Undergraduate Admissions

A division of Enrollment Management

CEED High School Summer Programs Application 2026

2026 C-Tech^2/UPWARDS/WEE VT Program Participant Application

This is a joint application for the C-Tech^2, UPWARDS and WEE VT summer engineering programs hosted by the Center for Engineering Excellence and Discovery.

Computers & Technology at Tech (C-Tech^2) will have a biomedical engineering focused design project while still exposing students to the broad range of engineering disciplines.
University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semi Conductors (UPWARDS), will focus on the microelectronics industry, clean room fabrication and career opportunities.
The Watford Engineering Experience at Virginia Tech (WEE VT) will expose Virginia residents to the broad range of engineering disciplines as part of our mission as a land-grant institution supporting the commonwealth.

In order to maximize the number of students who can participate, successful applicants will only be given an offer to one camp.

Camp Dates:

UPWARDS 1: Sunday, June 14 - Saturday June 27, 2026
C-Tech^2: Sunday, June 28 - Saturday, July 11, 2026
UPWARDS 2: Sunday, July 12 - Saturday, July 25, 2026
WEE VT: Sunday, Sunday, July 12 - Saturday, July 25, 2026

Application Components:

Participant Application, including essays
Transcript
Parent Form

Information submitted in the parent form will be used to determine scholarship awards. Tuition for all programs is $2,500 and covers all expenses except transportation to and from Blacksburg.

You will receive an email confirmation once you complete the application. This will include a link to the parent form. DEADLINE TO COMPLETE ALL COMPONENTS is 11:55 pm Sunday, March 8, 2026. Decisions will be emailed by April 3, 2026.

Please note: Accepted offers that are cancelled 30 days prior to the start of camp are still responsible for 50% of the tuition. Offers cancelled 14 days or less prior to the start of camp are responsible for 100% of the tuition.

If you have any questions, please email Kim Lester at kimml61@vt.edu or call 540-231-7337.

First Name

Preferred Name

Middle Name

Last Name

Birthdate

Mailing Address

Country

Street

City

Region

Postal Code

Cell Phone Number

Email (this will be our main form of communication)

Parent/Guardian First Name

Parent/Guardian Last Name

Parent/Guardian Email

Relationship to student

What is the APPLICANT's Gender (optional)?

Did either parent/guardians earn a four-year bachelor degree?

Yes

High School Name

CEEB (hidden)

High School City

High School State

How did you hear about the program(s)?

Website

Discussion with past participant

Discussion with a current Virginia Tech engineering student

Discussion with my parent/guardian

Discussion with my school counselor

Discussion with my teacher

Other

How you heard about the program(s):

Please indicate which session(s) you are interested in

C-Tech

UPWARDS 1: Sunday, June 14 - Saturday June 27, 2026

UPWARDS 2: Sunday, July 13 - Sunday, July 26, 2026

WEE VT: Sunday, Sunday, July 12 - Saturday, July 25, 2026

If you selected multiple sessions on the previous question, which is your first choice? (Please note, we may not be able to honor this request.)

C-Tech

UPWARDS 1

UPWARDS 2

WEE VT

If you selected multiple sessions on the previous question, which is your second choice? (Please note, we may not be able to honor this request.)

C-Tech

UPWARDS 1

UPWARDS 2

WEE VT

If you selected multiple sessions on the previous question, which is your thirdd choice? (Please note, we may not be able to honor this request.)

C-Tech

UPWARDS 1

UPWARDS 2

WEE VT

Are you involved in a technology or engineering program during the regular school day or after school hours?

Yes

If yes, please provide the name of the program and a brief description of activities that you have completed or will complete.

High school graduation year

2027

2028

Please indicate which engineering fields you are interested in. Check all that apply.

Aerospace Engineering

Biological Systems Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Computer Engineering

Computer Science

Construction Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Industrial & Systems Engineering

Materials Science Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Mining & Minerals Engineering

Ocean Engineering

Please list any STEM extracurricular activities (summer programs, clubs, etc.) in which you have participated or are participating and the duration of involvement. (ex. First Robotics, Sept 2022-June 2024)

Please list any leadership roles that you have held or currently hold, the corresponding organization, and the duration of involvement. (ex. President, National Honors Society, Sept 2023-present)

Please list any academic achievements and/or other honors and awards, the corresponding organization, and the year in which it was received. (ex. Female Scholar Athlete, School Athletics Department, 2023)

Please list any extracurricular activities in which you participated for 2 years or more and the duration of involvement. This may include activities that you were involved with before high school IF your involvement continued into high school. (ex. Girl Scouts of America, 2021-2025)

Please list all other extracurricular activities not previously listed.

Essays
Your response for each essay question cannot exceed 120 words. Draft in Microsoft Word or another word processing program to check for spelling, grammar, and word count. Then copy and paste into the fields below.

Describe your involvement in an organization or community group where you have a leadership role. How did you work with others toward a common goal? What obstacles did you encounter and how did you overcome them? What has this taught you? (Not to exceed 120 words.)

Reflect on a situation where you or others were not being included. What were the benefits and challenges of creating an inclusive environment? What did you learn? Where did you go for help? (Not to exceed 120 words.)

(C-Tech^2 and WEE VT ONLY) Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How will you get there? What challenges will you face? How does engineering align with your goals? (Not to exceed 120 words.)

(UPWARDS ONLY) Describe a product/service that you would like to create that would solve a real-world problem related to Electrical, Computer, Chemical, or Materials Science Engineering. What is your timeline to produce this product? What steps will you take to get there? You may want to review NAE's Grand Challenges for Engineering to help you get started.

Transcript
Please upload a current grade transcript. This does not have to be an official transcript. If you do not have a transcript ready to upload now, you will receive instructions with your email confirmation on how to send it later.

Current Classes
If your grade transcript does not include the classes you are currently enrolled in, please upload a list of those classes here. If you have any current grades in those classes, please include them.

In the unlikely event that an in-person program is cancelled or postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, the university cannot be held responsible for any other expenses, including cancellation or change charges assessed by airlines, hotels, travel agencies, or other organizations.

For weather or disaster-related program cancellation or postponement information, please watch the admissions home page or our social media channels.

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Questions? Contact us | visit@vt.edu | 540-231-6267