15 Engineering Programs for High School Students in Indiana
If you are a high school student interested in engineering, a structured program can help you explore different engineering disciplines before college. These programs often include design projects, laboratory activities, coding, research, and coursework in areas such as mechanical, electrical, civil, aerospace, and computer engineering. They can also help you build technical and problem-solving skills while giving you a better understanding of engineering as a field of study.
Why should you attend an engineering program in Indiana?
Indiana is home to institutions such as Purdue University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology that offer engineering programs for high school students. Depending on the program, you may conduct research, design and test prototypes, explore robotics and semiconductor technology, learn computer-aided design (CAD), or work on programming and engineering projects under the guidance of faculty and mentors. Whether you are looking for a short summer camp, a research internship, or a college-level engineering course, Indiana offers programs across a range of engineering disciplines.
To help you get started, we have compiled a list of 15 engineering programs for high school students in Indiana.
If you’re looking for online summer programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
Indiana's engineering programs span specialized disciplines including semiconductors (Purdue PITCH), biomedical engineering (Indiana Tech Biomedical track, Valparaiso's prosthetics challenge), robotics (Notre Dame camps, IU Luddy, Project SELECT), and computing and AI (Veritas AI, IU Luddy).
Several programs are free or fully funded, including Purdue PITCH (with a $1,500 stipend), SEAP (with a $4,000 to $4,500 stipend), Notre Dame Engineering Summer Camps, and Ivy Tech Green2Gold Engineering Camps.
Most programs are residential and include campus life exposure, including Operation Catapult, Project SELECT, Trine University's camp, and Valparaiso's Beacon Engineering Academy, which is useful for students exploring college options in Indiana.
Program lengths range from short two-day mini-camps (Ivy Tech Green2Gold, USI Explore Summer Series) to multi-week intensives (SEAP at 8 to 10 weeks, Purdue Summer College at one to two weeks per course).
Rose-Hulman's Operation Catapult stands out for offering two transferable credit hours applicable to future enrollment at Rose-Hulman, while Purdue Summer College courses offer college credit starting at one credit per course.
1. Purdue University & Ivy Tech’s PITCH High School READI Program
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN + Ivy Tech Community College, Lafayette, IN
Cost/Stipend: No cost; $1,500 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 2 – 13 (tentative, based on previous years)
Application deadline: May 2 (tentative, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors residing in or attending high school in Benton, Tippecanoe, Warren, Carroll, Fountain, or White counties
PITCH is a two-week summer program focused on semiconductors and microelectronics, offered by Purdue University’s College of Engineering. You will attend faculty-led lectures, complete hands-on lab activities, and participate in team-based design challenges that simulate real-world semiconductor fabrication processes. Beyond technical skills, PITCH introduces you to potential engineering career paths and provides mentorship from Purdue engineering faculty and current students. As a participant, you will also gain exposure to research facilities on Purdue’s campus, helping you build connections that may support future college applications. This is a fully funded program designed for students in the Greater Lafayette region, with priority given to those from underrepresented backgrounds in engineering.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple 12 – 15-week cohorts throughout the year
Application deadline: Rolling enrollment; deadlines vary by cohort: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can check details and apply to the program here.
Eligibility: High school students; AI Fellowship with Publication and Showcase accepts previous AI Scholars participants or those with some experience working with AI or Python.
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers a range of online programs for high school students passionate about artificial intelligence. If you are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science, you can choose the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, you will learn about data science and AI fundamentals and work on real-world projects. Another track for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. During this program, you will get a chance to work 1-on-1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A key feature of this program is that it offers you access to the in-house publication team to help you get your work published in high school research journals. You can check out examples of a few past projects here and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
3. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Location: Various labs in the U.S., including in Indiana
Stipend: $4,000 for new participants | $4,500 for returning participants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~300 students/year across labs
Dates: Eight weeks in the summer; term can be extended to 10 weeks.
Application deadline: November 1; applications open on August 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores through seniors who are 16 or older; labs may have additional requirements
SEAP is a STEM-based summer research program that places high school students in Department of the Navy labs. Over 8 to 10 weeks, you will gain exposure to ongoing naval science and engineering research while working with scientists on research projects. You will learn about modern STEM tools, technologies, and pathways, especially relevant to naval research and tech. The program also offers access to networking and skill-building events like seminars, meetings, and presentations. You will also shadow researchers and other professionals during the program.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program: Engineering Track
Location: Remote! You can participate in the program from anywhere in the world.
Cost: Varies by program type; full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, spring, fall, and winter. Options range from 12 weeks to a year.
Application deadline: Varies based on cohort
Eligibility: Students enrolled in high school who demonstrate strong academic performanceThe Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities across a wide range of subject areas for high schoolers to explore. The program will pair you with Ph.D. mentors to work one-on-one on a research project. At the end, you will have developed an independent research paper! You can choose from areas such as engineering, data science, chemistry, computer science, psychology, physics, international relations, economics, and more. You can learn more about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
5. University of Notre Dame Engineering Summer Camps
Location: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Cost: Free (funded by the college)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 30 students/camp
Dates: June 8 – 12 | June 15 – 19
Application deadline: Open until full
Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th graders from local communities
Notre Dame’s Engineering Exploration High School Summer Camps are free, week-long day camps that will introduce you to a wide range of engineering fields. You will rotate through hands-on modules in mechanical, electrical, civil, and computer engineering, often building small-scale projects like circuit boards, wind turbines, or simple robots. The camp is taught by Notre Dame faculty and current engineering students. The schedule includes tours of campus labs and a final project showcase for family and friends. The experience can offer you insights into STEM fields, programming, construction, and robot manipulation. You can apply to any one of the camps.
6. Ivy Tech Green2Gold Engineering Camps
Location: Ivy Tech Franklin, Franklin, IN | Columbus Propeller Inc. MakerSpace, Columbus, IN (Design, Machining, and Welding track)
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12 students/camp
Dates: June 16 – 17 | July 21 – 22 (Design, Machining, and Welding track)
Application deadline: No formal deadline; first-come, first-served enrollment
Eligibility: Students, ages 14 and up
The Green2Gold Engineering Camps at Ivy Tech’s Columbus campus are two-day programs that let you explore engineering fundamentals through projects and problem-solving challenges. You will learn basic design, machining, and welding skills, with each session focused on a different hands-on activity. The camps are led by Ivy Tech faculty who will guide you through exercises and engineering exploration. The camps also offer insights into career paths in manufacturing and engineering.
7. Trine University Engineer Your Future Camp
Location: Trine University, Angola, IN
Cost: $100
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited seats
Dates: July 22 – 24
Application deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students
Trine University’s Allen School of Engineering and Computing offers the Engineer Your Future camp, which is a three-day residential overnight program that will introduce you to multiple engineering disciplines through hands-on projects. You will rotate through sessions in mechanical, civil, electrical, and chemical engineering, with activities like building and testing a bridge, an electronic cicada, and a 3-D prosthetic arm. The camp also offers exposure to robotics and aerospace engineering. The experience can help you explore potential engineering majors before college. You will stay in Trine’s residence halls and eat in the campus dining hall, giving you a preview of college life.
8. University of Southern Indiana (USI) Explore USI Summer Series Mini-Camps
Location: University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN
Cost: $75 per two-day mini-camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16 – 30 students/camp
Dates: June 2 – July 22 (various short tracks within this window)
Application deadline: Varies by track; usually rolling/first-come, first-served enrollment starting from April 1
Eligibility: Students entering grades 9 – 12
The Explore USI Summer Series, run by the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, is a collection of two-day STEM mini-camps on the USI campus. You can choose from tracks focused on mechanical engineering or general STEM topics. In each mini-camp, you will work on a small project, like building a CAD-designed part, a simple circuit, or a model windmill, and hear from USI faculty about related majors and careers. The engineering-focused camps offer exposure to the full engineering workflow, from design to testing, while also letting you explore career paths in the field. The series is designed for students who want exposure to STEM disciplines without committing to a full-length pre-college program.
9. Indiana University Luddy Pre-College Summer STEM Camp
Location: Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Cost: $950
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 26 – August 1
Application deadline: Rolling; opens in January
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10 – 12
The Luddy Pre-College Summer STEM Camp is a week-long program at IU Bloomington, where you will explore how the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering uses computational tools to solve problems in engineering, science, and society. You will work in a team to design a computational solution to a real-world challenge, for example, creating a data visualization for environmental monitoring or building a simple app to help a local nonprofit. You will gain exposure to makerspaces, 3D modeling, robot building, cybersecurity, AI, and virtual world design. The schedule also includes lab tours, faculty lectures, and a final presentation. The focus is on the intersection of computing and engineering, as well as skill-building in programming, data analysis, and systems thinking that are directly applicable to many engineering disciplines.
10. Indiana Tech High School STEM Camp
Location: Indiana Tech, Fort Wayne, IN
Cost: Residential: $600 | Commuter: $450
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: June 22 – 26
Application deadline: Open until full or one week before camp, whichever is earlier
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 12
Indiana Tech’s STEAM Academy offers a STEM camp that introduces high school students to engineering, computer science, biology, and technology. You will choose one out of four tracks: Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Robotics Engineering. Over the week, you will complete hands-on activities like dissections, working with machines, programming and building robots, or soldering, depending on the track you choose. All sessions will be led by Indiana Tech faculty and staff, who will also offer insights into STEM career paths. The schedule also includes social and recreational activities such as sports, scavenger hunts, video games, and water-balloon launching.
11. Purdue Summer College Short-Term Courses
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Cost: $60 non-refundable application fee + program fees start at $743.90 for one credit
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 21 – July 31 (Various sessions and courses within this window)
Application deadline: Application opens on December 1
Eligibility: High school students; grade-level requirements and prerequisites (such as prior biology or chemistry) apply to individual courses.
Purdue's summer program offers students intensive, one- to two-week courses taught by university faculty. For an engineering-focused summer experience, you can choose tracks like civil engineering and work on real infrastructure projects, or experiment with robotics and mechatronics to design and build your own machines. Other engineering courses let you investigate materials science, study how coding and data analysis work, or blend engineering with creative design challenges. All engineering courses combine classroom learning with hands-on projects, allowing you to apply what you learn and work with Purdue students and faculty in university labs. You will live on campus in a residence hall and take classes, getting a taste of college life while earning credit toward your future degree.
12. Valparaiso University Beacon Engineering Academy
Location: Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN
Cost: Overnight Camp: $800 | Day Camp: $400; scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Overnight Camp: June 21 – 27 | Day Camp: June 22 – 26
Application deadline: May 3 (the program also lists May 10 as the deadline, which is likely to be the extended deadline)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 11; completion of physics or chemistry by summer is recommended.
Beacon Engineering Academy is a one-week summer camp where you will explore engineering through hands-on projects and activities with Valparaiso University professors and student mentors. Each day combines exploration activities where you learn about different engineering fields like sustainable engineering, water filtration, and 3D printing, with skill-building sessions in areas such as computer-aided design, programming, and soldering. The focus of the week is a team-based engineering project for which you will tackle a real challenge, like designing and building prosthetic devices, planning an aerospace mission with a high-altitude balloon and satellite, or creating an intelligent bridge system that uses artificial intelligence to detect damage. You can choose between an overnight option or a day camp option. If you choose the overnight camp, you will also participate in social activities led by Valparaiso engineering students, getting a genuine glimpse into college life on campus.
13. Marian University INnovation through Engineering Camp
Location: Marian University, Indianapolis, IN
Cost: Not specified on the official page (details available upon application); a $50 deposit is required to apply.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited seats
Dates: June 7 – 12
Application deadline: Varies by year
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors in high school
Marian University’s E.S. Witchger School of Engineering hosts this week-long residential summer camp for rising junior and senior high school students. At camp, you will receive design engineering instruction, hear from guest speakers in the field, and tour local engineering companies where you can observe professionals at work. You will engage in hands-on sessions focused on CAD, 3D printing, and basic electronics. The schedule includes a team design challenge where you will build a prototype to solve a given engineering problem. The residential format allows you to stay overnight on Marian’s Indianapolis campus and experience college life. The camp can also offer insights into undergraduate engineering by letting you interact directly with faculty and current engineering students.
14. Project SELECT @ Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Location: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology campus, Terre Haute, IN
Cost: $1,650
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited spots
Dates: July 12 – 18 | July 19 – 25
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Incoming high school sophomores and juniors
Project SELECT is a science and engineering camp designed specifically for students in the summers following their freshman or sophomore year of high school. The program offers hands-on activities in robotics, mechanics, computer programming, chemistry, and electronics, allowing you to apply engineering principles through real-world projects. You will work in small teams under the guidance of Rose-Hulman faculty, who’ll challenge you to think critically and creatively. The residential experience also includes campus tours and social activities, giving you a true taste of college life at an undergraduate engineering college.
15. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Operation Catapult
Location: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN
Cost: $2,700 (includes room and board)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited spots
Dates: Session 1: June 8 – 18 | Session 2: June 22 – July 2 | Session 3: July 14 – 24
Application deadline: Rolling until full; first-come, first-served enrollment
Eligibility: Students applying in the summer after 10th or 11th grade; one year of chemistry or physics required
Operation Catapult is Rose-Hulman’s summer engineering program, which lets you live on campus, work alongside college faculty, and complete intensive project-based challenges in small teams. Over the course of two weeks, you will work on two major STEM projects, while also attending workshops on engineering ethics, technical communication, and design thinking. The program is known for its balance of rigorous academics and social activities, including evening games, campus tours, and guest talks by professional engineers. On completing the program, you will earn two free elective credit hours that you can use if you choose to enroll at Rose-Hulman in the future.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best engineering programs for high school students in Indiana?
Strong options depend on a student's interests. Students drawn to research might consider SEAP or the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, those interested in hands-on project work might look at Rose-Hulman's Operation Catapult or Notre Dame Engineering Summer Camps, and those interested in computing and AI might consider IU Luddy's STEM Camp or Veritas AI.
Are there free engineering programs for high school students in Indiana?
Yes, several programs are free, including Notre Dame Engineering Summer Camps, Ivy Tech Green2Gold Engineering Camps, and SEAP, which also provides a stipend of $4,000 for new participants. Purdue PITCH is fully funded and includes a $1,500 stipend for eligible students in the Greater Lafayette region.
Which Indiana engineering programs offer college credit?
Purdue Summer College courses offer transferable college credit starting at one credit per course, and Rose-Hulman's Operation Catapult awards two free elective credit hours applicable toward future enrollment at Rose-Hulman.
Do Indiana engineering programs require students to already know coding or engineering concepts?
Most beginner-friendly programs, including Notre Dame's Engineering Exploration camps, Trine's Engineer Your Future camp, and Valparaiso's Beacon Engineering Academy, do not require prior engineering experience. More advanced programs like Veritas AI's AI Fellowship and Purdue Summer College courses may have prerequisites.
Which Indiana engineering programs are residential and include campus life?
Operation Catapult and Project SELECT at Rose-Hulman, Trine University's Engineer Your Future Camp, Indiana Tech's STEM Camp, Marian University's INnovation Camp, and Valparaiso's overnight Beacon Engineering Academy all offer residential experiences with on-campus housing and social activities.
When should I apply to engineering programs for high school students in Indiana?
Deadlines vary widely. Early deadlines include SEAP (November 1) and Valparaiso Beacon Engineering Academy (May 3), while others like Notre Dame's camps and Rose-Hulman's Operation Catapult operate on rolling admissions until spots fill, so applying early is advisable.