# Robotics Programs & Competitions for High School Students

Robotics is one of the strongest ways to show colleges hands-on engineering ability: you design, build, program, and compete with a physical machine on a deadline.

This list spans team competitions like FIRST Robotics and VEX, summer robotics intensives, and research programs where you work on autonomous systems.

53 verified programs match this page; 20 of the featured listings are free; 1 can be done online.

## Programs (53 total, first 30 shown — full list on the canonical page)

| Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/waicy-ai-competition) | Ready AI | Free | virtual | Grades 6–12 | 2026-11-10 |
| [Columbia Engineering SHAPE](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/columbia-engineering-shape) | Columbia University | $3,500 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-03 |
| [SAE Autonomous Vehicle Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/sae-autonomous-vehicle-challenge) | SAE International | $100 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-08 |
| [BEST Robotics Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/best-robotics-competition) | BEST Robotics | Free | in_person | Grades 6–12 | 2026-08-22 |
| [U.S. Naval Academy Summer STEM Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/us-naval-academy-summer-stem-program) | United States Naval Academy | $700 | in_person | Grades 9–11 | 2027-03-31 |
| [Robo-One Biped Robot Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/robo-one) | Robo-One Committee | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [VEX Robotics Competition (VRC)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/vex-robotics-competition-vrc) | Robotics Education & Competition Foundation | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-19 |
| [NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-human-exploration-rover-challenge) | NASA Marshall Space Flight Center | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-09-15 |
| [FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Dean's List Finalist](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/first-robotics-competition-frc-deans-list-finalist) | FIRST | Free | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-02-04 |
| [Botball Educational Robotics Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/botball-educational-robotics-program) | KISS Institute for Practical Robotics | $2,000 | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-28 |
| [SeaPerch Underwater Robotics Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/seaperch) | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Foundation & RoboNation | Free | hybrid | Grades 6–12 | 2026-11-30 |
| [MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mit-beaver-works-summer-institute-bwsi) | MIT Lincoln Laboratory & MIT School of Engineering | Free | hybrid | Grade 11 | 2027-03-31 |
| [European Rover Challenge Robotics Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/european-rover-challenge) | European Space Foundation | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-15 |
| [FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) World Championship Qualifier](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/first-robotics-competition-frc-world-championship-qualifier) | FIRST | $6,000 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-17 |
| [MATE ROV Competition (High School Division)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mate-rov-competition-high-school-division) | MATE Inspiration for Innovation | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-31 |
| [Nickelodeon Robot Wars Student Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nickelodeon-robot-wars) | Nickelodeon | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [MIT Robocon Tech Team Robotics Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mit-robocon-tech-team) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Robocon Tech Team | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/engineering-summer-academy-at-penn-esap) | University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science | $8,800 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-02-28 |
| [National Robotics Challenge (NRC)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/national-robotics-challenge) | Marion Technical College | $100 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-26 |
| [Autonomous Vehicle Challenge (SAE International)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/autonomous-vehicle-challenge-sae-international) | SAE International | $200 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-09 |
| [DARPA Grand Challenge (Autonomous Vehicles)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/darpa-grand-challenge) | Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [National Robotics League Combat Robots](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/robot-combat) | National Robotics League (NTMA) | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-05-08 |
| [E-Yantra Robotics Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/e-yantra) | IIT Bombay (e-Yantra Project, CSE Dept.) | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-25 |
| [VEX Robotics World Championship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/vex-robotics-world-championship) | REC Foundation | $500 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-28 |
| [FIRST Robotics Competition Chairman's Award](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/first-robotics-competition-chairmans-award) | FIRST | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-12 |
| [Robofest Robotics Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/robofest) | Lawrence Technological University | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-08 |
| [National Robotics Week Competitions](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/national-robotics-week) | Various Organizations | Free | in_person | Grades 6–12 | 2027-04-03 |
| [BlueStamp Engineering](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/bluestamp-engineering) | BlueStamp Engineering | $3,500 | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [NYU ARISE Summer Research Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nyu-arise) | NYU Tandon School of Engineering | Free | in_person | Grades 10–11 | 2027-02-27 |
| [Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/multi-autonomous-ground-robotic-international-challenge) | University of Oulu | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |

## Frequently asked questions

### How many robotics programs are listed for high school students?

ExtracurricularHub currently lists 53 verified robotics opportunities for high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link.

### Are any of these robotics programs free?

Yes — 20 of the programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Free programs are often funded and can be more selective, so apply early.

### Which deadlines are coming up soonest?

The next deadlines: BEST Robotics Competition (August 22, 2026); E-Yantra Robotics Competition (August 25, 2026); NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (September 15, 2026). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the program's official site.

### Do robotics extracurriculars help with college admissions?

Yes — sustained, escalating involvement in robotics (participation → awards or leadership → independent work) reads far stronger than scattered one-off activities. Pick one or two programs from this page and go deep.

## Related pages

- [Stem for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/stem)
- [Engineering Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/engineering)
- [Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/competitions)
- [Competitions](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/cs-majors/competitions)
- [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars)
- [Find My Fit — 3-minute matching quiz](https://extracurricularhub.com/find-my-fit)

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Source: ExtracurricularHub (https://extracurricularhub.com) — a free directory of 1,826 verified extracurricular programs for high school students. Cite the canonical page above; always confirm binding details on each program's official site.