13 Robotics Programs for High School Students in Boston
If you are a high school student interested in robotics, participating in a structured program can be a great way to explore the field in depth. Robotics programs often combine project-based learning with mentorship from engineers, researchers, and educators, allowing you to develop practical skills while gaining an understanding of how mechanical systems, electronics, and programming come together. As a participant, you may design and build robots, work with sensors and microcontrollers, and learn how to test and refine your creations for practical applications.
Why should you attend a program in Boston?
Boston is home to numerous universities, research labs, and technology companies, making it an ideal place to explore robotics. Programs in the area span a range of focus areas, including artificial intelligence, automation, engineering design, and computer science. With access to great facilities, experienced mentors, and collaborative learning environments, you can gain valuable exposure to both academic research and industry applications in robotics.
To help you get started, we have put together a list of 13 robotics programs for high school students in Boston.
If you’re looking for online summer programs, check out our blog here.
1. Northeastern University’s Young Scholars Program (YSP)
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; stipend availability varies
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 22 – July 30
Application deadline: March 2
Eligibility: High school juniors who are permanent residents of Massachusetts and are U.S. citizens/permanent residents
YSP at Northeastern University is a summer program that offers high school students hands-on research experience in STEM fields, including robotics. During the program, you will work in university research laboratories alongside faculty and graduate mentors, contributing to ongoing projects in engineering, computer science, and applied robotics. Past participants have explored topics like simulation modeling, embedded systems, and optimization. In addition to lab work, the program includes career exploration sessions, college counseling, and opportunities to interact with scientists and engineers.
2. Veritas AI Programs
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 the fundamentals of AI and data science and get a chance to 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 1:1 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 secure publications in high school research journals. You can check out some examples of past projects here and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
3. Research Science Institute (RSI)
Location: MIT, Cambridge/Greater Boston, MA
Cost: $75 application fee; no tuition
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~2.5%; 100 students/year
Dates: 6 weeks from June to August
Application deadline: Generally in December
Eligibility: High school rising seniors; applicants can be U.S. citizens or international students
RSI, hosted by MIT and sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education, is a prestigious summer research program that offers high school students an immersive experience in advanced STEM fields. The program begins with intensive coursework in scientific theory and research methods, followed by a multi-week research internship where you work one-on-one with mentors on a specialized project. Depending on your focus, you may explore robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, or engineering systems. Throughout the program, you will engage with leading scientists and researchers, attend lectures, and develop skills in experimental design, data analysis, and technical writing. The experience culminates in a formal research presentation in which you showcase your findings to peers and experts.
4. Immerse Education Academic Insights
Location: Various sites, including Boston, MA
Cost: Varies according to program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Two weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students, ages 13 – 18
The Academic Insights Program allows high school students to experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7 to 10 students, and learn from tutors from top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. You can explore a wide range of subjects spanning 20+ options, including architecture, AI, business management, computer science, economics, medicine, and philosophy. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning, so you may conduct dissections in medicine, design a robotic arm in engineering, participate in a moot court for law, or build creative writing portfolios and business case studies. At the end of the program, you will complete a personal project and receive written feedback along with a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
5. Boston Tech Apprenticeship
Location: Various organizations across Boston, MA
Stipend: Minimum of $15/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Six or seven weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Boston Public Schools high school students who are at least 16 years old
The Tech Apprentice Program, run by the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), is a paid summer internship that places high school students in technology roles across companies in Boston. Over 6 to 7 weeks, you will work on real-world projects in web development, programming, IT support, data analysis, and digital media, gaining hands-on experience in professional environments. You may work with tools such as Final Cut, Agile, SQLPro, or Dreamweaver, depending on your placement. The program is designed to introduce you to careers in technology and help you build practical skills while working alongside industry professionals.
6. Northeastern University’s Bridge to Calculus/Bridge to Science Summer Program
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Typically, free; stipend of $15/hour available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors at Boston Public Schools (BPS)
The Bridge to Calculus Summer Program is a six-week program at Northeastern University for BPS students who want to build their math skills and explore STEM fields. Each weekday morning, you will work through pre-calculus and calculus topics, covering functions, limits, derivatives, and integrals, followed by sessions on financial literacy that connect math to real-world decisions like budgeting, investing, and banking. You will also choose a STEM enrichment elective from options like Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics, or Artificial Intelligence, with hands-on labs and activities in each. On Fridays, the full group comes together for special experiences, including robotics workshops where you apply problem-solving skills in a hands-on, collaborative setting. Math lectures on topics such as graph theory and game theory, guest speaker sessions, and career panels are also part of the experience. The program wraps up with a closing ceremony where you will showcase your projects and reflect on what you learned over the summer.
7. Wentworth Institute of Technology’s ImpactLab
Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Cost: $3,995 for one two-week session | $6,990 for both sessions; tuition assistance available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session One: July 5 – 17 | Session Two: July 19 – 31
Application deadline: Priority deadline: March 13; Final deadline: May 15.
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders (domestic and international students)
ImpactLab is a two-week residential pre-college program that lets high schoolers dive into STEM and design through project-based courses at Wentworth’s academic schools. You will choose from a set of session-specific STEM courses, which include a robotics engineering course. Over two weeks, you will learn how advanced robots are built using innovative technologies, and how electrical engineering, computer programming, and mechanical engineering come together in robotics. concepts in engineering, design, and tech in university classrooms and labs while connecting with peers and learning from undergraduate mentors and faculty. Each course includes lab modules, short lectures, and project time, culminating in a final prototype, build, or demonstration that reflects your understanding and design process. The program’s residential format lets you experience life on a college campus.
8. Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Momentum
Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Cost: $699 (commuter) | $1,699 (residential)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~20 students/course
Dates: August 3 – 7
Application deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Students entering grades 9 and 10
Momentum is a one-week pre-college experience that allows you to explore pathways in STEM at Wentworth Institute of Technology. You can choose an interdisciplinary course that combines engineering, computing, design, and technology to gain insights into academic and professional pathways in robotics. During the program, you will work on projects and engage in lab activities under the guidance of Wentworth faculty while also connecting with other high school students. The program is designed to help you explore how different STEM disciplines connect and how they help address real-world challenges.
9. Northeastern University Accelerate Pre-College Programs: Engineering Innovation & Design
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Cost: $7,095; need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 12 – 24 | July 26 – August 7
Application deadline: Priority deadline: January 15; regular deadline: February 27; late deadline: March 15
Eligibility: High school students who are rising juniors and seniors
Engineering Innovation & Design is a two-week, residential, project-based program at Northeastern University where you will explore engineering while working on hands-on projects focused on real-world sustainability challenges, such as clean water and solar energy. You will use tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, Arduino hardware, and CNC milling machines in Northeastern's Makerspace to design and build functioning prototypes and gain insights into robotics, tech, coding, and design. You will also learn the basics of C++ programming to create simple autonomous devices. Beyond the classroom, the residential format includes off-campus activities and social events, giving you time to connect with students from around the world.
10. MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Location: Online or MIT, Cambridge (Greater Boston), MA
Cost: Free for students with families earning under $200,000; $2,400 otheriwse
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July – August + online coursework in the spring
Application deadline: March 31 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: U.S. high school students completing grades 9 – 11
The MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is a project-based STEM program that offers high school students experience in fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and hardware development. The program begins with online prerequisite coursework, where you will build foundational skills in programming, engineering, and systems thinking. Then, you will join the summer institute, where you will enroll in project-based courses that require you to work in teams on complex, real-world challenges. During the program, you may design autonomous vehicles, build robotic systems, or develop AI-driven solutions, depending on your chosen track. The curriculum is hands-on, combining lectures with lab work, coding, and collaborative problem-solving.
11. MIT Edgerton Center’s Engineering Design Workshop
Location: MIT's Edgerton Center, Cambridge (Greater Boston Area), MA
Cost: Suggested cost: $1,200; however, accepted students may pay any amount they can afford
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application deadline: Applications open April 1 for approximately 2–3 weeks; decisions announced around May 1
Eligibility: Rising 9th – 12th graders, ages 14 and up; priority given to students from the Cambridge/Boston area
The Engineering Design Workshop is a four-week, in-person summer program at MIT's Edgerton Center, where you will work in small groups to design and build a project, which can focus on robotics. Rather than arriving with a set idea, you and your teammates will go through a collaborative ideation process that often leads to projects involving mechanical and electrical engineering with creative or artistic elements. At the end of the program, you will present your work to family and friends in a final showcase that is also streamed and recorded online. After the summer, your group will receive guidance on how to keep working on your project using publicly available MIT resources.
12. Kode With Klossy Summer Camp
Location: Virtual + in-person options available (sites vary each year)
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple two-week camps in the summer
Application deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Women and gender expansive teens who are 13 to 18 years old
The Kode With Klossy Summer Camp is a two-week beginner-friendly program that introduces you to programming, software development, machine learning, and other concepts relevant to robotics and tech. You will join focused subject tracks such as data science, web development, or artificial intelligence and machine learning to learn how to work with SQL and Python, use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or study algorithms and natural language processing. In addition, you will attend a speaker series featuring women working in tech who will offer insights into what careers in the field look like. You will also get access to the broader Kode With Klossy alumni community after completing the program.
13. George Mason University: Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Virtual internships available for Boston students
Cost: $25 application fee + $1,299 tuition for three course credits; fee waivers available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Students who are at least 15 years old
ASSIP at George Mason University is a research-focused internship that offers high school students the opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty mentors on advanced STEM projects. During the eight-week program, you will engage in hands-on research across fields such as engineering, artificial intelligence, data science, and robotics-related systems. Depending on your mentor and project, you may explore topics like automation, computational modeling, or embedded systems. The program emphasizes independent research, scientific writing, and technical communication, with structured support through workshops, discussions, and mentorship. The experience culminates in a formal research presentation, where you will showcase your findings.