9 Online Engineering Programs for High School Students
If you're a high school student who wants to explore engineering, online programs offer an accessible opportunity to explore various engineering disciplines from the comfort of your home. These programs allow you to gain experience, develop practical skills, and network with professionals — all essential for your future academic and career success.
Participating in an online engineering program can enhance your college applications and set the foundation for your career. These programs help you hone skills highly valued by college admissions committees.
In this blog, we’ve curated a list of 9 of the best online engineering programs for high school students. We’ve featured prestigious institutions such as NASA, Stanford, MIT, and Oxford. These programs offer the best experience to help you kickstart your engineering career.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
Kode With Klossy offers a fortnight-long summer camp to help girls and non-binary students in high school explore coding and technology. The program offers four main tracks: web development, mobile app development, machine learning, and data science. The first two options are particularly well-suited if you are interested in software engineering, covering aspects such as front-end development, UI/UX enhancement, and programming languages like JavaScript and HTML. Additionally, you will gain experience with tools such as Xcode and Apple’s SwiftUI framework.Â
Dates: Multiple sessions offered from June to August
Cost:Â Free for all accepted participants.
Eligibility: Open to girls, gender non-conforming, and trans students who are between the ages of 13 and 18.
Deadline:Â April 10
3. Veritas AI
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.Â
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.Â
Location:Â Virtual
Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here.Â
Application deadline:Â On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program dates:Â Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility:Â Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
The Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is an ideal option for students who want to learn more about robotics, autonomous systems, and mechanical engineering. You'll develop practical skills like designing, constructing, and programming robotic systems while understanding computer engineering principles. The collaborative project is a standout feature of the program, where you'll create autonomous drones, rovers, or other innovative robotic systems. This project culminates in a final presentation. Admission to the Beaver Works Summer Institute is highly competitive. For more detailed information, see our deep dive blog post review for this program.Â
Dates:Â Four weeks in the summer, typically from July to August
Cost:Â Free for all accepted participants.
Eligibility: All high school students in the U.S.
Deadline:Â March 31st
This UC Berkeley summer course gives students a comprehensive understanding of AI, machine learning (ML), and big data science fundamentals. The academy offers personalized 1-1 classes for students aged 12-18. Throughout these programs, you will explore the Python coding underlying AI and develop ML models using real-world data. The course accommodates students with varying levels of coding proficiency. Collaborating in small groups, you will conceptualize and execute your projects and models. Check out our detailed review article on this program if you’d like more information. Â
Dates: July 15 - Aug 2
Cost:Â $2,495 program fee; Limited financial aid available.
Eligibility: Ages 12-14, 15-18
Deadline: March 31st for coding. AI applications start from July 15th.
EnergyMag offers virtual research internships to students seeking to gain experience in the renewable energy sector. This internship offers valuable research and policy-oriented experience in engineering. You will research companies and analyze technologies. Under the guidance of professionals, you will work on various tasks aligned with your academic background and interests. You will analyze wind turbine designs and optimize the efficiency of solar panel configurations, enabling you to have a direct impact on renewable energy solutions.
Dates: Rolling dates
Cost:Â Free for all accepted participants.
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have taken at least one honors science or honors English class; minimum GPA of 3.25.
Deadline: Applications are open year-round; you can apply here.
BlueStamp offers a 2-week summer program for high school students interested in technology and engineering. You will participate in a project-based remote internship guided by a mentor who is an expert in the engineering industry. At the start of the program, you will receive a project that matches your interests and skills—something you can build from start to finish. You can expect to work on projects in Robotics, Coding, Hardware, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering, 3D Printing, and more. You will end the program with an engineering portfolio.
Dates: Session 1: June 10 - June 28; Session 2: July 1 - July 19; Session 3: July 22 - August 9
Cost: $2200 program fee; financial aid is available.
Eligibility: Incoming 9th to 12th grade students.
Deadline: Applications are on a rolling basis.
The Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging is an internship that invites students to participate in the technical aspects of healthcare. The internship provides a series of lectures on AI and computer software in healthcare, complemented by a research project. You will receive guidance from Stanford AI research engineers, who will guide you through your project. You will also have the opportunity to build networks in the tech industry by attending Virtual Career Lunch and Learns with guest speakers from academia, nonprofits, and the government.
Dates: Two weeks in the summer: June 17 - June 28
Cost:Â Free for all accepted participants.
Eligibility: Summer Research interns must be high school students over the age of 14 by the start of the program who reside in the U.S. Student leads must be California residents.Â
Deadline: Typically by the end of March.
SHTEM offers high school students the opportunity to engage in research remotely, guided by Stanford's faculty and industry experts. As a participant, you will explore a range of topics in engineering and beyond, committing 30-40 hours per week to research. Subjects include information science, communication, engineering, arts, linguistics, psychology, biology, neuroscience, computer science, technology, philosophy, and design. The program aims to develop your technical skills.
Dates: Eight weeks in the summer; June 17 to August 9.
Cost:Â Free for all accepted participants.Â
Eligibility: Applicants must:- Be current high school juniors or seniors in the school year (i.e. 11th or 12th grade at the time of application) and at least 14 years old by June 17
Deadline:Â Applications typically close in February.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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