# FIRST Robotics Competition

The flagship high-school robotics league: student teams design, build, and program 120-pound robots in a six-week season, then compete at district, regional, and world-championship events.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Organization | FIRST |
| Category | stem |
| Cost | Not listed |
| Deadline | Rolling / check official site |
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12 |
| Format | In person |
| Location | Check official site |
| Time commitment | ~15 hours/week |
| Apply | https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/how-to-start-a-team |

## About this program

## Overview

The **FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)** is the flagship high-school program of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Working with adult mentors, teams of high-school students design, build, program, and drive industrial-scale robots (~120 lb) to play a new game revealed each January at Kickoff.

## How It Works

- **Build season (Jan-Feb):** teams have roughly six weeks to design and build a robot for the season's game
- **Competition season (Mar-Apr):** teams compete at district or regional events in alliances of three robots
- **FIRST Championship (Apr):** top qualifying teams advance to the world championship
- Awards recognize engineering, strategy, outreach, and team culture — including the prestigious FIRST Impact Award and Dean's List

## Why It Matters

- Hands-on engineering, CAD, programming, electronics, fabrication, and project management under real deadlines
- Business, fundraising, and outreach roles make the team a full student-run organization
- FIRST-affiliated college scholarships exceed $80M annually, and FRC alumni are heavily recruited into STEM programs

## Getting Involved

- Join an existing team at your school or community, or start a new one (fall registration through the FIRST dashboard)
- Typical commitment is 10-20+ hours/week during build and competition season
- No prior experience required — rookies learn from mentors and veteran teammates

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is eligible for FIRST Robotics Competition?

FIRST Robotics Competition is open to high school students in grades 9–12. Some programs have additional requirements (GPA, coursework, essays, or recommendations) — the full criteria are on the official site.

### Is FIRST Robotics Competition online or in person?

FIRST Robotics Competition is an in-person program. Expect a time commitment of roughly 15 hours per week.

### How do I apply to FIRST Robotics Competition?

Apply directly through FIRST's official website. ExtracurricularHub links to the official application — we list and verify programs but don't process applications.

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Last updated: 2026-07-27.
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