Tech programs in computer science, data science, and coding offer high schoolers valuable opportunities to build advanced skills and gain hands-on experience. By studying computer science, students learn the fundamentals of programming and software development, laying the groundwork for solving complex problems. Data science programs teach them to analyze and interpret data, crucial for making informed decisions in various fields. Coding courses enable students to create software and applications, fostering creativity and technical expertise. Engaging in these areas equips students with a robust skillset that prepares them for future academic and career pursuits in the tech industry.
Here are 13 tech programs for high school students!
CS4CS is a four-week summer program designed for NYC high school students to explore computer science and cybersecurity. Participants will engage with foundational concepts in cybersecurity, including white-hat hacking, cryptography, steganography, digital forensics, privacy, and data management. The curriculum covers technologies for detecting and mitigating cyber threats, methods for tracing threats to their origins, coding techniques, and the application of ciphers in network security. This program provides a comprehensive introduction to the tools and practices used in the field of cybersecurity.
Location: New York University (New York, NY)
Cost: Fully funded
Application deadline: April 14, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Program dates: July 8, 2024, to August 2, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: Rising high school students in grades 9,10, 11, and 12 who are New York City residents.
The DSI Summer Lab, offered by the University of Chicago, is a 10-week, paid research program designed for high school and undergraduate students. The program emphasizes applied, interdisciplinary data science research. Participants will be paired with mentors across various domains such as data science, computer science, and climate and energy policy. The mentorship will focus on research methodologies, practices, and collaboration skills. Students will gain proficiency in fundamental data science techniques and receive specialized training relevant to their chosen application areas. The program concludes with a professional presentation of research findings through videos created by the participants, followed by a conference-style Q&A session with peers.
Location: University of Chicago Campus, IL
Cost: No cost; stipend provided ($6,000)
Application Deadline: TBD for 2025.
Program Dates: Typically ten weeks from July to August. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility:
- Open to all high school students.
- Familiarity with at least one programming language and relevant coursework (e.g., computer science, statistics, and math) is preferred.
Rising high school juniors are eligible to apply for CS Scholars, a four-week residential program at Carnegie Mellon University. The program involves studying college-level coursework, including Python programming, data structures, algorithmic components, and problem-solving techniques. Additionally, sessions will cover aspects of preparing for college admissions, such as writing personal statements, applying for financial aid, and preparing a portfolio. Exceptional participants may receive an invitation to apply for the AI Scholars program, which is designed for high school seniors and is fully funded.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
Cost: Fully funded
Application deadline: March 1, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Program dates: June 22, 2024, to July 20, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors. You must be a sophomore when submitting your application.
Hosted by the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology at the University of Washington, A14ALL is a 2-week introductory course on data science and artificial intelligence. The course covers understanding, analyzing, and interpreting real-world applications of data science and machine learning, with an emphasis on evaluating impactful technology decisions. The program prioritizes small-group discussions to facilitate learning and dialogue.
It also includes a focus on anti-bias in AI, examining non-ableist AI practices through a disability studies perspective to address issues of bias and fairness. The course is designed to be relevant not only for students pursuing STEM majors but also for those interested in interdisciplinary applications of data science and the ethical considerations of technology use.
Location: Virtual
Cost: No cost
Application Deadline: Typically in April. TBD for 2025. You may inquire at uwtcat@uw.edu
Program Dates: Typically 2 weeks in August. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility:
- Students must be rising juniors, seniors, or recently graduated.
- Must be from an underrepresented background
5. Horizon — Tech track
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more! It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research!
Once you select a particular subject track and type of research you’ll be paired with a professor or Ph.D. scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields, under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects and on college applications. Apply here!
Location: Virtual
Application Date: May 21, 2024, for the summer cohort, and September 25, 2024, for the fall cohort.
Program Dates:
- Summer seminar — June 24, 2024 — September 2, 2024
- Fall seminar — October 23, 2024 — February 19, 2025
- Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
The Clark Scholars Program is a competitive seven-week summer residential program that admits 12 students per cohort. Participants receive a $750 stipend upon completion. The program offers students the opportunity to select a research area and receive one-on-one mentorship from Texas Tech faculty. Students may choose between tracks in Computer Science or Electrical and Computer Engineering. Notable past research projects include Sonnet Xu’s “An Interactive 3D Visualization Tool for Dynamic Synaptic Networks” and Anqi Hu’s “Optimal GPU Frequency Selection: Using Workload-Unique Power and Performance Predictions.” View the list of past research projects here.
Location: Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX)
Cost: Fully funded, stipend of $750 provided.
Application deadline: February 15, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Program dates: June 16, 2024, to August 1, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 17 years old by the program’s start date (they can be either rising high school seniors or have recently graduated high school)
REHS is a student outreach program administered by the UC San Diego Supercomputer Center designed to introduce high school students to computer science and its applications across various research disciplines. Participants can select between two types of projects: non-research and research. Non-research projects involve internships at the Supercomputer Center, focusing on hands-on learning experiences. Research projects entail working directly with a mentor, typically a faculty member, to assist with their ongoing research.
Location: University of California San Diego (San Diego, CA)
Cost: Fully funded.
Application deadline: Typically in May. TBD for 2025.
Program dates: Typically from June to August. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10,11, or 12 living in Southern California. Applicants must be at least 16 years old by June 15
The Beaver Works Summer Institute, sponsored by MIT’s School of Engineering and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, offers a project-based educational experience focused on technology and artificial intelligence. This program includes both virtual courses and in-person summer sessions. Last year’s course offerings featured topics such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Quantum Software, and Serious Game Development with AI. According to alumni, the program is accessible to individuals with minimal coding background, and the projects completed can significantly enhance college applications.
Location: Virtual/ Cambridge, MA
Cost: Fully funded
Application Deadline: Typically in March. TBD for 2025.
Program Dates: Typically 4 weeks in summer. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: All high school students can apply.
9. Veritas AI — AI Fellowship
Veritas AI provides a specialized platform for high school students interested in artificial intelligence, computer science, data science, and machine learning. The programs focus on collaborative learning, hands-on project development, and individual mentorship from Harvard graduate students and alumni. The primary offering is the AI Fellowship program, which spans 12 to 15 weeks and allows students to conduct independent AI research projects.
While proficiency in Python is preferred for participation, students can also enter through the AI Scholars program. The fellowship supports interdisciplinary research, enabling students to apply AI techniques across various fields such as medicine, finance, environmental science, and education. You can take a look at examples of previous projects here.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,790 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $4,900 for the 12–15-week AI Fellowship | $4,700 for both. Need-based financial aid is available. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. The winter cohort deadline is October 20, 2024.
Program dates: 12–15 weeks for the fellowship program. Specific dates vary according to the cohort.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit prior experience with AI concepts or Python.
The University of Washington’s CIC program is a four-week educational initiative designed to introduce high school students, particularly those from underrepresented communities, to the basics of computer science and engineering. The program is delivered by the university’s undergraduate and graduate students. The curriculum encompasses coding, problem-solving, and includes coursework on ethics in technology.
Location: University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
Cost: Fully funded. A stipend of $1,500 is provided at the end of the program. Financially deserving students get an additional $250 gift card for meals.
Application deadline: April 3, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Program dates: July 8, 2024, to August 4, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: All high school students
The Academy for All, offered by UT Computer Science, is a week-long residential program focused on the fundamentals of computer science. Conducted by UT faculty, the program includes coding instruction, career exploration in technology, interactions with industry professionals, and guidance on college applications.
There are two cohorts available, running in June and July:
- Standard Edition: Covers coding with C++ and utilizes the Arduino microcontroller for developing an LED light display.
- Machine Learning Edition: Focuses on coding with Python and involves coding and training a machine learning model.
Location: University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
Cost: Fully funded. Also offers need-based scholarships of up to $500 to cover students’ cost of transport to and from the university campus.
Application deadline: January 7, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Program dates: June 9–15, 2024, and July 7–13, 2024. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: Rising high school students in grades 10, 11, and 12
Wharton’s Data Science Academy is a summer program for high school students, conducted by full-time professors from Wharton. The curriculum includes fundamental data science techniques such as data visualization and data wrangling, as well as contemporary machine learning methodologies. Participants apply these concepts through individual projects, which are presented to peers at the conclusion of the program. Additionally, students interact with Wharton undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants, who provide insights into studying data science at the university level.
Location: Wharton Campus, Philadelphia
Cost: $9,099 (Scholarships available)
Application Deadline: TBD for 2025.
Program Dates: Typically between July and August. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility:
- Must be in grades 10–11.
- Must have a strong background in math, coding, and data analytics (Note. Previous understanding of statistics is preferred).
- Must have a minimum of 3.3 unweighted GPA.
Syracuse University offers a hands-on course focused on transforming raw data into visual representations. The course covers data capture methods, assessment of data quality, and data cleaning techniques. Participants will use tools such as Microsoft Excel and Tableau, and engage in discussions on dashboard design principles and the selection of appropriate charts.
Throughout the three-session course, students will learn how to approach an unknown dataset, visually explore the data, and prepare it for analysis through data cleanup. Basic statistical methods will be applied to extract insights, and students will practice presenting data to stakeholders to facilitate informed decision-making. In addition to lectures, the course includes afternoon group activities and lab sessions for practical application of the concepts learned.
Location: Syracuse University Campus, NY
Cost: $2,020 (Residential), $1,543 (Commuter)
Application Deadline: Typically in May. TBD for 2025.
Program Dates: Typically in July. TBD for 2025.
Eligibility: Students must be rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, or recent graduates.
David Wilkinson is a freelance writer for Horizon and currently resides in the United States.