The IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute, powered by the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC), offers an immersive pre-college experience that prepares students for life beyond high school. The IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute offers students the experience to study in university classrooms, learn to navigate a campus, and live with roommates. Students are able to explore careers in engineering fields they are interested in before going into college and declaring a major. Each program also contains a leadership curriculum designed to teach skills that can apply to all areas of life.

Through the IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute, IEEE and NSLC have come together to create an incredible summer of experiential learning where high school students explore a future career in an engineering field through hands-on workshops and simulations. 

All students will enroll through the NSLC website and have access to the NSLC Enrolled Student Portal to manage their program details. The NSLC team will provide support before, during, and after the summer. The NSLC Portal will provide students with logistical information about their program, including packing checklists, travel and shuttle information, and general program information.

IEEE and the IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute are proud to partner with NSLC to foster the next generation of technology innovators through hands-on, interdisciplinary engineering education that empowers students to solve real-world challenges.

We encourage all 9th-12th grade students who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership ability to apply to our summer programs. Students must be between the ages of 14-18 and have completed at least one year of high school. Students may attend a program through the summer following high school graduation.

Click here to get started! Applications are completed online and require a deposit with a credit or debit card. If you would like to place your deposit with a check, please email tryengineering@nslcleaders.org.

While we have suggested seasonal deadlines, we will continue to accept applications if space is available in a program or on a program’s waitlist. The online enrollment application will display all current availability.

Students are selected for the IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute powered by NSLC in a variety of ways. Teachers, counselors, and alumni nominate students from across the United States and around the world each year. Students may also be invited based on individual results of standardized testing or selected from one of several national talent identification surveys.

Students will stay in supervised dormitory housing and be assigned keys or cards for access to the building and their room. During the day, programs are broken down into smaller groups with a dedicated Team Advisor who accompanies the students throughout their program activities. Team Advisors double as Resident Advisors and reside on the same floors as students for overnight supervision. All locations also have an Administrative team that lives on site.

The IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute powered by NSLC is a truly unique experience that stays with you long after the program ends. Students come to our programs from all over the world, meaning you’ll leave with a new network of friends that share your interests and goals. The programs allow you to explore a future career path before you get to college, helping you make more informed decisions about where you’ll go to college and what opportunities you want to pursue. All programs also contain leadership workshops that strengthen your natural talents no matter what career path you ultimately choose. Plus, The IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute is a great extracurricular activity to list on college applications, and you’ll be able to draw on the academic experiences you have at our program when it comes time for your entrance essays and interviews.

Yes! NSLC and American University have partnered to offer a 1-credit college course for students across all programs and locations. AU’s faculty-taught courses are completed online and tailored to complement each program. Students will connect to AU’s online learning platform and complete their coursework at hours that suit their own schedules. Enrollment in college credit is optional and requires a separate tuition payment. For more information, click here or visit american.edu/nslc.

Yes! You can easily adjust your enrollment to another open session through your student account.

Tuition costs cover housing and on-campus meals, plus course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

We hope you won’t need to, but contact us to cancel within 30 days of submitting your application and receive a full refund of your deposit – no questions asked. After 30 days, please see the table below:

Cancellation requests may be submitted through the Manage Account section of your student profile.

Yes! All enrollments submitted prior to April 1, 2026, will be automatically placed on a convenient monthly payment schedule. After your program deposit, any remaining tuition costs will be divided into equal payments automatically charged to the credit card you used to sign up.

Want to remove autopay or adjust your payment dates? Contact us to easily make the changes that work best for you. Final payments are due no later than 30 days before the session begins.

Adding an affordable Student Protection Plan protects your tuition payments in unexpected circumstances that prevent you from attending your program. We highly recommend adding this trip insurance to your enrollments. Plan restrictions apply and plan fees are non-refundable. Please click here to review the Student Protection Plan in full.

No, the IEEE TryEngineering Summer Institute powered by NSLC tuition is not eligible for 529 payments.

Once a program has reached capacity, you will see a Waitlisted status appear next to the dates on our online application. If you would like to join the waitlist, please continue to complete the enrollment process and place a deposit to add your name. Once a cancellation is received, we will offer the newly opened space to the next student on the list. Your deposit is fully refundable if you do not move into the program or choose to remove your name.

In order to hold a space on the Waitlist, students must submit a deposit with their application. If a student is not eventually offered a space in the session, or is unable to attend the program when a space becomes available, the student’s deposit will be refunded in full.

Yes! Our dining services are able to accommodate any dietary allergies or restrictions you may have. Make sure that your dietary preferences are complete in your student profile so we can share the information with the university before you arrive. You can also always reach out to us with questions!

You’ll receive your finalized schedule the day you arrive on campus for the program. Until then, please take a look at the sample schedules available across our program pages.