $1,395 (if you’re attending residentially)
Application Deadline: TBA, likely to be in March
Program Dates: TBA but likely to be in July
Eligibility: High School Students
The "Introduction to Robotics" camp offered by Illinois Institute of Technology's Elevate College Prep Initiative is a good gateway into the field. In the camp, students will work on developing autonomous systems through Arduino while also working in teams to try and tackle various authentic design challenges.
During the camp, participants will learn fundamental concepts in Robotics and gain hands-on experience in building and programming robots. While prior coding knowledge is not explicitly required, and the camp is geared to be beginner-friendly, having some basic familiarity with programming concepts would be beneficial.
The ‘Introduction to Robotics’ Camp is guided by faculty at Illinois Institute of Technology.
10. Education Unlimited's Robotics Summer Camp for High School Students
Location: Stanford University, California
Cost: range from $3,025 – $3,560 (depending on whether you reside on campus)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Program Dates: TBA, likely to be between June 23rd and 29th.
Eligibility: High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.
Education Unlimited’s weeklong Robotics Summer Camp teaches through the VEX5 Robotics platform. The camp runs through building a chassis, adding systems, mounting motors to the chassis, and adding wheels and gears to complete the drive system. The camp also teaches its students about speed and torque.
The week concludes with a Robotics sports competition between the robots constructed by students. The camp also covers a lot of basics pertaining to communication systems and electrical engineering.
While this camp offers a solid guide through building and programming robots, it is important to note that this camp follows a pay-to-enroll policy, i.e., it is not very selective – so in terms of college applications, it may not make a strong impression. That being said, residing on campus at Stanford can be pretty insightful if you’re interested in attending the University.
11. Playto Labs Robotics Summer Camp
Location: Online
Cost: $800 (for 50 live 1:1 classes over 7 months)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Program Dates: Flexible start dates throughout the summer
Eligibility: Students aged 8-16
Playto Labs is a provider of Robotics education, having trained over 400,000 students from 65+ countries.
Their curriculum is developed by alumni from prestigious institutions and companies such as Harvard, IIT, Microsoft, Amazon, and Intel. Through the camp, students get a chance to learn the basics of robotics and move up to more advanced levels, if they’re interested, including programming languages like Python and C++, and explore AI and IoT.
The Playto Labs Robotics Summer Camp offers 50 live 1:1 classes, providing personalized attention.
Each student receives a programmable take-home robotics kit that they can keep once the camp is over, as well, allowing them to continue learning and building robots. The kit can also be used to participate in robotics competitions and build projects for school.
Image Source: MIT Beaver Works