About

The Engineering Summer Academy at Penn is a three-week residential program offered by the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, running July 12–31, 2026. Students choose one of seven tracks — Artificial Intelligence, AI x Bio, Biotechnology, Computer Graphics, Computer Science, Nanotechnology, or Robotics — and spend three weeks in SEAS labs and classrooms working through college-level instruction taught by Penn faculty and graduate assistants. The 2026 program fee is $9,250, covering tuition, housing, most meals, course materials, and weekend trips; a $1,500 nonrefundable deposit is due upon acceptance. Day-to-day residential logistics are managed by BOLD Summers, a third-party operator, while SEAS administers academic content and admissions.

ESAP is open to rising sophomores through seniors. The application requires an official transcript, a two-page essay addressing engineering interest and intended impact, and extracurricular and honors documentation. International students are welcome but must meet a minimum TOEFL score of 100 iBT; non-native English speakers who have attended an English-medium school for two or more years may request a waiver. Financial aid is available but extremely limited and restricted to US citizens and permanent residents. The program receives several hundred applications annually for approximately 321 spots across all seven tracks.

Each track follows the same daily structure: morning lectures from faculty and teaching assistants, an afternoon of lab-based work, and evening social programming. The specific content varies meaningfully by track — AI focuses on generative AI and neural networks; Biotechnology covers molecular biology and synthetic biology methods; Nanotechnology introduces nanoscale fabrication and imaging; Robotics centers on autonomous systems design. Students who complete the course earn 0.5 Penn course units, equivalent to approximately 1.5 credits on a 3-point scale, though transfer credit is awarded at the discretion of the receiving institution.

ESAP occupies a specific and honest niche: it is a credit-bearing engineering course taught by Penn faculty in Penn labs, compressed into three weeks for high school students who want more than a survey experience but are not yet ready for a full university semester. It is not a research program — students do not produce original research or work individually with faculty mentors — but as a structured introduction to a specific engineering discipline within a top engineering school, it delivers more academic substance than most pre-college engineering offerings. For a rising junior or senior eager to explore a specific track while earning Penn credit, ESAP makes a strong case for itself.