If you’re a high school student interested in machine learning, summer research programs can help you explore the field in depth. These programs introduce you to topics like data analysis, neural networks, natural language processing, and algorithmic problem-solving. You’ll also get to work on real-world projects that connect coding with real-world applications in fields like biology, physics, economics, engineering, and medicine.
Many of these programs are hosted by top universities and research institutions, giving you access to mentorship, state-of-the-art research labs, and hands-on experience in computational research methods. You’ll also build valuable skills in Python programming, statistics, and scientific communication – skills that are highly valued in both college admissions and future research prospects. Whether you’re interested in AI-driven healthcare, robotics, or cybersecurity, these programs can help you gain technical experience while exploring the role of machine learning in tackling real-world challenges.
This list highlights 13 machine learning summer research programs for high school students that emphasize both theory and practical applications.
13 Machine Learning Summer Research Programs for High School Students
1. The ASPIRE Program at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
Location: Virtual or in-person at Johns Hopkins University APL, Laurel, MD
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Approximately 10%; Up to 200 students are selected each summer
Program Dates: June 24 – August 21
Application Deadline: January 1 – February 15
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors or seniors (15+); Required minimum GPA is 2.8; Permanent residence in certain Maryland counties
The ASPIRE program at Johns Hopkins APL allows high school juniors and seniors to work directly with APL mentors on research projects across STEM fields, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. You might explore topics such as generative AI disinformation, deep-learning methods for drone detection, and anomaly identification in cyberspace data using ML models. Depending on your placement, you may work with programming languages like Python or C++, apply data analysis techniques, and gain experience in experimental or theoretical research. Internships may be completed in-person or virtually, and each placement emphasizes independent inquiry, technical precision, and professional communication in a research-driven environment.
2. EDIT AI High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 13 – August 31
Application Deadline: April 15 (tentative)
Eligibility: High school students who are familiar with basic programming concepts and have a desire to develop advanced computational skills
The EDIT AI High School Summer Internship Program is a remote research experience for students interested in artificial intelligence and medicine. You’ll work in one of three tracks—Skills, Advanced, or Peer Mentor—developing programming and machine learning techniques to analyze biomedical data, contributing to research projects, or mentoring peers. Guided by experienced program mentors, you may use Python, R, and high-performance computing tools to analyze whole slide images, pathology text reports, and multi-omics data. Through lectures, guided projects, and collaborative research, you’ll gain experience in computational modeling, scientific writing, and applying AI tools to real-world medical challenges.
3. Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE) at NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; $1,000 stipend
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Program Dates: June 1 – August 14
Application Deadline: January 6 – February 21
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors from NYC
The ARISE program at NYU Tandon School of Engineering is a free 10-week summer program combining foundational training with advanced, hands-on research. You’ll begin with workshops in lab safety, research methods, and academic writing before joining one of NYU’s 30-40 research labs for six weeks of full-time work under the guidance of faculty and graduate mentors. Depending on your placement, you may assist with projects in machine learning, data science, robotics, or urban informatics, gaining experience in programming, data analysis, and experimental design. The program concludes with you showcasing your work at a poster symposium at the American Museum of Natural History.
4. Berkeley Lab Director’s Apprenticeship Program: Interdisciplinary Pathways to Machine Learning and Data Science (BLDAP: IPMLDS)
Location: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; $500/week, totaling $3,000
Cohort Size: 20 students
Program Dates: June 17 – July 25
Application Deadline: February 3 – March 23 (recommended to submit applications by March 21)
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors (16+) from Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties in Northern California who reside within 20 miles of Berkeley Lab; Required minimum GPA of 2.5
BLDAP: IPMLDS is a six-week, in-person program that introduces you to research and data-driven problem-solving in a professional lab setting. You’ll spend each week learning Python, exploring data science concepts, and working on projects drawn from Berkeley Lab’s research in areas such as biosciences, energy technologies, and materials science. The curriculum includes hands-on lab work, coding activities, and discussions with scientists and engineers from the Department of Energy’s national laboratories. You will be expected to present your research at the end of the program.
5. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine & Imaging (AIMI) Summer Research Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $850 + $40 application fee (application fee waivers and scholarships available)
Cohort Size: Around 25 students (tentative)
Program Dates: June 16 – 27
Application Deadline: December 9 – February 28
Eligibility: Rising high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors (14+) with a strong background in math and/or computer programming skills and/or experience with a healthcare project are preferred; Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or provide documentation of valid visa status
The AIMI Summer Research Internship is a two-week virtual program designed for high school students interested in the intersection of AI, machine learning, and healthcare. You’ll attend lectures on the fundamentals of AI applications in healthcare, participate in research-focused group projects, and receive mentorship from Stanford researchers and student leads. The program emphasizes applying technical and analytical skills to solve real-world problems in medical AI, encouraging independent problem-solving with minimal guidance. You’ll also take part in discussions with AI professionals across academia, industry, and government, and receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program.
6. The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free, except for the $25 application fee; $750 stipend
Cohort Size: 12 students
Program Dates: June 21 – August 6
Application Deadline: January 2 – February 16
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors and seniors who are at least 17 years old by the start of the program
The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University is a seven-week summer research program for twelve highly qualified high school juniors and seniors. During the program, you’ll work closely with faculty mentors on research across disciplines such as biology, physics, computer science, and engineering, with some projects even incorporating AI, data analysis, and machine learning techniques. The program combines independent research with weekly seminars, field trips, and discussions designed to build your analytical and technical skills while exploring your career interests.
7. Stanford AI4ALL
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,000 (financial aid available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 18 – July 2 (tentative, based on previous years)
Application Deadline: January 24 (tentative, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores (14+); Preference for students with math and/or computer skills
The Stanford AI4ALL program offers an intensive introduction to artificial intelligence and machine learning for high school students. Over two weeks, you’ll attend live online lectures, complete guided research projects, and participate in mentoring sessions led by leading AI practitioners. The curriculum covers core topics in robotics, computer vision, medical AI, deep learning, and natural language processing. You’ll collaborate in small groups to analyze data, design simple models, and discuss how AI techniques can address real-world challenges in health, environment, and equity. Alongside technical sessions, you will also participate in career development workshops and discussions on AI’s wider social impact.
8. Research Mentorship Program at UC Santa Barbara
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Cost: $5,175 (Commuter); $12,474 (Residential); Limited number of scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 15 – July 31, with a mandatory preparation webinar on May 28 or 30
Application Deadline: December 15 – March 9
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors with a minimum academic weighted GPA of 3.80 (Note: exceptional high school freshmen are accepted on a case-by-case basis)
The Research Mentorship Program at UC Santa Barbara is an intensive summer program where you’ll conduct university-level research under the guidance of UCSB faculty, graduate students, or postdoctoral mentors. You can choose from a range of research topics across STEM, humanities, and social sciences, including projects involving artificial intelligence, data analysis, and machine learning. Along the way, you will develop skills in scientific reading, fieldwork, data collection, and scientific communication, while gaining insight into university-level research and potential career pathways. The program also includes GRIT Talks, where UCSB researchers present their work, and opportunities to engage with peers and mentors across campus.
9. Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free (additional housing and dining costs apply if you choose to stay on campus); Stipend offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective with an acceptance rate of 5%
Program Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 7
Eligibility: Current high school juniors (16+); Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University pairs you with faculty mentors for six weeks of focused, hands-on research in fields such as mathematics, science, and engineering. You’ll join an active research group, contributing to real-world projects that emphasize experimental design, data analysis, and technical writing. Depending on your placement, you might explore how machine learning algorithms can be applied to data-driven challenges in areas like climate modeling, biomedical analysis, or robotics design. Alongside lab work, you’ll attend faculty lectures and workshops that expand your understanding of STEM research methodologies. By the end, you will have produced a written abstract and poster presentation based on your research.
10. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Remote, hybrid, or in-person at George Mason University’s Science and Technology Campus (Manassas, VA), the Potomac Science Center (Woodbridge Campus), or the Fairfax Campus
Cost: Free, except for the $25 application fee (need-based fee waivers available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 18 – August 8
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students who are at least 15 years old
Hosted by George Mason University, ASSIP offers you the chance to conduct college-level research alongside university faculty across STEM disciplines, including machine learning, data mining, cybersecurity, and computer modeling. Over eight weeks, you’ll work with advanced research tools and technologies, develop your scientific writing and analytical skills, and contribute to ongoing research projects in areas such as data science for social good, robotics, or neuroscience. The program concludes with a research symposium where you will present your work to the wider scientific community. You can even submit your research to scientific conferences and academic journals for publication.
11. UCSD Research Experience for High School Students
Location: Virtual and in-person at the UC San Diego campus, CA
Cost: $1,500 for the research project (financial assistance available)
Cohort Size: Varies depending on the research project
Program Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 15 – March 15
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, or seniors (16+) from Southern California; One year each of high school chemistry or biology is recommended but not required; Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; Prerequisites may vary by research project
The REHS program at UCSD is an eight-week internship that introduces you to computational research alongside mentors at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. You’ll work on projects that may involve areas such as computational chemistry, neuroscience, and data modeling, using tools like Python, Jupyter Notebooks, and machine learning frameworks. The program focuses on developing research, data analysis, and scientific communication skills through guided mentorship and collaboration. Each student completes a final research poster summarizing their project, experience, and findings at the end of the summer.
12. MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute
Location: Virtual or in-person at MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $2,350 (the program is free for students with a family income of less than $150,000)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: July 7 – August 3 (tentative)
Application Deadline: March 3 – 31
Eligibility: U.S. high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors; Must complete online prerequisite courses before the start of their programs (by June 20); Check here for course-specific prerequisites
MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute is an intensive, four-week program for high school students interested in STEM, hosted by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in collaboration with MIT’s School of Engineering. In machine learning and AI-focused courses such as CogWorks, Medlytics, and Serious Games with AI, you may work in small teams on hands-on projects that combine machine learning, modeling, and data analysis to explore real-world technical problems. Over the course of the program, you may develop skills in Python programming, algorithm implementation, and interactive simulation, while learning to design, test, and refine AI-driven solutions. The experience emphasizes computational thinking, collaboration, and applying AI and machine learning concepts to complex, socially relevant projects.
13. Wolfram High School Summer Research Program
Location: Bentley University, Boston, MA
Cost: $5,500 (scholarships available)
Cohort Size: Around 80 students each year
Program Dates: June 24 – July 11
Application Deadline: November – March 22 (tentative); You can also join the waitlist, which will remain open until May 5
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 14 and 17; exceptional 13-year-olds are sometimes accepted into the program
The Wolfram High School Summer Research Program is a two-and-a-half-week, project-based research experience focused on computational thinking, programming, and applied artificial intelligence. You’ll learn to use Wolfram Language for tasks like data processing, modeling, and algorithmic problem-solving, with some projects exploring areas such as machine learning, natural language processing, or computational modeling. The curriculum combines lectures, hands-on challenges, and deep-dive talks led by Wolfram researchers and mentors. By the end of the program, you’ll complete an independent research project and write a computational essay that showcases your process and findings.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – Bentley University