About

The Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP) is a three-week, credit-bearing summer program offered by the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). Founded in 2012, ESAP provides high-school students with exposure to Penn-level engineering coursework through specialized academies in biotechnology, nanotechnology, computer science, robotics, and networks. The program is residential and academically demanding, giving students structured access to SEAS faculty, teaching staff, and project-based laboratory environments. Its design emphasizes a clear introduction to engineering at a major research university rather than general enrichment.

Each academy enrolls a small cohort, typically 20–30 students per track, with total program enrollment around 100–120. ESAP receives hundreds of applications annually from across the U.S. and abroad. Admissions consider transcripts, essays, recommendations, and evidence of STEM readiness, and some tracks list recommended preparation (such as programming for computer science or strong biology and chemistry for biotechnology). The program is open to rising sophomores through seniors, and international students are eligible to apply. Limited financial aid is available.

Students complete an official Penn engineering course condensed into three intensive weeks. Faculty and academic staff teach using college-level syllabi that combine lectures with substantial laboratory work and applied design challenges. Depending on the track, students may build autonomous systems, work with introductory synthetic biology methods, design software projects, explore nanoscale fabrication concepts, or analyze network structures. Instruction occurs in SEAS labs and classrooms, and students participate in seminars, guided project work, and team-based presentations. Residential life includes supervised housing, evening programming, and academic support. The overall pace mirrors an introductory SEAS undergraduate course compressed into a shorter timeline.

ESAP’s structure—credit-bearing coursework, faculty-taught instruction, and sustained laboratory engagement—makes it a notable option for students seeking a rigorous early experience in engineering within a university setting. Participants finish the program with a grade and transcript reflecting their academic performance, along with a final project tied to their chosen track.
This combination of university instruction, small-cohort structure, and credit-based rigor positions ESAP as one of the more substantial pre-college engineering programs available to motivated high-school students.