14 Online Engineering Summer Programs High School Students Shouldn't Miss
Summers can easily slip by in a blur of boredom, part-time jobs, or endless scrolling. If you’re a high school student curious about engineering or just love solving problems and building things, online summer programs are one of the best ways to explore that interest. These programs give you an opportunity to dive into real-world projects, pick up practical skills, and learn how engineering works in different industries. Many of these programs are affordable (some even free!) and offer financial aid, making them accessible irrespective of your background. Some of the world’s top colleges and organizations run these programs, so you’re learning from the best.
To save you time, we’ve narrowed the search to 15 of the best online engineering summer programs for high school students, all virtual, all engineering-focused, and all happening between May and August. Let’s find the one that’s right for you.
1. Harvard Secondary School Program
Acceptance rate: Program capacity limited
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: $4,050 (4 credits) or $7,900 (8 credits). Financial aid is available
Program Dates: June 21 – August 9
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 to 19 years
Harvard’s Secondary School Program gives high school students the opportunity to spend 4 or 7 weeks over the summer taking college-level courses in subjects such as STEM. You can choose to study on campus, online, or commute, whichever fits best. You’ll have challenging classes and build important skills like managing your time, staying disciplined, and learning independently. The program also offers mentorship, real-world projects, and the chance to connect with students from around the world, and is designed to prepare you for college.
2. Ladder Internships
Acceptance rate: Selective; limited spots available
Location: Online
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid is available
Program Dates: Cohorts run year-round: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary by cohort
Eligibility: Open to high school students
Ladder Internships is a remote internship program for motivated students who want real-world experience in fast-growing start-ups. Whether you’re into tech, AI/ML, health, journalism, marketing, or consulting, there’s something here for you. You’ll be paired with a start-up (most have raised over $1 million!) and work on meaningful projects with a manager and a dedicated Ladder Coach. Over about 8 weeks, you’ll gain practical experience, grow your professional skills, and even present your work to the company. It’s a great way to explore careers, build your resume, and get a head start—no matter where you are located in the world.
3. Kode With Klossy Camps
Acceptance rate: Selective
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Program Dates: Summer dates will be announced in Spring
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines
Eligibility: Open to young women and gender-expansive teens aged 13-18
Kode With Klossy offers free two-week intensive coding camps aimed at underrepresented genders in STEM fields, primarily software engineering-related topics. Through one of four exclusive curricula, you’ll learn skills such as building dynamic websites using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning with Python, creating iOS apps with Swift and SwiftUI, or data science techniques including SQL and data visualization. The program emphasizes coding practice and community building. You will learn foundational tech skills while connecting with a supportive network of peers and alumni.
4. Lumiere Research Programs
Acceptance rate: Selective, mentor-based research
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Cost varies by program. Financial aid available
Program Dates: Summer Cohort I: Starts June 2; Summer Cohort II: Starts July 14
Application Deadline: June 23
Eligibility: High school students globally
Lumiere Education offers mentored research programs designed for high school students worldwide to conduct original college-level research under the guidance of scholars from top universities (Harvard, Oxford, etc.). Students can choose from three tracks: Individual Research Program (12 weeks), Premium Research & Publication Program (16 weeks), and Research Fellowship (6–12 months). Research topics span a wide range, including Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering. The program focuses on developing research questions, conducting analysis, writing, revising, and presenting scholarly work.
5. Summer@Brown Online
Acceptance rate: Selective
Location: Online, hosted by Brown University
Cost/Stipend: The cost varies depending on the course length. The program offers financial aid
Program Dates: June 16 - July 25
Application Deadline: May 9
Eligibility: Open to students aged 14 to 18 years
The Summer@Brown Online program is designed for high school students to experience college-level academics without the pressure of formal grades or credit. You can choose from over 50 courses across various fields, including a category for Engineering and Technology. The courses are taught by Brown instructors and are offered in three formats: entirely asynchronous, mostly asynchronous with optional live sessions, or blended with required live sessions. The program provides a virtual community for students to connect with peers globally and explore subjects they choose with a focus on active student-centered learning. Upon successful completion of the program, you’ll receive a Digital Certificate of Completion, and if the course duration exceeds three weeks, you will also receive a Course Performance Report.
6. Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Innovation
Acceptance rate: Selective
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Cost $4,170; Need-based scholarships are available
Program Dates: June 23 – August 1
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines
Eligibility: Current or recent high school students
Biomedical Engineering Innovation is a three-credit online course designed by Johns Hopkins faculty, focusing on modeling biological systems, designing experiments, and applying engineering principles to solve biological, physiological, and medical design problems. The course is mostly asynchronous with pre-recorded lectures and optional live study sessions. You’ll engage in projects such as designing biosensors and modeling human physiology, culminating in an independent project presented via an online poster. The program requires 14 - 20 hours per week during the summer months. By attending the program, you will expand your STEM skills and be better prepared for pursuing biomedical engineering at the college level.
7. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
Acceptance rate: Selective
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: $3,080; Financial aid is available
Program Dates: Session One: June 16 - June 27; Session Two: July 7 - July 18
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Students of Grades 8 - 11 at the time of application
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes provides intellectually curious students with an immersive online classroom experience focusing on intensive study in a single subject. You can choose from over 70 ungraded courses in a variety of fields, ranging from engineering and computer science to philosophy and social justice. The program consists of live online classes with a small average class size of 16, where you'll engage in real-time discussions with instructors and peers from around the world. The classes go beyond what’s usually taught in high school, letting you explore your interests and get ready for college.
8. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) - Online Courses
Acceptance rate: Highly selective
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost/Stipend: Free
Program Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Senior year high school students
The online component of the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is a challenging and prestigious STEM program covering engineering-related subjects such as electronics, computer science, quantum computing, and applied AI. You'll gain valuable STEM skills and work on a college-level curriculum alongside other students from around the country. This is a rigorous project-based program that provides you with a taste of the MIT experience and is designed to go beyond what you would find in a typical textbook. While a significant online prerequisite course is required to be considered for the summer program, it serves as a great way to prepare for the intensive four-week experience.
9. Veritas AI
Acceptance rate: Selective
Location: Online, accessible to students worldwide
Cost/Stipend: Cost varies based on program; Need-based financial aid is available
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts run year-round, including summer
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: high school students, typically in grades 9-12 with prior experience in AI concepts or Python, or who have completed the AI Scholars program
Founded by Harvard graduates, Veritas AI is an online program where high school students learn computer science and AI fundamentals and build a tangible project. Through practical learning and personalized mentorship, you'll gain practical skills to build a group project or a novel AI model. Veritas AI program provides you with the skills and mentorship to build a tangible AI project, which can be leveraged for college applications and future career opportunities.
10. Columbia University Online Summer Program
Acceptance rate: Selective applicants
Location: Entirely online via Columbia’s virtual learning platform
Cost/Stipend: 1-Week: $2,815; 2-Week: $3,965; Application fee: $80
Program Dates: Session A: July 7 - July 18; Session B: July 21 - August 1; Session C: August 11 - August 15
Application Deadline: On a rolling basis
Eligibility: The program is open to domestic and international students in grades 9-12 who have an appropriate level of English proficiency
Columbia’s Online Summer Program offers over 40 courses in a dozen subject areas, including engineering-related topics. You’ll get an immersive online classroom experience where you engage in live, interactive classes with peers. Your day includes lectures and discussions via Zoom, project work, workshops, and college preparation events. You’ll earn a Columbia University Certificate of Participation and receive an individualized evaluation letter to enhance your college application. Classes follow a set schedule and combine academic learning with opportunities to engage in a virtual community.
11. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Acceptance rate: Competitive enrolment
Location: Remote options available
Cost/Stipend: Free; Application fee $25
Program Dates: June 18 – August 8
Application Deadline: Applications close before February
Eligibility: High school students over the age of 15
ASSIP is a full-time eight-week STEM and engineering research program where high school and undergraduate students collaborate one-on-one with faculty researchers across a wide range of disciplines. You’ll gain practical experience, sharpen your scientific writing and communication skills, and present your work at a final symposium. You may be involved in real lab work, building computer simulations, or working on remote research projects. This program places you inside the research process, with the potential for conference presentations or journal abstracts.
12. DelftX: Introduction to Aeronautical Engineering
Acceptance rate: Open online enrollment
Location: Online via edX (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands)
Cost/Stipend: Free. $169 for certificate
Program Dates: Starts August 26 (8-week program)
Application Deadline: Self-paced learning.
Eligibility: Students of a high school with a background in maths and physics
This self-paced online course introduces the fundamentals of aeronautics, aerodynamics, and flight mechanics using historical and practical perspectives. The course is divided into three main blocks, i.e. History and Fundamentals of Flight, the Principles of Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics. You’ll explore how the atmosphere is modeled for aircraft design, the mechanics of propulsion, and the physics of stable and efficient flight. This course is also part of the Sustainable Aircraft Design: The Challenges of Electric Aircraft Professional Certificate Program.
13. MehtA+ Machine Learning Bootcamp
Acceptance rate: Selective, Limited seats
Location: Virtual (Via Zoom)
Cost/Stipend: $1,990; limited scholarships of up to $1,000 available
Program Dates: June 23 - August 1
Application Deadline: June 11
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–12 (ages 13–18) from anywhere in the world
The MehtA+ Machine Learning Bootcamp is a 6-week intensive project-based virtual program taught by MIT and Stanford engineers and specially designed for 8th - 12th graders worldwide. You’ll get introduced to university-level computer science and AI/machine learning engineering concepts, including programming, AI/machine learning, and data visualization, with applications in medicine, digital humanities, economics, and linguistics. You’ll work in small teams on two major projects with a university partner. Daily live lectures, assignments, optional office hours, and full-time project work prepare you for the roles of entry-level data scientist or machine learning engineer roles.
14. Introduction to Engineering Mechanics – Georgia Tech
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Location: Online
Cost: Free; certificate available for a fee
Program Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students with prior knowledge of basic calculus and physics
The Introduction to Engineering Mechanics course offered by Georgia Tech is a self-paced online program that introduces high school students to the foundational principles of engineering mechanics. You’ll explore static equilibrium concepts, including forces, particle equilibrium, and moments in both two- and three-dimensional contexts. Taught by Dr. Wayne Whiteman, the course combines lectures, interactive exercises, and problem-solving practice to reinforce key concepts. Once you complete the program, you can earn a certificate of completion (available for a fee), which can strengthen your college applications and show early exposure to engineering fundamentals.
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