What if you could spend your summer not just scrolling through apps powered by artificial intelligence, but actually learning how they’re built? AI is no longer just the technology behind chatbots, self-driving cars, and recommendation engines. It’s quickly becoming a skill that defines the future of every industry. For high school students curious about coding, data, or even how machines learn to “think,” summer camps in AI open a door into this fast-moving world.
From hands-on coding projects to mentorship from researchers, these programs are designed to spark curiosity while building practical skills. Whether you dream of designing algorithms, exploring AI’s role in medicine, or simply want a head start in one of the most in-demand fields, AI summer camps can turn your ideas into action. If you’re still narrowing down what to focus on once you get there, our 200 AI research topics for high school students and 25 AI research ideas for high school students are good starting points for finding a specific angle before camp season starts. In this blog, we’ve pulled together 15 of the best AI summer camps for high school students, chosen for their strong academics, hands-on projects, and opportunities to learn directly from experts, to help you find the right fit.
Key takeaways
- Horizon Academic Research Program tops this list because it’s the only program here built around producing an original, publishable 20-page research paper with a PhD mentor, rather than a fixed lecture-based curriculum.
- AI summer camps otherwise range from free, need-based programs like Princeton AI4ALL and Kode With Klossy to paid intensives like NYU’s Machine Learning Program, so cost shouldn’t be the first filter; eligibility and program format matter more.
- Most competitive university-run camps (Stanford AI4ALL, Princeton AI4ALL, BAIR) have application deadlines in January through April for a summer start, so research and apply well ahead of the program dates listed below.
- If you want a structured research outcome rather than a short technical bootcamp, mentored research programs like Horizon and the Lumiere Research Scholar Program run longer (12 weeks or a full trimester) and produce a paper you can submit for publication.
- Prior programming experience isn’t required for most camps on this list, but a handful (NYU’s Machine Learning Program, Harvard Computer Society’s AI Bootcamp) expect some prior Python or math background, so check eligibility carefully before applying.
15 AI summer camps for high school students
1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program
Application deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for spring, summer, and fall cohorts.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (3.67/4.0 GPA or higher) can apply. Most accepted students are in 10th or 11th grade. Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites.
Horizon Academic Research Program is a trimester-long program where you develop a 20-page research paper under the guidance of a PhD mentor. If you are interested in AI, data science, or machine learning, you can select a track that allows you to explore the subject in depth while combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The program helps you refine academic research skills, including reviewing literature, analyzing datasets, and building arguments. You receive detailed feedback on each draft, ensuring steady progress toward your final paper. Completion of the program also comes with a recommendation letter highlighting your research experience for future opportunities. Unlike most of the shorter camps below, Horizon is built around producing an original, publishable paper rather than completing a fixed curriculum, which makes it a strong fit if you want a real research outcome rather than just a summer of structured lectures.
2. Princeton University – AI4ALL
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Cost: Free
Application deadline: April 9
Eligibility: 10th graders (rising 11th graders) who live in the U.S. or Puerto Rico and qualify as low-income
At Princeton’s AI4ALL program, you get to study AI not just as a technical subject but also in terms of its broader impact on society. The curriculum immerses you in AI concepts through lectures with faculty, research presentations, and discussions about the social and ethical implications of AI. A key part of this AI summer camp for high school students is a hands-on research project, where you work in small groups under the guidance of graduate students on topics that connect AI to real-world challenges. You also take part in mentoring sessions, career development workshops, and social events designed to help you connect with peers and researchers. The experience includes a field trip to Washington, D.C., and concludes with group presentations of your research.
3. NYU IDEA Program
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Varies based on partnership package
Application deadline: TBD
Eligibility: Current 9th through graduating 12th graders; ages 15 and above
The Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurial Applications (IDEA) program at NYU focuses on how artificial intelligence connects with business and public service. You begin by studying foundational AI concepts, then shift into applying them through case studies and team-based projects. This AI summer camp for high school students includes entrepreneurial thinking, so you’ll be encouraged to identify gaps in existing services and brainstorm innovative ways AI could address them. As you move from ideas to implementation, you’ll analyze how AI-driven products can function in practical settings. College visits are also part of the program, giving you insight into potential academic paths in AI, technology, and business.
4. AI+Art Summer High School Program
Location: NYU’s Brooklyn campus
Cost: $3,045
Application deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Open to high school students entering sophomore, junior, or senior year in the fall
If you are curious about the intersection of creativity and technology, the AI+Art Summer Program is designed to help you experiment with how artificial intelligence can shape artistic expression. Over two weeks, you explore generative AI models in areas like music, animation, and visual art while also learning the basics of creative machine learning. The camp encourages hands-on exploration, from adapting algorithms for your own art to experimenting with AI-powered tools and even building creative robots. Alongside these technical activities, you’ll engage in discussions about the ethical and policy issues that arise when AI becomes a tool for creation. The final part of the program centers on a personal project that you present in a group art show.
5. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program type
Application deadline: Varies by cohort; spring (January), summer (May), fall (September), winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled with a high level of academic achievement (accepted students typically have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4.0)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a 12-week online mentorship opportunity where you design and complete an independent research project guided by a PhD researcher. You choose your subject area, ranging from computer science and AI to social sciences or economics, and work through each step of the research process, from developing a question to writing a full academic paper. Strong emphasis is placed on developing research and writing skills, with personalized feedback at every stage. Sessions are held one-on-one, allowing flexibility in scheduling while still holding you to clear deadlines. By the end, you produce a polished paper that many participants use for publication attempts or as part of their college applications.
6. Kode With Klossy Summer Camps
Location: Multiple locations across the country
Cost: Free
Application deadline: March
Eligibility: Open to girls, gender nonconforming, and trans students between the ages of 13 and 18
Kode With Klossy runs free two-week coding camps designed for young women and gender-expansive students aged 13 to 18 who are interested in STEM fields. The AI summer camp for high school students offers multiple curricula, including an AI and machine learning track where you learn about algorithms, datasets, and natural language processing while training a chatbot using Python. You also explore how data can be analyzed and visualized with SQL, Python, and other tools, leading to a final project that connects technical skills with your personal interests. Beyond AI, camps include lessons in web and mobile app development, exposing you to a range of coding applications. Participants finish camp with practical coding experience and a network of peers and alumni interested in technology.
7. Stanford AI4ALL
Location: Online
Cost: $4,000
Application deadline: January 24
Eligibility: Current 9th graders or rising 10th graders over the age of 14 by the start of the program
Stanford AI4ALL is a three-week online program created to increase participation in AI by connecting high school students with leading researchers and practitioners. The camp combines lectures, hands-on research projects, and mentorship activities to give you both technical knowledge and an understanding of AI’s societal impact. Topics explored include computer vision, robotics, natural language processing, and medical AI, with each area tied to real-world applications. You work alongside Stanford AI Lab researchers on projects that allow you to practice applying AI techniques to meaningful problems. In addition to technical exploration, the AI summer camp for high school students includes career development workshops and peer collaboration.
8. NYU’s Machine Learning Program
Location: NYU’s Washington Square campus, New York
Cost: $3,050 tuition plus additional optional costs for housing, dining, and other expenses
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11 with some programming experience who have completed Algebra 2; applicants typically have a minimum 3.0 GPA
The Machine Learning Summer Program at NYU Tandon is a two-week, full-day program that introduces you to the computer science and mathematics driving AI and ML systems. The AI camp covers topics like linear regression, neural networks, and model validation while connecting them to practical technologies such as autonomous vehicles, voice recognition, and medical diagnostics. Daily assignments and weekly projects give you opportunities to implement algorithms and solve problems using programming. The camp also includes engineering problem-solving and how AI methods can address larger societal challenges.
9. Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR) High School Summer Program
Location: UC Berkeley campus, Berkeley, CA
Application deadline: Applications typically close in April
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10–12 residing in the Bay Area
At UC Berkeley’s BAIR Lab High School Summer Program, you study AI with direct input from researchers across fields like computer vision, robotics, natural language processing, and machine learning. The free AI summer camp for high school students includes guest lectures, lab visits, and hands-on activities on campus, giving you insight into both the technical and ethical sides of AI research. Lunch is provided daily at UC Berkeley dining halls, and you take part in a campus tour to experience university life. With support from BAIR Lab and the Lawrence Hall of Science, participants engage with over 50 faculty members and hundreds of graduate researchers connected to BAIR’s projects.
10. Stony Brook University Precollege Program – Artificial Intelligence and Self-Driving Summer Program
Location: Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: Residential option: $2,250 | Commuter option: $1,250
Application deadline: Not specified, typically rolling
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (ages 15–17) in good academic standing who are U.S. residents
Stony Brook’s Artificial Intelligence and Self-Driving Summer Program is a week-long experience focused on the technical foundations behind autonomous vehicles. Through lectures and lab-based activities, you learn about machine learning algorithms, neural network structures like CNN and ResNet, and data analysis techniques using PyTorch. The course introduces you to the development cycle used in real self-driving technology while giving you opportunities to test your work in practice. A highlight of the program is working with radio-controlled cars designed by the university, which you manually drive, program, and then train to operate autonomously by collecting data and applying neural network models.
11. Stony Brook University Precollege Program – Engineering Problem-Solving with AI
Location: Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: Residential option: $2,250 | Commuter option: $1,250
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (ages 15–17) in good academic standing who are U.S. residents
At Stony Brook’s week-long pre-college course, you delve into how engineering problems can be tackled using computational tools and AI support. You’ll learn to use Python and MATLAB to model real-world systems in areas like mechanics, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics, even if you don’t have advanced math experience yet. Short lectures and tutorials are paired with hands-on projects, giving you a chance to practice coding and apply generative AI tools for problem-solving and debugging. The AI summer camp for high school students guides you through analyzing motion, forces, and energy efficiency, then challenges you with a capstone project where you apply what you’ve learned to a realistic engineering problem.
12. Syracuse University: Generative AI Summer Institute
Location: Syracuse, NY
Cost: Residential: $4,295 | Commuter: $3,318
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
At Syracuse University’s one-week Generative AI Summer Institute, you learn how AI can be used to create original content, from music and stories to websites and software. By engaging in lectures, workshops, and team-based projects, you study how generative models work, how they are trained on large sets of data, and how they’re used to produce new material. The camp introduces you to the fundamentals of AI, machine learning, and neural networks, while also diving into the creative applications of these technologies. You’ll also look at the ethical side of generative AI, such as the importance of responsible use and bias reduction. Students who finish the course receive a certificate of completion and can request a Syracuse University noncredit transcript.
13. NextGen Bootcamp – Python Data Science & AI Machine Learning Program NYC
Location: New York City
Cost: $2,195
Application deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students
In this two-week in-person NextGen Bootcamp program in New York City, you build practical skills in Python programming, data science, and machine learning. The course begins with the basics of Python and then moves into more advanced programming tasks, giving you time to practice coding through daily projects. In the second half, the focus shifts toward data science and AI, where you work with libraries like Pandas, Matplotlib, and scikit-learn to analyze and visualize data. With 45 hours of live instruction, you also receive supplemental materials such as a proprietary workbook, access to class recordings, and optional one-on-one training sessions. On completion of this AI summer camp for high school students, participants are awarded a verified digital certificate.
14. Harvard Computer Society’s AI Bootcamp
Location: Virtual
Cost: Regular price: $495; final priority price: $695
Application deadline: Varies by session, typically one week before the camp start date
Eligibility: High school students with strong mathematical skills (preferably including calculus) and mandatory proficiency in Python programming; age-related exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis
The Harvard Computer Society offers a five-day AI Bootcamp designed for high school students who want to learn about artificial intelligence at both introductory and advanced levels. The camp is taught by Harvard undergraduate and graduate researchers and gives you a close look at topics shaping current AI research, including generative AI. Depending on your background, you can join the Intro track, which requires comfort with Python and math reasoning, or the Advanced track, which is geared toward students already familiar with AI or frameworks like PyTorch. Both tracks combine lectures with project work, and the advanced option places greater emphasis on independent research.
15. The Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) – Summer Research Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $840 plus a $40 application fee (financial aid is available)
Application deadline: December 9 – February 28
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who will be 14 years or older by the program’s start
The AIMI Summer Research Internship at Stanford is a virtual program focused on how AI is applied in healthcare. You’ll take part in lectures on AI fundamentals, mentoring sessions with Stanford researchers, and group projects where you address real challenges in medical AI. The program includes opportunities to hear from guest speakers across academia, industry, government, and non-profits, giving you insight into the many directions AI in medicine can take. While the internship is designed for students with strong technical skills, AIMI also offers a separate AI in Medicine Bootcamp for learners of all levels who want to start with the basics. Both AI summer camps for high school students cover key ideas in machine learning and its use in clinical settings, with the internship being more research-focused and the bootcamp more discussion-based.
Frequently asked questions
Are there free AI summer camps for high school students? Yes. Princeton AI4ALL, Kode With Klossy, and UC Berkeley’s BAIR High School Summer Program are all free, though each has specific eligibility requirements: Princeton AI4ALL is need-based and open to U.S. or Puerto Rico residents, Kode With Klossy is open to girls and gender-expansive students aged 13 to 18, and BAIR is limited to Bay Area residents.
Do I need coding experience before applying to an AI summer camp? It depends on the program. Most camps on this list, including Princeton AI4ALL, Stanford AI4ALL, and BAIR’s program, are designed for students with no prior AI or programming background. A few programs do expect some prior experience: NYU’s Machine Learning Program expects completion of Algebra 2 and some programming background, and Harvard Computer Society’s AI Bootcamp requires Python proficiency and comfort with calculus-level math.
What’s the difference between a short AI bootcamp and a mentored research program? Bootcamps and short camps (one to three weeks) focus on teaching foundational AI and machine learning concepts through lectures, structured projects, and group work, typically culminating in a presentation or certificate. Mentored research programs like Horizon Academic Research Program and the Lumiere Research Scholar Program run longer (12 weeks to a full trimester), pair you one-on-one with a PhD mentor, and are built around producing an original, publishable research paper rather than completing a structured curriculum.
How far in advance should I apply to these programs? Most competitive, university-affiliated camps have application deadlines four to six months before the program start date. Stanford AI4ALL’s deadline (January 24) falls nearly five months before its June start, and Princeton AI4ALL’s deadline (April 9) precedes its July start by about three months. Rolling-admission programs like NextGen Bootcamp and Stony Brook’s precollege courses are more flexible, but applying early still improves your odds of securing your preferred session.
Can these AI summer camps help with college applications? Yes, particularly the more selective, research-driven programs. Camps that involve an original research project, mentorship from PhD researchers or professors, and a final paper or presentation (such as Princeton AI4ALL, Stanford AI4ALL, Horizon, and Lumiere) give you concrete material to discuss in essays and interviews, beyond simply listing the program name. Admissions officers generally value depth of engagement over the prestige of a program’s name alone.
What if I want to study AI but I’m not eligible for any of these specific programs? Eligibility constraints (location, income, gender, age) rule out some of these options for many students. Programs without geographic or demographic restrictions, such as Horizon Academic Research Program, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, Harvard Computer Society’s AI Bootcamp, and NextGen Bootcamp, are open to a broader range of applicants and are good fallback options if you don’t meet the criteria for the more restricted free programs.
Image source: Stony Brook University