Blueprint is a four-week academic enrichment experience for motivated Black students passionate about science and engineering.
Applications Open
Applications are open until March 28, 2025.
When
July 7 – August 1, 2025
Followed by biweekly events from October 2025 to February 2026
Where
U of T’s St George Campus
Who
Black students in grade 10 & 11
Program Fee
Free
Program Highlights
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Learn the Engineering Design Process and apply it to the creation of innovative solutions to real-world issues.
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Explore a variety of engineering fields by taking two engineering-focused courses, such as Engineering and Human Health and Mechatronics and Automation, where students will learn fundamental engineering concepts and participate in labs.
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Find a community of like-minded peers while having fun and forming lifelong friendships.
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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.
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Learn from the brightest! Courses will be taught by Master's and Doctoral students, with undergraduate engineering students serving as mentors.
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, and are interested in careers in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math).
Summer Program
The program consists of four weeks of summer programming followed by a program of year-long engagement. This year, the summer program is in-person at the University of Toronto's St. George campus. 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 fun, 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. While students in grade 11 will participate in Prepare, which focuses on exploring leadership and the further development of soft-skills.
This 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. This program will be held in person this year.
Program Details
Application Dates
Applications Open — November 13, 2025
Information Sessions — January 14, February 4, & March 4, 2025; See "Information Sessions" tab for more info
Application Deadline — March 28, 2025
Interview Dates — April 4 to April 14, 2025
Decision Letters Sent — April 15 to May 9, 2025
Program Schedule
Blueprint Summer Program — July 7 to August 1, 2025*
Year-long Engagement — Various dates from October 2024 to February 2025
A detailed schedule will be shared closer to the start of the program.
*Please note: Blueprint will be in-person Monday to Friday for 4 weeks in July. 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.
Grades
This program is offered to students in Grades 10 and 11 (2024/2025 academic year.)
Eligible Students
The Blueprint program is open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents who self-identify as Black.
Application Steps
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Start your application by clicking on the "Apply Now" button on the top or bottom of this page.
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After submitting your initial application, you have until March 28, 2025 to upload the following documents:
- A transcript or report card showing your most recent math grade.
- A transcript or report card showing your most recent science grade.
- Statement of interest outlining why you should be admitted to the program (250-300 words).
- Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview for final acceptance into the program.
- Students who have received an interview will receive a decision letter by email between April 15 and May 9, 2025. Please do not contact us to ask for results until this period has ended.
Instructions for Statement of Interest
Please upload your Statement of Interest through the Blueprint online application system. In order to upload your statement, you must log in to your account.
Your statement should be 250-300 words and should answer the following questions:
- Why do you want to participate in Blueprint?
- How will attending Blueprint help you achieve your future goals?
In order to be considered for the program, you must upload your statement by the application deadline – March 28, 2025.
If you have questions, feel free to contact us at outreach@engineering.utoronto.ca.
Creating an Active Account
If this is your first time registering for one of our programs, you will be prompted to create an Active account as you register. If you are successful in getting a spot in the workshop, your spot will be held for you as you complete the registration form, so no need to rush.
Please note that it is not possible to create an account before the registration date.
Cost
FREE – program costs will be covered by the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
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 program costs do not cover accommodations. Accommodations on campus may be available for an additional fee paid for by the participant- please reach out to us at outreach@engineering.utoronto.ca to discuss accommodation options.
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 6:00-7:00 pm
Register here
Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 6:00-7:00 pm
Register here
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 6:00-7:00 pm
Register here
*Please note that the content for information session repeats, it is recommended that you only attend one information session.
Do you have questions about Blueprint?
Contact us at outreach@engineering.utoronto.ca
Course Offerings
Our 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 2025.
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 tackled healthcare problems from a micro to a macro scale. At the microscale, students will learn about treatments that function at a molecular level such as gene and cellular therapies and the engineering behind them. At the macroscale, 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 (3) 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.
Program Details
Applications Open
Applications are open until March 28, 2025.
