TryEngineering Summer Institute Tuition and Enrollment
2025 Dates and Locations Coming Soon! We will email our list when we open; join the list HERE
What is Required to Register into TESI?
There is no application process. What is required to register is to pay the minimum deposit, fill out all the forms and waivers, and make sure payment is complete before their program starts. That, and a desire to learn. That's it. We don't believe in putting up gates, making kids write essays and get letters of reference as a paying student, we think those are marketing tactics and that lacks integrity. Students with any level of engineering experience are welcome to attend the TryEngineering Summer Institute! All you need is an interest in learning about engineering, the time and the desire to learn more about technology & engineering related professions... and an amazing colege experience at the same time.
Enrollment Requirements to attend our engineering summer camp:
- Students entering grades 9-12 in the fall, or students whose ages are ages 13-17 during the period for which they attend the program
- No letters of recommendation, transcripts, essays or references required
- All levels of students are accepted, whether you have a little or a lot of engineering and technology experience
2024 Results:
USD: Sold out all sessions
Rice University: Sold out all sessions
UPenn: Sold out all sessions (Penn is residential only
"My child learned engineering strategies, she learned what it is to live on campus, and she truly enjoyed making connections and getting to know other students as well as staff members." - 2023 Parent
"Outstanding communication and outstanding results. My son loved this experience." - 2023 Parent
"Our son found kindred spirits and came away from TryEngineering inspired to learn new topics. We hoped it would be a good experience and it far exceeded our expectations!" - 2023 Parent
Standard Tuition:
Sleepaway/Residential: $3895 for all locations. Penn is residential only.
Commuter/Day: $3295
IEEE Discount: $100 off any session of any type for IEEE members, space permitting. Enter your IEEE member number at the time of registration, or register with the deposit only, email us your member number and we will apply your member benefit to the remaining balance.
Residential program tuition includes:
- Opening dinner, and breakfast lunch and dinner through the program, ending with breakfast on the last day
- All academic supplies and classes
- Double occupancy room in the residence hall, or suites with 4 singles off two bathrooms. Varies by location check them individually.
- Camp t-shirt
- Site visit, field trip entry and excursion expenses
- Transportation to and from activities during the session
- Fun activities after class time
- Preview of college life
- Opportunity to re-invent yourself, and to expand your leadership and self-expression
- Closing ceremony at the end of each session
Commuter/Day program tuition includes:
- All academic supplies and classes
- Daily lunch in the campus dining hall
- Camp t-shirt
- Site visit and excursion expenses for Institute trips taking place during the day/class time
- Transportation to and from activities during the session
- Classes daily from 9am-4:30pm (it is possible some days will go longer due to field trips)
- Preview of college life
- Opportunity to re-invent yourself, and to expand your leadership and self-expression
- Closing ceremony at the end of each session
Airport Pick-Up/Drop-Off Service
TryEngineering Summer Institute offers airport pick-up and drop-off service if registration is complete by June 1st, and notifying us within one week of the beginning of the session. More details to come after you register, here is a general overview of how we do this.
Pick-up service: Suffice now to say, we send you the pickup person's picture and phone the night before, triple-confirm everything, and create a text chain with the family, student, pick up person, and Program director. The assigned staffer will meet your student at the airport, make sure they have all their stuff, and take a cab/uber straight to camp, being in communication the whole time.
Drop-off service: If you choose this option, on the last day of the program, schedule. flight around noon and your pre-college engineering student will be escorted back to the airport, we make sure they are checked in and through security, and our staff member will remain at the airport until their flight goes wheel-up; just in case the flight is cancelled or massively delayed, we are there to provide the support you would want your child to have. Many more details available after registration.
Airport Pick-up/Drop-off service cost: $195 one way, $250 both ways
- Rice University: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- University of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- University of San Diego: San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Enrollment Process
Simply click our register now button and go through the steps to register, it only takes a few minutes to reserve the spot. As of May 15th we require full payment upon registration and at that time we will send you an email with a link to the welcome pack. Registrations will be accepted up until a week before the program begins or when the program fills, whichever occurs first. Many of our sessions were completely sold out with waiting lists, so don't wait too long! We recommend that students enroll as early as possible to reserve their spot. Please consult our FAQs for further details.
If you cannot pay all of the tuition at once, or in one transaction, simply call us and we will work with you. We want your student to attend and complete the program and start a new life;
Returning Student Discount
Did you have a great time at TryEngineering camp last year? Come back this summer to experience a refreshed curriculum and take advantage of a $100 discount on top of any other discounts. After registration, email us at info@tryengineeringinstitute.org to have the returning student discount applied to your account.
Scholarships
The scholarship program for 2025 will open in January.
Registration Deadline
2024 Registration Info: All locations sold out. Some students were able to come off the waitlist if a spot opened up; we encourage you to register early.
2025 Registration: Don't wait!
Whether you've just discovered us or have been on the fence, now is the time to take action. As our program continues it's remarkable growth, we sell out earlier and earlier. You can decide if this is right for your family, and you can call us or email if youd like to chat or have a question. If our program seems like a good fit, don't hesitate to register.
College life: The environment at all our programs is remarkable and inspiring, even if the student knows they like engineering, and don't want to become one. Or they may be on the fence. No matter where your student is in the cycle, they are only 1-3 or so years away from going off to college. This program gives them a chance to ry that on, now. To try on their future. And to reinvent themselves, if they want. To meet the Dean of Engineering at an Ivy League College, like the kids at Penn did, that's cool. Don’t miss out on giving your child this incredible experience!
Program Subject To Change:
We reserve the right to change the program for any reason and without notice.
Refund Policy
We know that circumstances can sometimes change for every family. With that in mind, we have extended our deadline to withdraw for any reason until May 15, 2025.
Before May 15, 2025: You can cancel your enrollment for any reason and receive a full refund of all tuition paid or you can transfer your funds to the following year and lock in 2025 pricing.
After May 15, 2025: No paid tuition, including additional charges, will be refunded to any student who withdraws, no-shows, or is dismissed from camp for any reason.
After May 15: All registrations must be paid in full at the time of registration. If you need to talk to us about finding a way to pay across multiple cards or over a couple days, we can work with you. Just call us at 315-816-4023.
NOTE *if you need to make a special arrangement regarding payment, if you have to split between two cards, or have another situation, please call us to work out a plan for your particular special circumstances. We can support you in registering your future rockstar engineer.
-
“I just picked up a very satisfied young engineer from TryEngineering camp. He had a blast these past two weeks. He really enjoyed the program.”
-
“Never in my life did I think that I would get to meet one of the engineers that had actually worked on the Apollo program!”
-
“[The program] really boosted [my son’s] confidence. Now he is actually excited about engineering and looking forward to going to college!”
-
“Never in my life did I think that I would get to meet one of the engineers that had actually worked on the Apollo program!”
-
"Thank you so much again for this amazing, eye-opening, and life changing experience."
With nonstop sunshine and the beaches, strands, shopping and more just a stone’s throw from campus, our USD TESI students will really have a wonderful summer. With such beautiful surroundings, we get the chance to explore and maybe even find the legendary fish taco truck!
The University of Pennsylvania is a fabulous, safe urban campus located in the heart of Philadelphia. This allows us easy access to many of the local sights, sounds and flavors available to us!
The entrance is staffed by Penn Security 24/7. Inside is our air-conditioned wonderland, packed with the same fabulous amenities the Penn students enjoy. We also have our own outdoor area, inside the secure walls, where we have patio seating, tables, a grassy area, and more. It is quite lovely.
Past students have had the opportunity to discover on-campus engineering tools, equipment and technology that will be available to them as future engineering students. In previous summers we have toured the engineering departments at our host venues to meet and greet and see what are the latest aspects and cutting edge work that is being done.
Get a peek at the inner workings of top engineering companies and centers and discover the world inside your dream career! In previous years, our students:
Students will gain valuable knowledge from engineering professionals on how to succeed in college and in an engineering career.
TryEngineering Summer Institute students explore engineering design challenges through hands-on teamwork. Previous students participated in projects such as:
