Joining a program is a great way to learn, get guidance, and try hands-on projects during the summers in high school. Unlike internships, which focus on working for a company, these programs are all about helping you learn new skills, explore a field, and build a strong foundation in a supportive setting. Mechatronics combines mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. If you like figuring out how things work and building them, a mechatronics summer program is a great way to gain real technical experience before college.
What do mechatronics summer programs for high schoolers include?
Mechatronics programs let you work directly with the systems behind robots, automated machines, and smart devices. You’ll usually use microcontrollers, such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi, which act as the brains of robots. You’ll learn to wire circuits, read sensor data, and write code to control motors, servos, and actuators. On the mechanical side, you’ll use CAD software to design parts, then make them with 3D printers and laser cutters. You’ll also see how linkages, gears, and drive systems turn electrical signals into movement. For software, you’ll use languages like Python and C++ to write control logic and automation routines. Some advanced programs also cover topics like computer vision, control theory, embedded systems, and Internet of Things (IoT) communication. All of these programs focus on engineering design thinking, which means finding a problem, building a solution, testing it, and improving it.
Here are 15 top mechatronics summer programs for high school students, including some of the most well-known and selective options. You can also check out our blog post on online mechanical engineering summer program for high school students.
15 Mechatronics Summer Programs for High School Students
1. Introduction to Engineering & Mechatronics — UNC Asheville
Location: UNC Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina
Cost: $1,840
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment but limited spots
Dates: June 14 – 19 or June 21 – 26
Application Deadline: Rolling registration
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
This one-week residential program is among the few high school offerings in the country that are explicitly built around mechatronics. It is offered by UNC Asheville in partnership with NC State’s College of Engineering, through the same joint faculty who teach the undergraduate mechatronics degree program on that campus. The instructional team includes a professor with 35 years of experience at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and another faculty member with 2 decades of industry experience designing robotic and embedded control systems. You will explore how mechanical systems, electronics, and software interact to build functional robots, with hands-on lab sessions covering the field’s key pillars. The week includes an overview of engineering disciplines alongside practical activities that connect each to real robotic design.
2. Engineering Design Lab (EDL)
Location: Tufts University, Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts
Cost: $4,425 for commuter, $5,950 for residential
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 5 – 17 or July 19 – 31
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors
This two-week program takes place inside Tufts’ Nolop Makerspace, a fully equipped engineering fabrication facility. During week one, you will build a foundation in Python programming via Jupyter Notebooks, CAD, 3D printing with Prusa printers, laser cutting, and robotics using a Raspberry Pi and the GoPiGo3 robotic platform. Robotics work covers motor control, driving algorithms, and sensor and data capture. Week two shifts to team-based engineering projects drawing on concepts in computer vision, machine learning, IoT communication, and control systems. Daily guest speakers from Tufts faculty and industry partners discuss ongoing research and real engineering problems. The program concludes with a public showcase where teams present working prototypes, along with code and video documentation.
3. Cooper Union Summer STEM
Location: Albert Nerken School of Engineering, Cooper Union, New York City, New York
Cost: $3,150 for 3-week courses or $5,150 for 6-week courses
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 3-week sessions: July 6 – 23 or July 27 – August 13 | 6-week sessions: July 6 – August 13
Application Deadline: March 22
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Cooper Union’s Summer STEM program offers several tracks with strong mechatronics content, all held in Cooper’s School of Engineering in lower Manhattan. The six-week Arduino & ESP32 Innovation Lab begins with microcontroller fundamentals on the Arduino Uno, covering digital inputs and outputs, pulse-width modulation, analog sensing, and actuators, before advancing to ESP32-based systems with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities for building IoT-connected devices. You will also use a CAD tool to design and 3D-print functional housings for your electronics. The six-week Digital Fabrication for Human-Centered Innovation course covers 3D modeling, Arduino microcontroller programming, circuit building, and the design of wearable technology and assistive devices targeted at real human needs. Both six-week courses culminate in a team hardware-software prototype presented at a public showcase. The three-week Design and Drawing for Engineering course introduces CAD modeling in OnShape, 3D printing, and basic circuits. Regardless of the time commitment you have available, both variants offer strong courses.
4. Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Location: MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA, or virtual
Cost: Free for families earning under $200,000/year
Acceptance Rate / Cohort Size: Highly competitive
Dates: Four-week summer programs
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who live or attend high school in the U.S.
BWSI is a four-week, project-based program jointly offered by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and MIT’s School of Engineering. It has a few strong mechatronics tracks to pursue, including the Autonomous RACECAR Grand Prix where teams program a MIT-designed robot car for autonomous navigation using sensors and computer vision, Autonomous Air Vehicle Racing where you build and code drones to detect obstacles using onboard cameras, and Embedded Security and Hardware Hacking which covers microcontrollers, low-level C programming, protocol design, and hardware security through a hands-on team exercise. The E-Textiles and Wearable Technology course focuses on electronics prototyping integrated with textile fabrication. In-person courses are taught by MIT Lincoln Laboratory staff and MIT-affiliated faculty on campus, while online courses use synchronous lectures and detailed exercises. Each course concludes with a final engineering challenge or project.
5. Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP) — Robotics Track
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cost: $9,250
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: July 12 – 31
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA
ESAP’s three-week Robotics track at Penn’s School of Engineering gives you direct exposure to the design-and-build cycle that defines mechatronics work. You will construct robots from the ground up using microcontrollers, servos, solenoids, sensors, and wireless communication systems, and learn to drive actuators, read sensors, and coordinate control. Fabrication tools include laser cutters and 3D printers for creating moving mechanisms. Embedded programming techniques are applied to robot motion, autonomous actions, and teleoperator control systems. You will also get exposure to research from Penn’s GRASP Lab, one of the leading university robotics research centers in the country. The team project culminates in building robotic musical instruments that perform as a synchronized, WiFi-connected orchestra!
6. Explore Engineering Innovation (EEI) — Johns Hopkins University
Location: Multiple options across multiple sites, varying from hybrid to commuter to fully online
Cost: Varies by format, ranging from $4,095 to $10,190
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by format, around 4–5 weeks between June and July
Application Deadline: January 30, early action; May 27, final
Eligibility: Current high school students with As and Bs in math and science who have completed trigonometry and a full year of chemistry and/or physics with a lab
EEI is a four-week, college-credit program in which you complete material designed by JHU engineering faculty covering civil, chemical, electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering, as well as materials science. The electrical and computer engineering labs include circuit design and embedded-system activities that cover mechatronics fundamentals. You will construct a spaghetti bridge, wire an electronic device designed around a user well-being application, and work through heat transfer and bioreactor activities in the chemistry lab. Successful completion earns three college credits from Johns Hopkins. You will work in small teams throughout, developing skills in both technical execution and engineering communication. Multiple format options are available so that you can choose what works best for you.
7. Robotics Engineering — Stony Brook University Pre-College Summer Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
Cost: Residential: $2,375 / Commuter: $1,000–$1,250
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited enrollment per session
Dates: June 28 – July 3 or July 12 – 17
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: High school students
This one-week program is an abridged version of the freshman-level Design Innovation course at Stony Brook, led by the university’s award-winning faculty. You will cover locomotion by designing walking and rolling robots, sensing by integrating ultrasonic and PIR sensors, actuation by programming servos and DC motors using a motor controller, and reasoning through Arduino-based C++ programming. You will also build Bluetooth-based remote control functionality into your robot using a mobile app. The curriculum moves through daily lectures and hands-on lab activities.
8. Robotics & Autonomous Systems Camp — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Location: Daytona Beach Campus, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida
Cost: $1,030
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited enrollment
Dates: July 19 – 24
Application Deadline: Rolling registration
Eligibility: Students aged 15–18
This one-week overnight camp, run by Embry-Riddle faculty and collegiate robotics competition teams, provides students with hands-on exposure to the full interdisciplinary scope of robotics. You will design, build, program, and test your own autonomous robots, working across topics in mechanical, electrical, software, mechatronics, and controls engineering. During the week, you will learn how sensors, motors, and control algorithms interact within a complete robotic system, and build toward a functional autonomous robot by the end of the camp. The program is taught in Embry-Riddle’s engineering facilities, allowing you to gain exposure to advanced equipment not typically available to high schoolers. The affordable all-in cost and residential format make this one of the more accessible overnight options for students in the Southeast.
9. High School Robotics Camp — University of South Florida
Location: USF College of Engineering, Tampa, Florida
Cost: $999.99
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited
Dates: June 22 – 26 or July 20 – 24
Application Deadline: Rolling, opens February 1
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
The USF High School Robotics Camp focuses on cyber-physical systems, embedded systems, IoT, and control theory, with particular depth in mechatronics and industrial automation. You will work with ABB RobotStudio software and access USF’s engineering labs to explore industrial robotics and programming. The curriculum covers programming and control of robotic systems within an industrial engineering context. The small cohort size allows for close engagement with the instructor and equipment. This is a strong option for students interested in how mechatronics applies to industrial automation.
10. Summer Engineering Experience (SEE) — Carnegie Mellon University
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Maker Camp: July 13 – 17 / Biomedical Engineering Camp: July 27 – 31
Application Deadline: March 23
Eligibility: Maker Camp is open to rising 9th graders, while the Biomedical Camp is for rising 10th–11th graders
CMU’s Summer Engineering Experience is a free, week-long program taught by CMU faculty and staff. The Maker Camp track gives you hands-on experience with design, prototyping, and engineering problem-solving using CMU’s facilities, in a format shaped by the university’s engineering curriculum. The Biomedical Engineering track covers bioinstrumentation systems, circuit elements, robotics, and 3D bioprinting within a medical engineering framework, a niche application of mechatronics. SEE is designed to give students direct, early access to engineering practice rather than a general overview, and the free cost removes a financial barrier that limits access to many similar programs.
11. ME Summer Programs — Colorado State University
Location: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
Cost: $500 per course
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment with limited capacity per session
Dates: Varies by program, each is a week-long session between June 1 and June 26
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th graders aged 14–17 for Designing Your World, up to rising 9th graders for the others
CSU’s mechanical engineering department runs summer programs for high school students that allow you to use its mechatronics lab, 3D printing facility, and machine shop. You will work on design activities modeled on real-world engineering challenges, such as identifying a problem and then designing, building, testing, and iterating on a solution. A typical culminating project can involve building and programming an Arduino-controlled robot. You work directly with CSU engineering faculty and student mentors and tour and use the university’s state-of-the-art laboratory facilities throughout the week. CSU’s program is one of the few that opens its mechatronics lab to students, making it highly relevant for those seeking early exposure to that toolset in a university lab context.
12. Summer Engineering Seminar (SES) — Santa Clara University
Location: Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California
Cost: Free!
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: July 12–16 or July 19–23 for first-time students, July 26–30 for returning students
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Current 10th and 11th graders, those with limited prior engineering exposure are strongly encouraged to apply, and priority is given to those with demonstrated financial need or limited access to engineering resources
SES is a five-day residential engineering program among the most financially accessible nationally. You will attend introductory workshops across several engineering disciplines, led by SCU engineering faculty and undergraduate mentors, with each session mixing lecture-style instruction with interactive project work. The curriculum gives you a firsthand look at college-level engineering study. Admission is competitive and heavily weighted toward students with limited prior exposure to engineering resources at school or in their communities.
13. Residential Engineering Camps — NC State College of Engineering
Location: NC State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
Cost: $1,550
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: June 14–19, June 21–26, July 5–10, or July 12–17
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders
NC State’s Engineering Place offers one-week residential camps across multiple engineering disciplines each summer. The Biological and Agricultural Engineering track covers robotics and automation, allowing you to design and simulate a fully autonomous robotic solution for an agricultural process and work hands-on with robotic systems, electronics, and sensing technologies. Daily activities include building, programming, and testing robotic systems with faculty guidance. You will spend the week in NC State’s engineering facilities alongside faculty and student mentors and live in campus residence halls. The program links directly to NC State’s College of Engineering and its joint mechatronics degree concentration with UNC Asheville.
14. Python Programming Camp — Kettering University
Location: Kettering University, Flint, Michigan
Cost: Day Camp: $700 / Residential: $1,070
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment, limited capacity per session
Dates: August 3–6
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Grades 8–12
This four-day camp at Kettering University introduces you to Python programming fundamentals through text-based game creation, then has you apply that foundation to programming a VEX V5 ground vehicle. The curriculum introduces the concept of a programmable logic controller (PLC), then advances to incorporating sensors, motors, and pneumatics using the VEX CTE Workcell kit to build automated workcells that directly replicate systems used in industrial manufacturing environments. Kettering’s camp model mirrors the university’s hands-on, industry-linked educational approach. The short format and relatively low cost make this a practical option for students who want a concrete mechatronics experience without a multi-week time commitment.
15. Engineering Summer Program (ESP) — University of Wisconsin-Madison
Location: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
Cost: Free!
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: July 11 – 31
Application Deadline: Early spring
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who have completed at least one year of algebra and geometry and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
UW-Madison’s Engineering Summer Program is a free, three-week residential experience for high school students interested in engineering. You will take college-level courses in math, physics, chemistry, and engineering design, building quantitative and analytical skills that map directly onto the foundational requirements for engineering majors. Hands-on workshops include engineering design projects and robotics-focused lab activities using the College of Engineering’s facilities. The program also includes industry site visits and field trips to manufacturing and research facilities, giving you direct exposure to how engineering is practiced outside the classroom.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or mechatronics, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image Source – Johns Hopkins University