Participating in robotics programs as a high school student gives you the opportunity to explore this complex field at an early stage. You may get to work with tools like ROS (Robot Operating System), Python, CAD software, and simulation environments, building systems that navigate, perceive, and respond to their surroundings. Along the way, you’ll pick up skills in embedded systems, control theory, data analysis, and machine learning, which all sit at the intersection of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering. You’ll also get to work alongside robotics experts on projects that will make a great addition to your college applications or resume.
Why should you choose a program in Georgia?
Georgia is home to several institutions that offer solid robotics programs for high schoolers. Georgia Tech ranks among the top robotics research universities in the country and houses the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, which brings together faculty across aerospace, mechanical, electrical, and computing disciplines working on everything from legged locomotion to robotic surgery. The Georgia Tech Research Institute runs active projects in drone systems, autonomous vehicles, and defense-adjacent robotics for government and industry clients. Beyond universities, Georgia’s manufacturing and logistics sectors have pushed for the adoption of holistic robotics. Atlanta also hosts a growing tech ecosystem anchored by companies across fintech, health tech, and defense contracting. If you’re serious about robotics, Georgia offers access to research institutions, industry partners, and real-world infrastructure.
Here are 12 robotics programs for high school students in Georgia that are worth checking out!
Key Takeaways
- Georgia offers exceptional access to robotics education through Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Tech’s Project ENGAGES, and the GTAE STEP Program, giving students direct exposure to faculty-led research in autonomous systems, computer vision, drone navigation, and defense-adjacent robotics
- Programs range from highly selective paid internships at GTRI and AEOP to accessible entry-level options like Sunshine STEM Academy ($150, year-round) and UGA Summer Academy ($530), covering students across all experience levels
- Several programs on this list, including Project ENGAGES, MITES Semester, ASSIP, and NC State Online Research Academy, run beyond the summer, offering a longer arc of mentorship and deeper technical development than a single-week camp can provide
- Virtual programs, including MIT Beaver Works, MITES Semester, Stanford Pre-Collegiate, ASSIP, NC State Online Research Academy, and NASA SEES, are fully accessible to Georgia students and significantly expand the range of robotics opportunities available statewide
You can also check out these guides on summer internships for high school students in Georgia or summer programs for high school students in Atlanta!
12 Robotics Programs for High School Students in Georgia
1. GTRI High School Summer Internship
Location: Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: Free; Paid
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: June 8 – July 17
Application Deadline: January 18
Eligibility: Georgia high school sophomores to seniors (16+); More details here
The GTRI internship puts you inside the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s working research labs across the Atlanta campus, Cobb County facility, or Warner Robins field office. You might spend the summer modifying robotic end effectors for poultry processing automation, developing computer vision logic for autonomous vehicles, programming drone navigation systems, or building radar signal processing tools from scratch. Past cohorts have tackled a suction-based robotic arm designed to pick and place raw chicken products in an industrial facility, and a facial recognition device built for classroom attendance. You will work under a GTRI researcher who will be acting as your direct supervisor and have access to equipment and data that not even many college students encounter until graduate school.
2. Project ENGAGES at Georgia Tech
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: Starts on June 1
Application Deadline: December 19 – February 27
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (16+) with an overall GPA average of 83 (3.0) or above; Must have completed science courses with a GPA of 83 (3.0) or above; More info here
Project ENGAGES is a year-long commitment that starts with a four-week boot camp covering foundational research skills, then transitions into a full summer of lab work at 35 hours a week, followed by 15 hours a week during the school year. You’ll be placed in a Georgia Tech lab, where you will work alongside graduate students and postdoctoral researchers on real problems the lab is investigating, in fields ranging from robotics and materials science to environmental engineering and bioengineering. The year-long format allows you to go deep enough on a single project that your results can hold up at a science fair or contribute to lab publications. Mentorship comes directly from graduate researchers who know the material.
3. GTAE STEP Program
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: January 15 – March 1
Eligibility: Georgia high school students (16+)
STEP gives you a two-week engineering challenge drawn from an active Georgia Tech research effort. Working in a team under a Georgia Tech faculty mentor, you’ll go through the full design cycle of framing the problem and building a prototype. You’ll also have to defend your solution to a panel of industry representatives from partners like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. A previous cohort, for example, worked on a rover build. The challenge problem changes each cycle, but the expectation is genuine problem-solving using research principles. The final presentation is a technical defense in front of a panel of industry experts.
4. AEOP High School Internship
Location: Various army research labs across the U.S., including Georgia
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: Varies by lab position
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents; Specific roles can have additional criteria
AEOP places you in a university research lab or Army research facility for eight weeks, where you will work one-on-one with a professional scientist or engineer on a project tied to actual Army research priorities. The areas span autonomous systems, AI, cybersecurity, materials science, and computational fields, and you’ll be expected to contribute to the lab’s output, not just shadow someone. The program’s near-peer mentor network connects you with students working in other AEOP partner labs across the country. You’ll also have access to professional development resources, including webinars on STEM careers and research pathways run in parallel with your lab work. Project assignments vary significantly by mentor and facility, so the skills you build will depend heavily on where you’re placed.
5. UGA Summer Academy: Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics
Location: UGA Center for Continuing Education, Athens, GA
Cost: $530
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 13 – 17
Application Deadline: Rolling, starting December 1
Eligibility: High school students (ages 15-17)
This five-day program, developed in partnership with the UGA College of Engineering, puts you in charge of industrial-grade robotic arms that you’ll program to carry out precise manufacturing tasks. Along with basic robot control, you’ll work with vision and sensor systems, learning how automated machines perceive and respond to their environment. A significant portion of the week focuses on virtual replicas of physical factory systems, where you’ll build and experiment with simulated manufacturing environments using real data.
6. Sunshine STEM Academy: Robotics Programming
Location: Multiple locations across the Atlanta metro, GA
Cost: $150
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round weekend classes
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students (placement determined by skill assessment)
Sunshine STEM Academy’s robotics program runs on LEGO SPIKE Prime and EV3 Mindstorms platforms in small class settings, covering mechanics, coding, and sensor integration across a continuous, beginner-friendly curriculum. On the hardware side, you’ll work with motors, gears, and sturdy construction techniques. On the software side, the focus is on sequences, loops, conditionals, and debugging—the same foundations that carry into professional robotics engineering. You’ll also work with color, touch, gyro, and ultrasonic sensors, learning how robots take in environmental data and use it to make decisions. The Academy also fields a robotics team that competes in FIRST LEGO League events, which gives students who want more structured competition a pathway beyond the regular coursework.
7. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Location: Virtual + In-person options offered
Cost: Free for families earning under $200,000/year; $2,400 otherwise
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: 4 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who live or attend high school in the U.S.
BWSI is a multi-track program offering several options in fields adjacent to robotics. The virtual CogWorks track spends four weeks building machine learning systems that process audio, visual, and language data, covering the same technical stack underlying modern perception and voice systems. Remote Sensing teaches you to work with satellite and aerial imagery using Python, network science, and deep learning applied to real disaster response scenarios. The prerequisite online course that opens in February is how the program determines whether you’re ready to work at the pace the summer requires. Completing it is not only a factor in admissions but also a solid learning experience in its own right.
8. MITES Semester
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June – December
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: High school juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
MITES Semester runs with two synchronous online courses: a project-based STEM elective in a field like machine learning, robotics, or astrophysics, and a supplemental core course in calculus, physics, computer science, or scientific writing. Classes run in the evenings during summer, then drop to weekly webinars and small group sessions once the school year starts. The summer portion ends with a symposium where cohort members present their project work. Six months offers a longer timeframe to deeply understand the subject matter, and the mentoring from MIT undergrad students runs throughout the whole period.
9. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,200; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: June 15 – 26 or July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: High school students; Specifics vary by course
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes run intensive two-week courses in engineering, computing, and the sciences at the pace of a university semester. An online format is available, covering areas including AI, systems design, and applied mathematics, with lab and project work integrated into the coursework. Classes are small enough that you’re in direct conversation with instructors throughout, and the online version runs synchronous sessions that carry the same expectations as the residential format. The workload is demanding, and teaches you to apply linear algebra, statistics, and calculus, to implement algorithms in Python using both pedagogical and real-world datasets, and to understand the origin and correction of bias.
10. George Mason University: ASSIP
Location: Virtual + In-person options offered
Cost: $1,299 + $25 application fee; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application Deadline: December 8 – February 15
Eligibility: High school students aged 15 and older (remote internships)
ASSIP pairs you one-on-one with a George Mason faculty mentor for eight weeks of research on a project from their lab. Several mentors offer virtual opportunities with full access to the program’s research resources, synchronous training sessions, and a dedicated remote poster session. Robotics-area mentors cover ground vehicles, drone systems, autonomous spatial navigation, and human-robot teaming, with projects that can involve hardware simulation, algorithm development, or system integration, depending on what the lab needs. You’ll develop a research abstract and poster over the course of the summer, then present at the final symposium alongside other interns. The program also grants three college credits from George Mason upon successful completion.
11. NC State Online Research Academy
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,295; Limited scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application Deadline: June 15
Eligibility: Rising 10th graders and above
This four-week virtual program matches you with an NC State faculty mentor for a research project you work on in twice-weekly meetings with roughly 5-10 hours of independent work in between. Robotics options include Autonomous Robot Navigation: Simulation and Algorithm Design for Intelligent Mobility. They focus on building and testing navigation algorithms in simulated environments, drawing on topics across mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. Other available tracks include AI-powered structural design for aerospace applications and AI-driven gait monitoring for healthcare, both of which involve active NC State faculty research. The program wraps with a graduation ceremony where you’ll present your project and receive a faculty evaluation letter alongside the program certificate.
12. NASA SEES
Location: Virtual + Optional on-site component at UT Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: Free (virtual)
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June – July 21 (virtual)
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors who are U.S. citizens and at least 16 years old
SEES is a rare opportunity to participate in research that connects to what NASA scientists are working on. You’ll start with distance learning modules completed before July, then shift into remote work with your NASA-affiliated mentor and research team, and conclude with an optional week on-site at the University of Texas Center for Space Research. Projects have ranged from analyzing satellite imagery for flood prediction to tracking atmospheric aerosols to contributing data toward Mars resource utilization research, and the specific focus changes each year based on what the agency is investigating. The program ends with a virtual symposium where you’ll present alongside interns from across the country to an audience that includes practicing NASA scientists.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like robotics, 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
What robotics programs are available for high school students in Georgia?
Georgia students can access in-person programs at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI Summer Internship), Georgia Tech (Project ENGAGES, STEP), University of Georgia (Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics), Sunshine STEM Academy (Atlanta metro), and AEOP placements at Army research facilities. Virtual programs including MIT Beaver Works, MITES Semester, Stanford Pre-Collegiate, George Mason ASSIP, NC State Online Research Academy, and NASA SEES are also open to Georgia students.
Do I need prior robotics or coding experience to apply?
Not always. Sunshine STEM Academy uses a skill assessment to place students and is designed for beginners. UGA Summer Academy welcomes high school students ages 15 to 17 without strict prerequisites. More competitive programs like GTRI, Project ENGAGES, MIT Beaver Works, and MITES Semester expect stronger academic preparation in math and science, with some requiring prerequisite coursework or a strong GPA. ASSIP and NC State Online Research Academy are selective but open to motivated students from rising 10th grade onward.
Are there free or paid robotics programs for high school students in Georgia?
Yes. GTRI Summer Internship and AEOP are both free and paid. Project ENGAGES and STEP are free. MIT Beaver Works is free for families earning under $200,000. MITES Semester and NASA SEES are fully free. George Mason ASSIP charges $1,299 but offers financial aid and awards three college credits. Stanford Pre-Collegiate charges $3,200 with financial aid available.
Which Georgia robotics programs involve real research rather than structured coursework?
GTRI Summer Internship places you on active defense and automation research projects including drone navigation and computer vision systems. Project ENGAGES embeds you in a Georgia Tech research lab for a full year, working alongside graduate students and postdocs. AEOP places you in a university or Army research lab for eight weeks. ASSIP pairs you one-on-one with a George Mason faculty mentor on an active lab project. NASA SEES connects you to real NASA research with a potential on-site component at UT Austin.
Are there robotics programs in Georgia for younger high school students?
Yes. Sunshine STEM Academy runs year-round weekend classes and is accessible to high school students at all levels, with placement determined by a skill assessment. UGA Summer Academy accepts students ages 15 to 17. AEOP eligibility varies by lab placement, with some positions open to younger high schoolers. GTAE STEP and GTRI are open to Georgia high school students from sophomore year onward.
When should I apply to robotics programs in Georgia?
GTRI Summer Internship closes January 18 and GTAE STEP closes by March 1, making these the earliest deadlines. Project ENGAGES accepts applications from December through late February. MITES Semester closes February 1 and NASA SEES closes February 22. MIT Beaver Works closes March 30. ASSIP has rolling deadlines closing in mid-February. NC State Online Research Academy closes June 15, making it one of the later deadlines on this list. Starting your research and gathering recommendation letters in the fall is advisable for the most competitive programs.
Image Source: Georgia Tech