MIT Beaver Works Summer InstituteBWSI

BWSI at a Glance

Host

MIT Lincoln Laboratory and MIT's School of Engineering

Field

Engineering and computing: autonomous air vehicle racing and RACECAR, underwater vehicles, embedded security, e-textiles and wearables, synthetic aperture radar, cognitive assistants, cyber operations, medical data analytics, quantum software, microelectronics, remote sensing for disaster response and AI game development; 14 courses at present

Grades and age

No higher than 11th grade and no lower than 10th grade at the time of application; current seniors and college students are not accepted. Admitted students are generally finishing junior year, entering senior year after the program

Citizenship and residency

No citizenship requirement, but students must live in the US, attend a high school in the US in person, and stay in the US for the summer program. The online prerequisite courses are open to everyone; students outside the US can take the online courses but cannot apply to the summer program.

Cost

The online prerequisite courses are free. The summer program is free for families with income and assets under $200,000 and costs $3,000 for those at $200,000 or above, the same for virtual and in-person courses; payment is due by June 6 after acceptance. Families who select the free tier verify income through the Clarity platform after acceptance. Housing is not provided.

Dates and format

Four weeks, July 5 to August 1, 2027, Monday through Friday, built around team projects. Eight courses run online (10 am to 6 pm Eastern) and six run in person on the MIT campus (9 am to 5 pm). In-person students receive no housing, and under MIT rules for minors an adult must stay with the student for the month. Final events take place on July 31 and August 1.

Application dates

Registration for the 2027 online prerequisites is open, and the courses open for study on February 1. Nominations for registration continue to March 31; students registered after that can take only the online courses, and the FAQ calls March 31 the enrollment application due date. The summer application goes to registered, eligible students in March; teacher recommendations are due in early April (April 2 on the apply page, April 3 in the FAQ); decisions arrive at the end of April.

Application materials

First complete the free, self-paced online prerequisite course for the chosen course; online grades are an important part of the decision, and many courses also require Python Core and Computer Science and Systems. The summer application includes three short essays (500 words or less each), one recommendation from a teacher or a mentor over 18, parent information and e-signature, honors and awards (200 characters at most), and a self-reported weighted GPA. No official transcripts; emailed extra recommendations or activities are not accepted.

Size and selectivity

BWSI does not publish application counts or an admission rate and describes enrollment as competitive. MIT Lincoln Laboratory's 2025 Impact Report says BWSI started in 2015 with a single course and 46 students and in 2025 ran 14 courses serving 450 students virtually and in person.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-06 · bwsi.mit.edu

How to Apply to BWSI

• Summer admission relies heavily on online prerequisite grades. Start your target course soon after it opens on February 1, and take Python Core and Computer Science and Systems alongside it if the course requires them.
• The summer application asks for a first choice and alternates, and popular courses fill up. Work through the prerequisites of at least two courses and list more than one choice.
• In-person courses at MIT come with no housing and require an adult to stay with the student. California families who cannot arrange a month of housing in Boston can focus on the online courses.