Engineering & Robotics Opportunities for High School Students
Browse 60 verified Engineering & Robotics opportunities for high schoolers, matched by interest with real deadlines and eligibility.
Conrad Challenge
Multi-stage innovation competition for teams of 2-5, judged on a lean canvas, innovation brief, video, and team site. The activation stage closes in October and the innovation stage in January; advancing teams pay a $499 team fee.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge
School teams design an experiment that NASA flies on a high-altitude test vehicle in summer 2027. A teacher or school employee submits the team's proposal, and 60 winning teams are chosen.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
The nation's oldest and most prestigious science research competition for seniors, judging original independent research. Top awards exceed $250,000.
Dream with Us High School Engineering Challenge
Teams of 3 to 7 students design a new cargo aircraft and write a proposal for it. Registration closes December 8, 2026, and the engineering notebook is due January 25, 2027.
GTRI High School Summer Internship
Five-week paid summer internship for Georgia high schoolers (Georgia residents only, 16+ by April 2027) working on real STEM research projects — robotics, drones, radar physics, piezoelectric systems — with GTRI engineers and scientists. Runs June 14–July 23, up to 24 hrs/week; no housing provided.
MIT THINK Scholars Program
Propose a STEM research or engineering project you haven't built yet; finalists get up to $1,000 in funding, weekly MIT mentorship, and an all-expenses-paid trip to MIT. Free to apply, solo or in pairs.
Lockheed Martin High School Internship Program
Nine-plus week paid internship working alongside aerospace and defense engineers on real projects at a Lockheed Martin site (Denver, Sunnyvale, Cape Canaveral, King of Prussia, Huntsville, or Herndon), with mentoring, workshops, and networking events. Must be 16+, live within commuting distance of a site, and not a graduating senior.
SHTEM Summer Internships
Eight-week in-person Stanford research internship on interdisciplinary projects spanning information theory, machine learning, and the humanities. Unpaid with a $95 application fee; you arrange your own housing and transport.
Simons Summer Research Program
Seven-week research fellowship for juniors, working in an active Stony Brook lab in science, math, or engineering under a faculty mentor. Tuition-free, with a $1,000 stipend on completion; commuting avoids the optional housing cost.
COSMOS
Four-week residential program at a UC campus. Students join a research cluster — robotics, AI, marine science, and more — alongside university faculty.
Davidson Fellows
Scholarship competition awarding $25,000 to $100,000 to students 18 or younger for a significant, original piece of work in science, technology, math, literature, music, or philosophy. No fee to apply.
SEES Summer High School Internship
NASA-funded research internship using real mission data in astronomy, planetary science, and remote sensing, with a two-week on-site stay in Austin plus virtual projects. For U.S. citizens in 10th or 11th grade who are 16 by the start. Selected students attend on scholarship or as fee-based participants, and travel scholarships may be available. The 2026 deadline was February 22 and the next cycle is not announced; the program says its future depends on funding.
National Youth Science Camp
Three-week residential science camp in the Monongahela National Forest for graduating seniors, with two delegates selected per state. Lectures and field studies run alongside outdoor expeditions; phone service on site is limited.
Northeastern Young Scholars Program (YSP)
Free six-week research placement in Northeastern labs in engineering, science, and health sciences for Massachusetts juniors. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and live within commuting distance of Boston.
GENIUS Olympiad
International project competition on environmental topics, with tracks including AI, robotics, and science. Applications open in December 2026, cost $75 per project, and finalists present at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York in June 2027.
SAGE Summer Camp
Free one-week residential camp at the SLAC and Stanford campuses with job shadowing, hands-on projects, and career sessions led by lab scientists. Ages 14-17 in a set list of Northern and Central California counties.
Experiences in Research
Paid six-week internship ($500/week) working about 30-35 hours a week with Berkeley Lab scientists on real projects in data science, coding, or experimentation. Northern California students who turn 16 by mid-June, with priority near the Berkeley site.
Galaxy Explorers
Multi-year Oakland program where teens run museum demonstrations and join inquiry teams in engineering, climate tech, and digital media, with externships at partners like NASA Ames. $1,500 a year, fully covered for students with demonstrated need.
Beaver Works Summer Institute
Four-week project-based summer program at MIT in AI, autonomous racing, radar, and satellites. Admission requires finishing a free online prerequisite course that opens in winter; tuition is free under $200,000 family income.
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair
The world's largest pre-college science fair. You qualify by winning at an affiliated regional or state fair, not by applying directly.
Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program
Eight-week summer research internship placing students in a Mason faculty lab. Remote, hybrid and in-person wet-lab placements are offered; wet-lab placements require you to be 16 by the start date, the others 15.
AEOP Internships and Fellowships
Paid research internships in Army research labs and partner university labs. Positions are competitive.
Amazon Future Engineer
Collection of free computer science courses, virtual field trips, and career-exploration content for students and teachers, including introductory coding and cloud computing material.
American Rocketry Challenge
The world's largest student rocket contest: teams of three to twenty-five design, build, and launch a model rocket meeting a specific altitude and flight-time target for a chance to compete nationally.
Beaver Works Summer Institute
Four-week, project-based STEM summer program at MIT. Students complete an online prerequisite course, then take on an intensive team project in autonomy, robotics, AI, or quantum computing. No tuition.
Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program
Join a local Civil Air Patrol squadron to learn aviation and leadership. Annual dues are $25 to $50.
Clark Scholar Program
Seven-week summer research program pairing high school students with Texas Tech faculty for a mentored original project across the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. No tuition, and a stipend is provided for housing.
Cooper Union Summer STEM
Three- or six-week college-level engineering and computer science classes at Cooper Union in New York City. Financial aid is available, with priority for NYC residents. Applications for 2027 open December 11, 2026.
CyberPatriot
National youth cyber defense competition where school and community teams work as IT professionals to secure simulated networks across online rounds. Teams register through an adult coach.
eCYBERMISSION
Free virtual STEM competition for teams in grades 6–9. Teams identify a problem in their own community, work through the scientific or engineering method, and compete for state, regional and national awards.
Engineering and Robotics Academy
Two-week hands-on program where teams identify a real-world problem and design a robotic solution, ending in a capstone presentation.
ExploraVision
Team competition in which students pick a current technology, research how it works, and project how it could look twenty years from now — submitting a written description and a set of web pages.
FIRST Robotics Competition
Teams get a common kit of parts and about six weeks to build an industrial-size robot for the season's game. You join through a school or community team rather than applying individually; the team pays the season fee.
FIRST Tech Challenge
Design, build, and program a smaller reusable robot for the annual game — the 2026-27 season game is BIOBUZZ. Join through a registered school or community team.
Flight Teen Volunteers
Teens ages 14 to 18 run aviation and STEM activities for museum visitors in San Carlos, including the Invention Lab and virtual reality experiences. Applications are taken on an ongoing basis.
Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS)
Summer STEM camp at Army research sites. There is no fee, and students get a small stipend.
Hack Club
Free network of student-run coding clubs plus open online programs, workshops, and community events. Students can join an existing club or start their own with Hack Club's tools.
High School Explainer Program
Paid part-time museum job in San Francisco (about $19.61/hour, ~7.5 hours a week) where teens lead demonstrations and staff exhibits after 60+ hours of training. Ages 15-18, no science background required; postings open in July and March.
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
Students present original scientific research — by poster or oral presentation — at regional symposia, with selected students advancing to a national symposium. Free to enter.
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Paid, fully online 1-on-1 research mentorship pairing a student with a PhD mentor over about 12 weeks to produce an independent research paper in a topic of their choosing. Need-based aid is available.
MITES Summer
Six-week residential academic enrichment program at MIT for rising seniors, with rigorous coursework in engineering, science, and humanities. Free of charge, including housing and meals.
NASA HUNCH
Classes at participating schools design and build real products for NASA. You take part through your school.
NASA Internships (STEM Gateway)
NASA's official internship portal lists paid and unpaid opportunities at NASA centers and in virtual projects, with high school eligibility varying by session. Students apply through the portal and must be U.S. citizens.
Next Generation STEM Internship Program
Seven to ten weeks on site at Oak Ridge working alongside research and professional staff on a STEM project. Open to rising juniors and seniors and to recent graduates who have not yet enrolled in a degree programme.
NIST Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP)
Seven-week unpaid research internship with NIST scientists. You must be a U.S. citizen with at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA.
Polygence Core Program
Paid, online 1-on-1 mentorship pairing a student with an expert to complete a self-chosen research project, paper, or app over roughly 10 sessions. Need-based aid is available.
Pre-College Scholars
Enroll in real UC Berkeley lower-division courses for college credit over a 6- or 8-week summer session, as a commuter or in the residential track.
Project Pull
Paid eight-week internship placing San Francisco juniors and seniors in city departments like the SF Public Utilities Commission, with weekly STEAM enrichment alongside the paid work.
Research in Science & Engineering (RISE)
Six-week summer research practicum placing students in Boston University labs to work on an independent project with a faculty mentor, ending in a research paper and symposium presentation.
Science Olympiad (Division C)
Teams of up to 15 prepare for 23 events spanning lab science, study topics, and build-and-test engineering, advancing from regionals to state to nationals. Participate through your school's team.
Solar Car Challenge
Teams of high school students learn to build a roadworthy solar car, then take part in the Challenge.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (U.S.)
Science fair-style contest for water research projects. State winners go on to the national competition.
Summer Academy for Math and Science
Residential summer academy at Carnegie Mellon for rising seniors from groups historically underrepresented in STEM, building calculus, physics, and programming foundations with college application support. No tuition.
Summer Engineering Seminar (SES)
Free five-day residential engineering seminar at Santa Clara University for high school sophomores and juniors, with priority for sophomores. Housing and meals cost nothing, and applicants are judged on math and science grades and financial need. The 2027 application opens in December.
TAG-Ed High School Summer Internship
Eight-week summer STEM internship in Georgia where interns are matched with host companies and work in pairs on a defined project. Paid and unpaid placements exist, and students must be 17 by June 1 and able to work in the U.S.
The Junior Academy
Free online program where you join an international team and work with STEM experts on real-world challenges.
UCSC Scholar Immersion Program (SIP)
Summer research with UC Santa Cruz mentors on open-ended projects. The SIP 2027 application fee is $68, and fee waivers are available.
VEX Robotics Competition
Season-long engineering competition where teams build and program a robot for a new game, advancing from local events to regional, national, and world championships.
VEX V5 Robotics Competition
Two-team alliances compete with V5 robots in the 2026-27 game Override, from local fall tournaments through the spring World Championship. You compete as part of a registered team.
Women's Technology Program
Four-week summer program at MIT for rising 11th-grade students who are girls or gender-expansive, combining computer science, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering classes with hands-on labs. No tuition.