If you’re a high school student interested in engineering but can’t commit to an in-person program in the summer, consider joining an online summer research program in the field! You will design medical devices, improve energy systems, develop autonomous vehicles, and experiment with advanced materials like graphene, all in a flexible and affordable format.
Whether you’re interested in electrical, software, mechanical, civil, biomedical, chemical, aerospace, or environmental engineering, participating in a summer program can strengthen your resume and help you get started in your chosen field. Since these programs are fully online, they are more accessible and cost-effective than in-person options.
To help you find the right opportunity, we’ve compiled a list of 15 online engineering research programs for high school students!
15 Online Engineering Research Summer Programs for High School Students
1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)—Engineering Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: $5,950; Financial aid is available!
Application Deadline: February 16 (early), March 23 (priority), April 20 (regular-I), May 18 (regular-II)
Dates: The summer cohort starts on June 16. Lab dates are flexible, but applications must be submitted at least four weeks in advance.
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum 3.67 GPA can apply. Most accepted students are in the 10th or 11th grade. Some tracks have specific prerequisites, which can be reviewed here.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students in fields like political theory, chemistry, physics, pathology, data science, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and psychology. With over 1,000 participants and 600+ research specializations, you can explore both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Engineering-focused topics include neural engineering for sensory, motor, and neurological disorders, AI-driven drug repurposing in computational biology, and environmental epidemiology. You’ll choose a subject, select a research method, and work under the mentorship of a professor or PhD scholar from a recognized university.
By the end of the program, you’ll complete a 20-page university-level research paper, with the opportunity to submit it to academic journals. You’ll also receive expert guidance, a detailed evaluation, and a letter of recommendation. You can apply here.
2. Lumiere Research Scholar Program—Engineering Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Starts at $2,990. Financial aid is available!
Application Deadline: Application deadlines vary by cohort. The upcoming deadline for the summer cohort is April 13.
Dates: The program offers four cohorts: summer (June–August), fall (September–December), winter (December–February), and spring (March–June).
Eligibility: High school students with an unweighted GPA of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale are encouraged to apply.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a 12-week opportunity for high school students to conduct an independent research project in their chosen field with guidance from a Ph.D. mentor. You will work with your mentor and a writing coach to select and refine your research topic while attending workshops on research methods.
The program covers various fields, including engineering, anthropology, history, physics, biology, sociology, economics, data science, chemistry, and gender studies. If you’re interested in engineering, you can explore topics such as Civil & Environmental Engineering and Chemical & Biological Engineering. If none of the available topics align with your interests, you can customize your research focus. Details on the application process are available here.
3. Research Scholars at UC San Diego
Location: Available online, hybrid, or in person at the University of California, San Diego, CA
Cost: The cost varies from $1,500 to $4,800, depending on the chosen program and format.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the slots are filled.
Dates: Programs are available year-round, including summer, fall, and winter sessions.
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12 who are at least 15 years old and have a minimum GPA of 3.0
The Research Scholars program at UC San Diego, offered by the Division of Extended Studies, gives high school students hands-on experience in real-world research. You can choose from research tracks such as Bioengineering, Life Sciences, Medicine, Engineering in Medicine, Business Research, and Marine Science. Through lab work, hands-on projects, and data analysis, you will develop technical skills and gain practical research experience.
In the Bioengineering track, you’ll gain hands-on experience in Biomedical Imaging and 3D Printing, receive training in mammalian cell and tissue culture, and learn how these methods are applied in research. You’ll also conduct experiments on load-supporting skeletal structures, including knee dissection and biomechanical testing of models and tissues such as bone, ligament, tendon, meniscus, and cartilage.
4. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internship Programs
Location: Available remotely or on-site at one of NASA’s 10 field centers, depending on the project.
Cost/Stipend: Participation is free; interns may receive a stipend based on their academic level and session length.
Application Deadline: The deadline for the summer session is February 27.
Dates: These internships are offered in three sessions (Fall, Spring, and Summer), with dates depending on the specific opportunity. The summer session runs for 10 weeks, from late May or early June to August.
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old, U.S. citizens, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offers paid internships for high school and college students, providing mentorship, training, and career development in fields such as science, engineering, finance, IT, and business. You will gain experience in areas like space science, aeronautics, robotics, space microbiology, ecology, astronomy, and outreach and communications.
As an intern, you may design experiments, analyze mission data, and contribute to developing new technologies. You could work closely with a researcher or as part of a small team on a NASA project, with tasks such as recording and analyzing data, tracking celestial bodies using telescopes, and assisting with mission preparations. To find available internships for high school students, you can use the ‘Filter’ option on the NASA website.
5. ASPIRE by Johns Hopkins University
Location: Offered virtually or in-person at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD
Cost/Stipend: The program is free for all accepted participants but does not offer payment.
Application Deadline: The application deadline is February 15. The ASPIRE application is for the summer session only, and participation during the academic year is not required.
Dates: Summer: June 24–Aug 21; Academic Year: Sept 15–May (Seniors: 60 hrs by Dec 31, Juniors: 30 hrs).
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors aged 15 or older with a minimum GPA of 2.8 who are permanent residents of specific Maryland counties
The ASPIRE program offers high school juniors and seniors the chance to explore STEM careers before choosing a college major. You will work with APL staff mentors on projects that develop technical and interpersonal skills in a professional setting. You can select two areas of interest and up to three project types, such as research and development, experimental lab work, public relations, or social impact, though mentors and projects are assigned by the program.
Engineering opportunities include projects such as designing drones with specialized sensors, developing Python tools to analyze space weather effects on satellites, and using 3D printing and laser engraving in APL’s maker space. Other activities involve building autonomous vehicles and sound systems, calibrating navigation algorithms for the Dragonfly spacecraft using MATLAB, and designing 3D-printed spacecraft models with simulated operations plans. The program is competitive, with an acceptance rate of about 10%.
6. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes—Introduction to Structural Engineering
Location: Virtual (synchronous lectures)
Cost: The program costs $3,080, with some courses requiring additional purchases, such as textbooks or course readers, costing up to $100; need-based financial aid is available
Application Deadline: March 20
Dates: Session 1: June 16 – June 27; Session 2: July 7 – July 18
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–11 can apply, though some courses may have specific grade requirements.
Stanford University’s Pre-College Summer Institutes offer a two-week virtual program where you can focus on one online course. With 60 options, you can explore subjects like computer science, engineering, social justice, math, creative writing, and philosophy. Courses are ungraded, not for credit, and limited to one per summer.
In Introduction to Structural Engineering, you’ll learn how to design structures that can handle different forces. You’ll study materials like steel, concrete, timber, and masonry, see how structures transfer loads, and explore the basics of structural dynamics. You’ll look at real-world successes and failures. In small groups, you’ll take on a bridge-building challenge and a final project, building real skills in structural engineering.
7. George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Offered in fully remote, hybrid, and in-person formats at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA
Cost/Stipend: The program is free, with a $25 application fee that may be waived for those with financial need. However, it does not include transportation or housing, and the internship is unpaid.
Application Deadline: February 2
Dates: June 18 – August 8
Eligibility: Interns must be at least 15 years old for remote, hybrid, and in-person computer lab internships and at least 16 years old for hybrid or in-person wet lab internships by the start of the program.
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) at George Mason University is an eight-week research internship where you can work on projects in chemistry, engineering, environmental science, physics, neuroscience, astronomy, and computer science. You’ll gain hands-on experience in data analysis, lab techniques, programming, molecular modeling, microscopy, and computational simulations.
If you’re interested in engineering, you can explore research in Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering, Bioengineering, Security Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Systems Engineering & Operations Research. Past projects have focused on adapting large language models for bug reporting, correcting visual design errors in presentation slides, and using optical character recognition for automated grade entry. You can explore previous research projects from the College of Engineering and Computing here.
8. NASA and UT Austin’s STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Summer High School Intern Program
Location: Offered virtually or in person at the University of Texas, Austin, TX
Cost/Stipend: No cost; unpaid
Application Deadline: February 22
Dates: May 1 to July 1
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors who are U.S. citizens, at least 16 years old, and first-time SEES applicants.
The STEM Enhancement in Earth Sciences (SEES) High School Summer Intern Program, a collaboration between NASA and the University of Texas at Austin, gives you hands-on experience in NASA research. You’ll focus on data analysis and visualization while working with NASA experts. If you’re interested in virtual engineering projects, you can research air quality, explore AI challenges in deep space travel, detect exoplanets, use NASA satellite data to study environmental changes, and determine the age and distance of an open star cluster.
Project topics change each year, and virtual internships follow specific schedules based on project descriptions. Researchers at UT’s Center for Space Research lead studies in astronomy, remote sensing, Earth systems, engineering, and planetary science. You may identify pulsars from radio emissions, analyze astronaut photography and NASA data, and study large datasets on star formation, galaxy types, and object frequencies.
9. Harvard University’s Secondary School Program—User Experience Engineering
Location: Available online or in person at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA
Cost: $4,050–$14,950 + $75 application fee; financial aid is available
Application Deadline: Early: January 8; Regular: February 12; Late: April 9
Dates: 4-week session: July 13 – August 9; 7-week session: June 21 – August 9
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–19 who will graduate and start college in the next three years!
Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program (SSP) is a 4- or 7-week academic program where high school students can earn college credit. With over 200 courses available, subjects include engineering, physics, biology, literature, computer science, economics, finance, investments, and psychology.
In the User Experience Engineering course, you’ll focus on designing for users rather than starting with tools. You will explore user personas, problem identification, and effective solutions through user stories. The course covers interaction flow, prototyping with mock-ups, user testing, and understanding real user behavior. Through a term project, you’ll apply the full UX design process using tools like Figma. The course also includes case studies and guest lectures from industry professionals.
10. NASA’s GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS) Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free for all accepted participants
Application Deadline: May 15
Dates: June 2 – August 29
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents must have a 3.0 unweighted GPA and have completed a college-prep biology course.
NASA’s Ames Research Center offers GL4HS, a 12-week virtual summer program for rising high school juniors and seniors focused on NASA space biology research, bioinformatics, computational biology, and data analysis. You’ll also build formal presentation skills and explore how bioinformatics supports NASA Space Biology.
The Basic Level course includes recorded lectures with JupyterLab Notebooks for self-paced learning, plus optional live Open Office Hours (five to six hours per week). After completing this course, you can join the Capstone Project, where teams of four to five analyze bioinformatics datasets. You’ll develop hypothesis-based research proposals using NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) and present your findings at a competitive symposium.
The top eight teams move on to a written proposal competition, and the top three win an all-expenses-paid trip to present at the annual American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) conference.
11. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Location: Offered virtually or in person at MIT in Cambridge, MA
Cost: The program costs $2,350 for students from families with an income above $150,000 but is free for those with a lower income.
Application Deadline: March 31
Dates: July 7 – August 3
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11 who attend school in the U.S. are eligible to apply, though most accepted students are typically in 11th grade.
The Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI), hosted by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and MIT’s School of Engineering, is a hands-on STEM program where high school students work on real-world challenges in robotics, engineering, AI, cybersecurity, and other fields. Online engineering courses include Cyber Operations, Basics of ASICs, and Quantum Software.
In Cyber Operations, you will explore topics such as human factors, cryptography, networking, software reverse-engineering, and side channels, with applications in industrial control systems and satellites. The Basics of ASICs course provides hands-on experience in designing semiconductors at the nanometer scale, guiding you through the entire design process from specification to fabrication. In Quantum Software, you will learn quantum computing concepts through coding exercises and develop and test quantum algorithms.
12. MehtA+ AI/Machine Learning Research Bootcamp
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Cost: $1,990; limited need-based scholarships are available
Application Deadline: The deadline is June 11 or until all slots are filled.
Dates: June 23 – August 1
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–12, ages 13–18
The MehtA+ Machine Learning Bootcamp is a six-week virtual program led by engineers from MIT and Stanford. You’ll learn the fundamentals of AI, machine learning, deep learning, data processing, and model training. To qualify for a research project with partner universities, you must complete daily mini-assignments.
You’ll also work in teams to apply machine learning to fields like medicine, economics, digital humanities, and linguistics. Research papers from these projects are published online, and you’ll present your findings to university professors at the MehtA+ Machine Learning conference. Previous projects have involved the use of feature engineering for automated valuation models. You can explore past projects from the camp here.
13. Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation Pre-College Programs—Biomedical Engineering Innovation (BMEI)
Location: Online (asynchronous)
Cost: $4,170
Application Deadline: Early: February 14; Final: May 28
Dates: June 23 – August 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates are eligible to apply. Exceptional ninth-graders may be considered, but preference is given to older students.
Johns Hopkins University’s Biomedical Engineering Innovation (BMEI) is a virtual, three-credit course where you’ll apply engineering to biological, physiological, and medical challenges. You’ll model biological systems, design experiments, and work on projects like creating a biosensor and modeling the human arm and circulatory system.
You’ll complete an independent project, which may involve a literature review, experiment design, or a biomedical device prototype. Your findings will be presented in an online poster. You’ll also have at least three virtual design review meetings with your instructor and use MS Teams to collaborate with classmates.
14. University of Maryland’s WIE Rise Summer Research Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free for all accepted participants
Application Deadline: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until all spots are filled or until the final deadline of May 15.
Dates: July 28 – August 1
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th grade students
The WIE Rise Summer Research Program, part of the RISE Program and the Women in Engineering Program at Maryland Engineering, is a week-long online course designed to introduce high school students to engineering research. Each day, you will explore different engineering fields and learn about research labs at the University of Maryland.
You will develop skills in reading and writing scientific research papers, conducting at-home experiments, and engaging with Maryland Engineering undergraduates. The application includes questions about your interest in engineering, the WIE Rise program, and the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.
15. Summer@Brown Online Pre-College Programs—Biomedical Engineering: The Smart Design of Medical Implants and Devices
Location: Online through Canvas, Brown’s learning management system
Cost: The cost ranges from $3,218 to $6,238, depending on the course length, with some courses requiring additional fees; scholarships are available
Application Deadline: May 9
Dates: Several online courses lasting 2 to 6 weeks are available from June 16 to July 25.
Eligibility: Students completing grades 9–12 and aged 14–18 by June 15 can apply. Check individual course pages for any additional prerequisites.
Summer@Brown Online offers high school students the opportunity to explore over 50 courses in engineering fields such as biomedical engineering, data visualization, engineering design, materials engineering, AI, data science, and machine learning. Depending on the course, you can choose from three online learning formats: asynchronous, mostly asynchronous, or blended.
In the Biomedical Engineering: The Smart Design of Medical Implants and Devices course, you will learn fundamental concepts in biomedical engineering, including naturally derived and synthetic tissue replacement materials, cell interactions with materials, and the mechanical properties of biomaterials. Through discussions with the instructor and classmates, you will also explore the ethical considerations of biomedical designs and take on a design challenge to develop a novel coronary artery bypass material.
Image source – University of Maryland