15 Robotics College Courses for High School Students
If you are curious about robotics, enrolling in a college-level course while you are still in high school can give you a meaningful head start. Many universities offer structured courses for credit or enrichment, allowing you to explore the same academic material as undergraduate engineering or computer science students. These courses combine theory with application, where you may build robots, write and test code, troubleshoot design flaws, and refine systems as you learn.
How are robotics courses different from typical high school programs?
Unlike long-term high school programs, robotics courses offer access to multidisciplinary, college-level engineering and technology content through a more flexible format. They allow you to explore what studying robotics in college is like while progressing from foundational concepts to more advanced applications through a structured curriculum. This format helps you balance other commitments while building technical knowledge, strengthening time management skills, and gaining confidence in problem-solving.
To make it easier to find options, we have carefully selected 15 robotics college courses for high school students.
If you’re looking for free online programs, check out our blog here.
1. MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI): Autonomous Air Vehicle Racing Course
Location: Virtual or in-person at MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free for students with a family income of less than $200,000; $2,400 otherwise
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Online prerequisite courses: February 2 – June 19; Summer program: July 6 – August 2
Application deadline: March 30; application opens on March 2, and registration for online courses begins in December.
Eligibility: U.S. high school students in grades 9 – 11 who have completed the online prerequisite courses; check course-specific prerequisites here.
BWSI is a four-week summer program for high school students who are interested in exploring advanced technology and engineering through project-based coursework. The Autonomous Air Vehicle Racing course is a two-part experience in which you will explore UAV technology and robotics software, and develop your own autonomous capabilities for drones. During the first three weeks, you will work through flight dynamics, computer vision techniques, and control systems, using a DJI Tello drone to apply what you have learned in real experiments. The fourth and final week is dedicated to team racing challenges, where you put everything together to compete in an autonomous UAV racecourse.
2. University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs: Mission to Mars: Build Your Own Robotic Rover Course
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost: $995 + a non-refundable $50 registration fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified (waitlist available for both sessions)
Dates: Session 1: July 13 – 24 | Session 2: July 27 – August 7
Application deadline: Two weeks before the session starts; refund deadline: June
Eligibility: Incoming 9th – 12th graders
This two-week, in-person course at the University of Washington helps you build your own Mars rover from scratch and then navigate it through a series of field challenges, such as moving, stacking, and manipulating objects. During the course, you will explore core engineering design concepts and learn how to build and operate servo-driven robotic arms and program your rover using Java. You will work in a small team throughout the course, practicing collaborative problem-solving alongside hands-on building and coding. After completing the program, you will earn a digital badge from UW Youth & Teen Programs that you can add to your college and job applications.
3. Stony Brook University Pre-College Summer Program’s Robotics With AI Course
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: Residential: $2,375 | Commuter: $1,000 (core day) or $1,250 (extended day); discounts and financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session 1: July 5 – 10 | Session 2: July 19 – 24
Application deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors, ages 15 – 17, who are in good academic standing; prior robotics experience is recommended. Students need to bring their own Mac, Linux, or Windows laptop with admin rights to install software (Chromebooks are not compatible).
This five-day course at Stony Brook University is designed to help you build an AI-enabled robot from scratch and program it to perceive and respond to its environment. Each day will cover a distinct phase of the build: you will start by assembling hardware and sensors, then set up a Linux environment and code basic movements, add a camera for computer vision and object detection, implement neural networks for autonomous decision-making, and finish with a full navigation demonstration on the final day. You will work with Python, C++, Robot Operating System (ROS), and computer vision techniques throughout the week. You also get to take the robot you build home with you.
4. Columbia Engineering Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE): Robotics Courses
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $6,241 (commuter) | $11,492 (residential); scholarships are available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 25 students/class; 450 students in total
Dates: Session I: July 6 – July 24; Session II: July 27 – August 14
Application deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Commuter option open to all high school students (grades 9 – 12); residential option is for students who are 16 or older.
SHAPE is Columbia University’s pre-college program that allows high schoolers to enroll in faculty-led college-level courses to explore fields like robotics, computer science, engineering, and design. You can enroll in robotics courses like “Moving Forward: Walking Robots” or “Robotics and Autonomous Driving” to gain exposure to Arduino programming, coding, 3D modelling, and 3D printing. Each course blends core instruction with electives, workshops, and industrial visits that introduce you to STEM applications. You will also work on your own model robots and present them during the program.
5. Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP): Robotics Course
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $9,250; need-based financial aid available
Dates: July 12 – 31
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores through seniors, ages 15 and up, with a minimum GPA of 3.0
The Robotics course at the Engineering Summer Academy is a three-week, hands-on program held on the University of Pennsylvania campus. In this course, you will design and build your own robots while learning how to use microcontrollers, sensors, motors, and basic programming to control them. You will work in teams, use tools like 3D printers and laser cutters, and solve practical engineering challenges in a real university lab setting. The program ends with a group project where you will showcase your working robotic creation, gaining experience in technical presentation and teamwork.
6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Frontiers: Robotics Engineering Course
Location: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA
Cost: $4,495/session
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Frontiers I: July 5 – 17 | Frontiers II: July 19 – 31
Application deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th graders
WPI’s Frontiers is a two-week program designed to help you engage in STEM coursework and explore topics in the humanities, arts, or business. You can choose the Robotics Engineering course to gain exposure to robot design and operations and explore concepts like force, torque, and stress analysis, microcontrollers, sensor operations, programming, and pneumatics. You will use what you learn to solve a complex robotics problem and team up with peers to brainstorm, design, build, and test your own creation using VEX software. You will present your robots at an end-of-session tournament. The program also offers opportunities for social engagement and guidance on career exploration, resume building, and the college admissions process.
7. Stony Brook University Pre-College Summer Program Robotics Engineering
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: Residential: $2,375 | Commuter: $1,000 (core day) or $1,250 (extended day); discounts and financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session 1: June 28 – July 3 | Session 2: July 12 – 17
Application deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors, ages 15 – 17, who are in good academic standing
This is a one-week, project-based course at Stony Brook University that will introduce you to the core areas of robotics, including electronics, mechanical design, and programming, through a mix of lectures and hands-on activities. You will learn how to design and construct walking and rolling robots, integrate ultrasonic and PIR sensors, and program servo motors and DC motors using a motor controller. The course also covers Arduino programming (a simplified form of C++) and how to use a Bluetooth mobile app to control your robot remotely. The curriculum is an abridged version of the Freshman Design Innovation course taught at Stony Brook, led by an engineering professor. On completing the course, you can consider enrolling in Stony Brook's more advanced Robotics with AI program as a next step.
8. UConn Pre-College Summer: Robotics Engineering Course
Location: University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Cost: $250 course fee + $2,250 (with early bird discount) or $2,350 program fee + $50 non-refundable application fee\
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 21 – 27
Application deadline: Not specified; early bird discount available for applications submitted by April 1. Final payment is due on June 1.
Eligibility: Current high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, ages 14–17, with at least a 2.0 GPA; basic programming skills helpful but not required.
This one-week residential course at the University of Connecticut gives you an introduction to robotics engineering through a mix of lectures and hands-on activities. You will learn about the history of robotics, how robots perceive and interact with the world, and areas like robot motion, control, human-robot interaction, and automation. The course also includes hands-on work with electronics and programming, giving you practice applying what you learn in the classroom. By the end of the week, you will be able to program a robot to carry out simple tasks on its own. The course is led by UConn faculty and Ph.D. students.
9. Marist University Summer Pre-College: Robotics Course
Location: Marist University, Poughkeepsie, NY
Cost: $3,700 (includes tuition, housing, meals, field trips, and course materials; travel not included)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 12 – 25 students/year
Dates: June 28 – July 11
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors; no prior robotics experience required
This two-week residential course at Marist University gives you a hands-on introduction to robotics through a combination of classroom learning and practical lab work. You will use commercial robotics kits and programming environments to build and program several types of robots, including mobile agents. The course covers the complete robotics process, including how to apply sensors, such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, and range finders, to collect information from a robot's environment, as well as how to combine data from multiple sensors. You will also work in teams to design and build a cooperative robot system capable of completing specific tasks. Upon successfully finishing the program, you will earn three transferable college credits from Marist University.
10. UC San Diego Extended Studies Futures: Introduction to Robotics with JavaScript for High Schoolers Course
Location: Online
Cost: $390 or $500 (depending on session)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session 1: March 30 – June 6 | Session 2: June 8 – 28
Application deadline: Not specified (no refunds after March 23 for Session 1; no refunds after June 1 for Session 2)
Eligibility: High school students
This online, self-paced course offered by UC San Diego Extended Studies is designed to introduce you to robotics and programming using JavaScript coding language. You will start with an overview of robots and automation, then work through JavaScript basics, including variables, loops, functions, and arrays, while also learning how to debug your code. The course uses DDE, a robot programming environment with a simulated robotic arm, so you can test and run programs without any physical equipment. If you want more hands-on practice, you can also build and program an Arduino-compatible robot. The course is taught by a professional embedded-systems engineer, and it awards three units of credit upon completion.
11. Seton Hall University Giant LEAP STEM Academy: Engineering Pathways: Robotics, Electronics & Green Technologies Course
Location: Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Cost: $1,200; limited need-based financial aid available on a case-by-case basis
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 20 – 24
Application deadline: Not specified; course drop/transfer request deadline: July 13
Eligibility: High school students
This one-week, in-person course at Seton Hall University's Laboratory of Electrophysics and Atmospheric Plasmas (LEAP) offers hands-on experience across several STEM areas. You will build your own Raspberry Pi computer to use in robotics projects, learn the basics of 3D printing, and explore electronics from basic circuits to Python programming. The course also helps you apply core physics concepts like motion, momentum, and forces to real-world design challenges, as well as climate science, where you'll collect environmental data, study weather patterns, and explore alternative energy sources. You will work in small groups alongside Seton Hall faculty, graduate students, and researchers, with options to work on projects tailored to your interests. The course is non-credit.
12. Northwestern University’s Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: Free to audit individual courses; a paid Coursera Plus subscription or per-course fee is required to earn a certificate. Financial aid is available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; commitment of four months and 10 hours/week
Application deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students with some robotics experience and a background in basic physics, linear algebra, some calculus, introductory differential equations, and programming
This six-course specialization from Northwestern University is designed to help you build a foundation in the mathematics and engineering behind modern robotics, while also introducing you to kinematics, dynamics, motion planning, and control of both robot arms and mobile robots. The courses must be taken in order, as each builds directly on the last, starting with the foundations of robot motion and moving through kinematics, dynamics, motion planning and control, manipulation, and wheeled mobile robots. Throughout the program, you will write robotics software in Python, MATLAB, or Mathematica, and test it using a free cross-platform robot simulator, so you get hands-on experience with industrial-grade robots without needing physical hardware. The specialization culminates in a capstone project where you will design and control a mobile manipulator, which will be a wheeled robot with a robotic arm, to complete a pick-and-place task.
13. University of Colorado Boulder’s Introduction to Robotics with Webots
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: Free to audit individual courses; a paid Coursera Plus subscription or per-course fee is required to earn a certificate. Financial aid is available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; commitment of three months and 9 hours/week
Application deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Open to all who have some Python programming experience and basic knowledge of linear algebra and probability
This three-course specialization from the University of Colorado Boulder introduces you to robotics through hands-on programming in Python using the free Webots robot simulator. The first course covers foundational concepts, including basic robotic behaviors, forward kinematics, and odometry, while the second builds into robotic mapping, trajectory generation, and handling sensor uncertainty. The third and final course is the most intensive, requiring you to implement path-planning algorithms (including Dijkstra and A*), behavior trees, and a complete autonomous mobile manipulation pipeline. Each course uses a learn-then-explore structure: you will follow step-by-step instructions to implement something in Webots, then extend or modify it, and finally assess your understanding through graded peer evaluations.
14. University of Canterbury’s Human-Robot Interaction Course
Location: Online via edX
Cost: Free to audit; $556 for a verified certificate
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; typical commitment of four months
Application deadline: Not specifiedEligibility: Open to all learners
This two-course professional certificate from the University of Canterbury (UCx), offered through edX, offers a broad introduction to the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), i.e., the study of how people and robots work together. The first course covers how robots function, how to design robots, and the specifics of spatial and non-verbal interaction. The second course explores verbal and emotional interaction, including how robots process speech and manage emotions, as well as real-world application areas such as healthcare, education, personal assistants, and transportation. Throughout the program, you will also learn about research methods used in the field and how to set up a study to evaluate the quality of a human-robot interaction from both the robot's and the human's perspectives.
15. Helena College University of Montana’s Robotics in Manufacturing Fundamentals (RMF)
Location: Online
Cost: $2,525
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; commitment of three months or 30 course hours
Application deadline: Open enrollment; course access begins within 24–48 business hours of registration.
Eligibility: High school and college students, dislocated workers, veterans, under-employed individuals, and career changers
This fully online, self-paced course offered by Helena College, University of Montana, introduces you to the fundamentals of robotics as it is applied in manufacturing settings. You will cover topics including robot components, control systems, power and drive systems, sensors, vision systems, end effectors, collaborative robots, automation, and robot safety. The course also covers supporting topics such as applied mathematics, logic diagrams, cell design, ergonomics, and fire safety, providing you with a well-rounded foundation for working in a manufacturing environment. Upon clearing the final exam, you will earn the industry-recognized Robotics in Manufacturing Fundamentals (RMF) credential, developed by SME, the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, and FIRST®, which can help qualify you for entry-level roles such as robot operator or robotics technician.
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