If you’re a high school student interested in artificial intelligence, check out our list of top online AI research opportunities!
As a participant, these programs let you work on real-world problems, train machine learning models, and analyze data like a researcher.
You’ll get hands-on experience with tools like Python, TensorFlow, and neural networks while learning how AI powers everything from self-driving cars to medical breakthroughs. Beyond coding, AI research also teaches you how to think like a scientist. You’ll learn to ask questions, test ideas, and analyze results. These programs will help you develop in-demand skills for careers in AI, data science, and computer science as you apply for advanced programs and internships as a college student.
To make your search easier, we’ve compiled a list of 9 online AI research opportunities for high school students!
9 Online AI Research Opportunities for High School Students
1. Veritas AI
Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here.
Program Dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Application Deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
2. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP) – AI Track
Cost: $5950 (Financial aid offered)
Application Deadline: Priority: March 23; Regular I: April 20; Regular II: May 18
Program Dates: The summer cohort starts June 16. Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply at least four weeks in advance.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students in subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! It is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research.
Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
3. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging’s Summer Research Internship
Cost: $850 + $40 application fee (Financial aid offered)
Program Dates: June 16 – 27
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High school students who are older than 14 and have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
The Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging offers a two-week virtual summer internship focused on AI in healthcare. You will learn machine learning techniques, deep learning models, and data processing methods for medical imaging. The program includes interactive lectures, group research projects using real-world clinical datasets, and one-on-one mentorship.
If you’re interested, you can extend your work through self-directed research. Stanford researchers and postdocs will guide you through model training, validation, and deployment in clinical applications.
4. Stanford’s AI4ALL
Cost: $4000 (Financial aid available)
Program Dates: June 18 – July 2
Application Deadline: January 24
Eligibility: Open to rising 10th graders older than 14 by the time the program starts.
Stanford AI4ALL is a two-week online program focused on artificial intelligence research and applications. You will gain hands-on experience through virtual labs, mentorship, and interactive talks with AI researchers. The program covers robotics, medical AI, natural language processing, and computer vision.
You will work with the Stanford AI Lab on research projects exploring AI’s capabilities and limitations. Career development workshops will also provide insight into AI-driven fields and their role in solving real-world challenges.
5. Harvard Secondary School Program (AI Courses)
Cost: $4050 – $7900 + $75 application fee
Program Dates: June 21 – August 9
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: Open to rising juniors, seniors, and graduated seniors. Applicants must be 16 by June 21 and no older than 19 by July 31
Harvard’s Secondary School AI courses give high school students an immersive on-campus experience in artificial intelligence. With small classes of about 15 students, you will explore a specific AI topic, from foundational theories to hands-on applications, all guided by Harvard faculty.
The program is fast-paced and brings together students from across the U.S. and more than 70 countries. It wraps up with a final project where you can research a pressing AI issue, collaborate on a group presentation, or build an AI-powered prototype. Past projects have tackled climate change, health care advancements, and ethical challenges in technology.
6. Berkeley Coding Academy – Data Science: The AI Journey
Cost: $2399 – $3999 depending on chosen package
Program Dates: July 14 – August 1
Application Deadline: Registration is open until the program begins
Eligibility: Open to high school students between the ages of 12 and 18
Berkeley Coding Academy – Data Science: The AI Journey is a fully virtual course where high school students get hands-on experience with data science and AI projects. You’ll work with datasets to make predictions and create data visualizations in Python. The course also introduces machine learning by building and running models using TensorFlow, Keras, and Scikit-learn.
Taught by data scientists and AI researchers from UC Berkeley and other top universities, the program is project-based, focusing on applying skills to real-world problems. You’ll create a portfolio of authenticated projects on the blockchain, visualizing data with heat maps and scatter plots.
7. STEAM in AI Model Building with Research Full Immersion Track
Cost: $4495 (Financial Aid Available)
Program Dates: There are two options: 4 weeks and 10 weeks, est. Mid-June to mid-July
Application Deadline: Rolling applications, but there is a deadline of March 30 to receive a discount.
Eligibility: Open to high school students
The Full Immersion Coding and AI Research Summer Camp gives you the chance to advance your coding and AI skills through a hands-on research project. You will work on a team project, where you’ll learn technical development as well as research methods.
Throughout the program, you will focus on programming, enhance your critical thinking, and improve your communication skills. At the end of the camp, you’ll produce a journal-quality research paper exploring both AI and computational research.
8. Kode with Klossy Summer Camps
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Applications typically close in April.
Application Deadline: Multiple sessions from June to August.
Eligibility: Open to girls, gender non-conforming individuals, or trans students between ages 13 and 18.
Kode With Klossy is a two-week summer camp founded by Karlie Kloss, designed for high school girls and non-binary individuals interested in coding. The camp offers four specialized tracks: machine learning, data science, web development, and mobile app development.
If you choose the web or app development tracks, you will focus on skills related to software engineering. This includes learning UI/UX design, front-end development, and programming using HTML and JavaScript. You’ll also get hands-on experience with tools like Xcode and SwiftUI, which are used to develop iOS apps with Apple’s framework.
9. NASA Office of STEM Engagements (OSTEM) Internships
Stipend: Stipends are awarded based on academic level and session duration.
Location: Various NASA centers in the country. There are also options for remote participation, depending on the project.
Program Dates: Summer Session: 10 weeks (late May/early June to August); Fall Session: 16 weeks (late August/early September to mid-December).
Application Deadline: Summer: February 28; Fall: May 16
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 – 12 with a GPA of 3.0+ and U.S. citizenship
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offers paid internships for high school and college students, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Each year, over 2,000 students get the chance to work on AI-driven projects, where you’ll develop machine learning models, analyze large datasets, and apply AI algorithms to solve complex problems in space exploration.
You’ll receive mentorship and career development, working remotely or in-person alongside experts. Throughout your internship, you’ll gain hands-on experience in AI applications like predictive modeling, data analysis, and algorithm development.
Image source – Harvard University
