About

My Introduction to Engineering (MITE) is a five-day residential engineering program at the University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering, one of the top-ranked engineering schools in the country. Designed specifically for high school juniors, MITE gives students a structured preview of what it means to study and pursue engineering — through hands-on team projects, lab sessions, lectures, and direct interaction with Cockrell faculty, current students, staff, and alumni. Two identical sessions run each summer, each capped at 50 students.

The program's stated mission is explicit: to diversify the future engineering workforce. African-American, Hispanic, Native American, and Native Hawaiian students are especially encouraged to apply, as are first-generation college-bound students and those who have overcome socioeconomic adversity or had limited access to engineering coursework. This is not window dressing — MITE was founded on this goal more than four decades ago and has tracked its own alumni pipeline into Cockrell's undergraduate program as a measure of program effectiveness.

Admission is competitive. Roughly 500–800 students apply annually for 100 spots across both sessions (50 per cohort). Eligibility requires U.S. residency and demonstrated math preparation — either a qualifying SAT Math score, or completion of Precalculus or higher with a grade of C or better. Housing and all meals during the five days are covered; students are responsible only for travel to Austin and a $200 non-refundable commitment fee collected after acceptance. Scholarships are available. The application requires a transcript and closes March 1.

Although technically not tuition free, at $200 for a full residential week MITE is very close to that line. For a high school junior seriously considering engineering — particularly one from an underrepresented background or a school with limited STEM resources — MITE offers an unusually direct and affordable path to understanding what engineering at a flagship research university actually looks like from the inside.