15 Summer Engineering Programs for High School Students in NYC

If you’re based in NYC, and curious about engineering and want to see what it’s really like, joining one of the many summer engineering programs for high school students in NYC is a great place to start. These programs give you an opportunity to develop skills, connect with mentors, and gain insights into potential careers. Summer programs also look great on college applications, showcasing your dedication and curiosity. What makes these summer engineering programs for high school students in NYC even more valuable is the access you’ll have to top universities and tech centers, state‑of‑the‑art labs, and faculty expertise across the city. Because these programs run during the summer, you won’t compete with school commitments, giving you dedicated time to focus on learning and exploring. 

To get you started, we’ve curated the top 15 summer engineering programs for high school students in NYC. With options ranging from robotics and product design to marine engineering, and more, there’s something for every aspiring engineer. 

1. Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: $1,000 upon completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Rising juniors or seniors who live in New York City and attend NYC high schools

The ARISE program gives you around 120 hours of lab experience, spanning over ten weeks, where you’ll be working closely with faculty mentors. The first four weeks focus on lab safety, college writing workshops, and research skills; during the next six weeks, you work in one of their NYU research labs, assisting on projects ranging from robotics to environmental engineering. Along the way, you’ll strengthen your public speaking skills and network with scholars and industry professionals through weekly seminars. ARISE also provides college application support and access to an alumni network, making it a solid option for summer engineering programs for high school students in NYC.

2. Ladder Internships – Engineering Track

Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program type; need‑based aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Varies based on cohort
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year
Eligibility: High‑school students with good academic standing 

Ladder’s engineering track connects you with a start‑up where you’ll work on projects based on your chosen area of interest. You’ll spend 5–10 hours per week on your internship, meeting regularly with your company mentor and a Ladder coach who will guide you every step of the way. You'll attend group training sessions covering professional skills such as project management and presentation. You will also receive one‑on‑one mentorships that will help you navigate challenges and grow as an engineer. At the end of the program, you’ll create a final deliverable, such as a software feature or hardware design, that demonstrates your new skills.

3. HK Maker Lab

Location: Columbia University campus (Hypothekids), New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Dates: July 7 – August 8
Application Deadline: Priority December 18; Final early January 8
Eligibility: Rising high‑school juniors and seniors who attend NYC public or charter schools; priority to students from educationally or economically under‑resourced backgrounds

HK Maker Lab combines three weeks of Columbia’s SHAPE program with a two‑week digital media experience, giving you both technical and creative skills. In this summer engineering program for high school students in NYC, you’ll learn the engineering design process, from identifying a problem to prototyping a solution, while using tools such as 3D printers and microcontrollers. Mentors will help you develop projects that address real community needs and teach you to communicate your designs through video and graphic media. Working in teams, you’ll gain practical experience and build collaboration and leadership skills.

4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts year‑round
Application Deadline: Varies; multiple dates based on cohorts
Eligibility: High‑school students

With the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, you’ll work one‑on‑one with a PhD mentor to design, execute, and write your own original research project. Meetings occur weekly via video calls, providing you with consistent feedback and guidance on every step of the process. You’ll learn to conduct literature reviews, craft research questions, gather and analyze data, and produce a formal research paper. If you choose the Premium track, you’ll receive additional editorial support to publish your work. 

5. Computer Engineering for Good (CE4G)

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: $4,500 plus optional housing and meals
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately Selective
Dates: June 16 – July 2 and July 14 – August 1
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students aged 15+ in grades 9–12

CE4G challenges you to apply engineering principles to real-world issues such as climate change, public health, and accessibility. You’ll learn to program microcontrollers such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi and build devices that sense and respond to real conditions. Working in teams, you’ll brainstorm ideas, prototype solutions, and refine your designs while receiving feedback from instructors. You’ll also attend workshops on systems thinking, sustainability, and ethics, helping you understand the broader impact of technology. You’ll present your project findings at the end of the program.

6. Design, Invent & Innovate (DII)

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: $3,150 plus optional housing and meals
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately Selective
Dates: June 16 – 27
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students aged 15+ (grades 9–12)

The Design, Invent, and Innovate program introduces you to the design thinking process, from problem framing to brainstorming ideas, prototyping, and testing solutions. Workshops teach CAD modeling, 3D printing, and laser cutting, enabling you to bring your concepts to life as physical prototypes. You’ll also learn the business side of innovation, with mentors guiding you through intellectual property and market analysis, and ways of pitching your invention effectively. At the end of the two-week program, you’ll present your finished product to a panel of instructors and other students, showcasing both your technical and entrepreneurial skills.

7.

Immersive Summer Interacting with Technology & Engineering (I‑SITE)

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: $10,350 plus optional housing and meals
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately Selective
Dates: June 30 – August 1
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students aged 15+ (grades 9–12)

I‑SITE gives you a five-week deep dive into different areas of engineering. You will learn physical computing by wiring circuits and sensors, robotics by building and programming autonomous devices, and machine learning by training algorithms. The program culminates in a team project, where you’ll design a prototype that addresses a societal issue, such as climate change or cybersecurity. Throughout the program, you’ll receive daily mentorship from faculty and graduate students, helping you master complex concepts. 

8. Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC)

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: July 7 – August 8
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students aged 15+ (grades 9–12) who are NYC residents

This ieSoSC program integrates coding, engineering, and business to show how technology can shape the cities of the future. You’ll study the key elements of smart cities, such as renewable energy, transportation, and waste management, and learn how technology can improve urban life. In the lab, you’ll work with microcontrollers and sensors to build prototypes for smart home or smart city applications. And, workshops on entrepreneurship will teach you how to develop a business plan and pitch your idea effectively. At the end of the program, your team will  solutions to judges drawn from academia and industry, giving you real-world experience of innovation, entrepreneurship, and engineering. 

9. Summer Program in Automation, Robotics & Coding (SPARC)

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: $3,300 plus optional housing and meal plan
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Dates: Sessions: June 16 – 27, July 7 – 8, July 28 – August 8
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students aged 15+ (grades 9–12)

SPARC is all about robotics and mechatronics. You’ll build robots from scratch, learning to wire microcontrollers, program sensors and actuators, and troubleshoot mechanical systems. Coding sessions in languages such as Python or C++ will teach you how to program robots to navigate courses and complete tasks. Mini competitions encourage teamwork and creativity as your bots race or complete real challenges. Along the way, instructors will guide you through safety, documentation, and engineering best practices, preparing you for a future engineering career. With its hands-on approach, SPARC makes for a fun introduction to automation, robotics and the future of engineering.

10. Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)

Location: Columbia University School of Engineering, New York, NY
Cost: $5,880 commuter; $10,705 residential
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately Selective
Dates: July 6 – 24; July 17 – August 14
Application Deadline: November 18 - March 3
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent high-school graduates; residential students must be 16+

In Columbia University’s SHAPE, you’ll spend three weeks diving into the engineering track of your choice, such as biomedical, mechanical, or computer engineering.  Along with the main track, you’ll attend electives on topics based on your interests and take part in workshops on college admissions and career planning. Field trips to engineering firms or research labs will give you a glimpse of how engineers work in the real world. The program wraps up with a final project, where you’ll showcase your learning and present your work to other students and faculty. 

11. Engineering the Next Generation (ENG)

Location: Columbia University School of Engineering, New York, NY
Stipend: $15/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: July 7 – August 14
Application Deadline: Varies yearly
Eligibility: Rising high‑school seniors 

The engineering the next generation (ENG) program at Columbia gives you the opportunity to step into a research lab and work alongside faculty, graduate students, and postdocs. You’ll contribute to ongoing projects, such as building sensors, modeling materials, or designing prototypes, while learning advanced laboratory techniques used by researchers. Weekly workshops cover topics such as ethics, data analysis, and professional skills, helping you to grow both academically and personally. With multi‑level mentorship, you’ll be paired with a graduate student and a faculty member for guidance. 

12. Summer Engineering Awareness Program

Location: Manhattan College School of Engineering, Riverdale, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 7 – 11 and July 14 – 18
Application Deadline: April 25
Eligibility: Rising juniors or seniors with strong math and science skills; preference given to minority and female students from NYC

This 10‑day Summer Engineering Awareness Program at Manhattan introduces you to six engineering fields: chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, and mechanical. In the mornings, you’ll attend lectures and demonstrations led by Manhattan College faculty, and in the afternoons, you’ll jump into experiments in labs and workshops. You’ll explore topics such as robotics, green building design, CAD, and aerospace, to get a taste of what engineers actually do. You’ll also get to hear from guest speakers about college admissions, scholarships, and engineering careers, and visit an engineering firm to see professionals at work. The program encourages underrepresented groups to pursue STEM and provides information on financial aid and ROTC opportunities.

13. NYIT High School Summer Maker Academy

Location: NYIT, New York, NY
Cost: $250 per program/session
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: July 21 – 25; August 11 – 15; July 28 – August 1
Application Deadline: May 6
Eligibility: High‑school students aged 14–18

In this week‑long program, you’ll join a team to tackle a design challenge focused on water delivery or smart cities. Along the way, you’ll learn 3D modeling, 3D printing, laser cutting, and printed circuit board (PCB) design, and program microcontrollers with Arduino. With guidance from NYIT faculty and student mentors, you’ll brainstorm and build prototypes, and test them against criteria such as efficiency and sustainability. By the end of the program, you’ll present your prototype and reflect on how engineering can address global challenges.

14. Webb Institute Summer Engineering Academy (SEA)

Location: Webb Institute, 298 Crescent Beach Road, Glen Cove, NY
Cost: $1700
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Dates: Session 1: July 7 – 18; Session 2: July 21 – August 1
Application Deadline: Registration opens February 20 - deadline TBD
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–12

The Webb Institute Summer Engineering Academy (SEA) introduces you to the world of marine and naval engineering through a mix of lectures, labs, and design‑build‑test activities. You’ll study concepts such as buoyancy, propulsion, and ship stability, and put your knowledge into action by building small vessels or structures and testing them in water. Taught by Webb faculty and students, the program gives you a glimpse into college-level coursework and hands-on engineering. You’ll also go on a field trip to a maritime museum or shipyard, where you’ll see how marine engineers apply these principles in industry. Because sessions are commuter‑only, you’ll spend your days on Webb’s waterfront campus and return home each evening. 

15. Cooper Union Summer STEM Program

Location: The Cooper Union, 41 Cooper Square, New York, NY
Cost: $2,000 - $3,000 (varies based on chosen course); financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Dates: July 6 – August 13
Application Deadline: Varies yearly
Eligibility: Current 9th–11th graders

Cooper Union’s Summer STEM program offers a range of engineering courses, from biomedical design to robotics and sustainable energy. You’ll collaborate with other students on team projects and receive feedback from faculty and graduate students. Beyond technical skills, you’ll join workshops on college admissions and portfolio building, helping you to prepare for the next steps in your academic journey. The program wraps up with a final exhibition, where you present your project to family, friends, and the Cooper Union community.

Image Source - New York University Logo

Dhruva Bhat

Dhruva Bhat is one of the co-founders of Ladder, and a Harvard College graduate. Dhruva founded Ladder Internships as a DPhil candidate and Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, with a vision to bridge the gap between ambitious students and real-world startup experiences.

Previous
Previous

15 Medical Summer Programs for High School Students in Virginia

Next
Next

15 STEM Summer Programs for High School Students in Massachusetts