Blueprint is a year-long academic enrichment experience for motivated Black students passionate about science and engineering.
Applications Closed
Applications for the 2025 Season are now closed. Please join our mailing list for updates on future programs and registration times.
Check out our CREATE: Engineering Design Challenges program for another option for high school students.
When
July 6 – July 31, 2025
Followed by biweekly events from October 2026 to February 2027
Where
U of T’s St George Campus
Who
Canadian Black students in grade 10 & 11
Program Fee
Free*
*Accommodations or travel expenses not included
Program Highlights
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Problem Solving
Learn the Engineering Design Process and apply it to the creation of innovative solutions to real-world issues.
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Engineering Courses
Explore a variety of engineering fields by taking two engineering-focused summer courses where students will learn fundamental engineering concepts and participate in labs.
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Mentorship Opportunities
Learn from the brightest! Courses will be taught by Master's and Doctoral students, with undergraduate engineering students serving as mentors.
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Community Building
Find a community of like-minded peers while having fun and forming lifelong friendships.
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Year-long Engagement
Blueprint doesn't end when summer does! Among the ongoing benefits for Blueprint students are year-long workshops that include leadership training and preparation for post-secondary education.
Full Description
Blueprint is an academic enrichment program designed for highly motivated Black students interested in science and engineering. Blueprint is open to Canadian students currently in Grades 10 and 11 who identify as Black, and are interested in careers in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math).
The program consists of four weeks of summer programming followed by a program of year-long engagement.
Summer Program
The summer program is in-person at the University of Toronto's St. George campus for four weeks in July. This in-person program invites students to think about design and innovation—applicable to any engineering field. Students will have the opportunity to participate in two engineering-focused summer courses, fun and educational excursions, and community-building events.
Year-Long Engagement
After the program's summer component, students will stay connected through one of two year-long engagement streams. These activities span from regular meet-ups to monthly webinars.
Students in grade 12 will participate in My Academic Preparation Sessions—or MAPS—which focuses on applying and successful strategies for University.
Students in grade 11 will participate in Prepare, which focuses on exploring leadership and the further development of soft-skills.
The Blueprint program supports the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering's mission to equip students with the technical and interdisciplinary skills and confidence necessary to create innovative solutions to current real-world issues.
Program Details
Program Schedule
| Blueprint Summer Program | July 6 to July 31, 2026 Monday-Friday, 9:30 am-3:30 pm | Please note: Students need to attend all 4 weeks to participate in this program. Students who miss more than 3 days of the in-person Blueprint program will not be permitted to continue the program. |
| Year-long Engagement | Various dates from October 2026 to February 2027 | Blueprint students will be enrolled in either Prepare or MAPS. A detailed schedule will be shared closer to the start of the program. |
| Blueprint Graduation | March, 2027 | All Prepare and MAPS Students are invited to Blueprint Graduation |
Eligible Students
The Blueprint program is open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents who self-identify as Black.
Grades
This program is offered to students in Grades 10 and 11 (2025/2026 academic year).
Cost
FREE – Program costs will be covered by the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
Please note accommodations and travel expenses are not included.
Travel Costs
Any travel-associated costs will be the responsibility of the participant. Modest travel bursaries will be available for those that qualify for support.
Accommodations
Please note accommodations are not included in the Blueprint program.
Blueprint students who require accommodations in the GTA during the summer program are welcome to register for our Summer Residence Program. Please note residence fees would need to be covered by the student.
Students can indicate their interest in the Summer Residence Program when they apply to the Blueprint program.
Cancellation Policy
We kindly ask that if you need to cancel your registration, please let us know before the summer start date in order for us to reach out to any participants on our waiting list.
Cancellation requests can be sent in writing by email to outreach@engineering.utoronto.ca.
Thank you for your understanding! For more details regarding cancellation deadlines, please refer to your confirmation email once you have completed the registration process.
Supplemental Documents
After completing the initial application form, students can log into their application to submit their supplemental documents.
Required Documents
Transcripts/report cards must be official documents showing the student's name, grade, school, the date, the name of the courses completed, and the grade received in the courses. Documents should be submitted as PDFs.
For grade 10 students, the following documents are required:
- A Statement of Interest (250-300 words) that answers the following questions:
- Why do you want to participate in Blueprint?
- How will attending Blueprint help you achieve your future goals?
- Grade 9 transcript/report cards showing final grades from all courses taken in grade 9. For students on a semester system, final report cards from both first and second semester are required.
- Grade 10 transcript/report cards showing grades from any courses completed in grade 10 to date. Mid-term report cards will be accepted for any courses in-progress.
For grade 11 students, the following documents are required:
- A Statement of Interest (250-300 words) that answers the following questions:
- Why do you want to participate in Blueprint?
- How will attending Blueprint help you achieve your future goals?
- Grade 9 transcript/report cards showing final grades from all courses taken in grade 9. For students on a semester system, final report cards from both first and second semester are required.
- Grade 10 transcript/report cards showing final grades from all courses taken in grade 10. For students on a semester system, final report cards from both first and second semester are required.
- Grade 11 transcript/report cards showing grades from any courses completed in grade 11 to date. Mid-term report cards will be accepted for any courses in-progress.
Application Dates
| Applications Open | TBA |
| Information Sessions | TBA |
| Application Deadline | TBA |
| Interview Dates | TBA |
| Decision Letters Sent | TBA |
Blueprint Information Sessions
Online (on Zoom)
Do you have any questions about the application, or what the program would look like if you were accepted? Check out our online information sessions! Our Blueprint Team will be having monthly information sessions for students to learn about the Blueprint application and what to look forward to in the program.
Information session dates will be announced soon!
*Please note that the content for information session repeats, it is recommended that you only attend one information session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summer Course Offerings
Blueprint summer programming features a range of inspiring lectures, current research discussions, and hands-on activities. Through this content, students will explore the Engineering Design Process and use their skills and imaginations to create innovative solutions to real-world problems. Students who complete the program will leave with a fundamental understanding of the skills and knowledge required to pursue degrees and careers in STEM–specifically Engineering.
This year's courses will be announced in April.
Past Course Offerings
Engineering and Human Health
The current advances in healthcare would have been significantly limited without the contribution of biomedical engineers. Biomedical engineers combine their knowledge and expertise in biology, chemistry and engineering to create innovative solutions to tackle healthcare challenges.
In this course, we will learn about the variety of approaches biomedical engineers have used to tackle healthcare problems from a micro to a macro scale. At the micro scale, students will learn about treatments that function at a molecular level such as gene and cellular therapies and the engineering behind them. At the macro scale, students will get a glimpse of the current and future advances in prosthetics and their impact.
These concepts will be coupled with engaging hands-on activities to allow students to gain better understanding of the presented material as well as to inspire the next generation of biomedical engineers.
Mechatronics and Automation
Robots have played a key role in the advancement of various industries over the decades, making these industries productive, cost effective and less hazardous. Notable industries include automotive, industrial manufacturing, food processing, biomedical engineering, medicine, and construction engineering.
Robotics is an area of engineering that encapsulates three key domains in the engineering spectrum, namely computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering. It capitalizes on key concepts such as networking hardware and software.
In this course, students will be exposed to key concepts such as: hardware (microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, etc.); programming (variables, constants, data types, loops, conditional statements, etc.); and networking (wireless communication). By the end of the course, students will acquire hands-on experience by designing, building, programming, and testing robots to perform simple to complex tasks by the help of robotic learning kits.
Year-long Engagement Programs
After the summer program, students will be placed in one of two streams for fall and winter. Grade 11 students will participate in Prepare, and Grade 12 students will participate in MAPS.
Prepare (Grade 11)
October to February
Prepare Sessions are an extension to the Blueprint program for grade 11 students. From leadership skills to soft skills, Prepare sessions will guide prospective university students through the obstacles they might experience, helping them paint a clear path from their point in high school to university.
Students in Prepare will also be invited to MAPS the following year when they are in grade 12.
MAPS (Grade 12)
October to February
My Academic Planning Sessions, or MAPS, is an extension to the Blueprint program for grade 12 students. While Blueprint helps reinforce students' interests in Engineering and Science, MAPS bridges the gap between interest and reality by providing grade 12 students with a tailored experience that guides them through the challenges in the University application and decision-making process.
How to Apply
Step 1: Fill Out Application Form
- Wait for applications to open.
- Click the ‘Apply Here’ button (available at the bottom of this page).
- Add the application to your cart and click continue.
- Complete the application questions and submit.
- Be sure you receive a confirmation email after your submission- if you do not, please reach out to us.
Step 2: Submit Supplemental Documents
Following the link in your confirmation email, submit the following documents through your online account:
Report Card or Transcript
- Provide a transcript or report cards from each year of high school, showing final grades in all courses taken.
- Transcripts/report cards must be official documents showing the student's name, grade, school, the date, the name of the courses completed, and the grade received in the courses.
- Mid-term report cards will be accepted for courses currently in-progress.
Statement of Interest
- Submit a Statement of Interest (250-300 words) that answers the following questions:
- Why do you want to participate in Blueprint?
- How will attending Blueprint help you achieve your future goals?
- Submit a Statement of Interest (250-300 words) that answers the following questions:
Documents should be submitted as PDFs.
Applications missing any of the above documents after the application deadline are considered incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated.
Step 3: Wait for Results
Applications will be assessed after the application period ends.
After applications have been assessed, shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview before final decisions are made.
| Applications Open | TBA |
| Information Sessions | TBA |
| Application Deadline | TBA |
| Interview Dates | TBA |
| Decision Letters Sent | TBA |
If you would like to add any updated report cards to your application while you are waiting for your results, please email us at outreach@engineering.utoronto.ca.
Registration is Closed
Registration for the 2025 season is now closed. Please join our mailing list for updates on future programs and registration times.
Check out our CREATE: Engineering Design Challenges program for another option for high school students.
