A summer program is a structured, time-bound experience (usually a few weeks to a few months) that combines learning, mentorship, and hands-on work. For those interested in artificial intelligence and its applications, AI summer programs for high school students focus on applied machine learning rather than just theory. You may work directly with Python and libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn to process datasets, train models, and evaluate outputs. You typically learn how supervised learning works (classification, regression), how to preprocess datasets, and how to debug models.
Many programs also introduce neural networks using frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch, along with structured workflows that include training-validation splits and performance metrics. The best AI summer programs for high school students also expose you to domain applications, such as AI in healthcare, finance, or robotics, and help you understand how models are actually deployed and evaluated outside of controlled environments.
Why should you choose an AI summer program?
An AI summer program helps you move beyond basic coding into structured problem-solving with data. Instead of writing isolated scripts, you learn how full machine learning pipelines are built, including data handling, feature selection, model training, and evaluation. You also gain experience debugging models, interpreting outputs, and understanding limitations such as bias or overfitting. In more advanced programs, you may work on tasks like image classification, natural language processing, or predictive modeling. These are often structured as small research or capstone projects where you apply end-to-end pipelines from raw data to final evaluation.
Below is a curated list of the 15 best AI summer programs for high school students. If you’re exploring broader opportunities, you can also check out our guides on computer engineering programs for high school students here.
15 Best AI Summer Programs for High School Students
1. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) – Serious Games Development with AI/CogWorks
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA (some courses virtual)
Cost: Free for families earning under $200,000/year (income-scaled up to $5,000 for higher incomes) | No residential housing provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Online prerequisites: February–June | Summer program: July (4 weeks)
Application Deadline: Online course registration opens in February | Summer application deadline: March 31
Eligibility: U.S. high school students entering 12th grade (typically rising seniors) | Must reside and attend school in the U.S. | Families under $200K attend tuition-free
BWSI offers one of the most technically demanding high school AI programs available. The CogWorks track (Cognitive Assistants) uses Python to cover machine learning fundamentals across three domains: audio (speech recognition), vision (image classification), and language (NLP). Every lecture is paired with Python coding exercises grounded in applied mathematics and real algorithms. The SGAI track applies ML to game environments and autonomous systems. Both tracks require completing a self-paced online prerequisite course (available from February) before the 4-week on-campus program in July.
2. Stanford AI4ALL
Location: Online or residential at Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: $4,120 (online) | $9,800 (residential) | Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 15–26 (Online) | July 19–31 (Residential)
Application Deadline: February 6 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time
Eligibility: Current 9th-grade students (ages 14–15 during program dates) | Open internationally for online track
Stanford AI4ALL is a two-week virtual or residential program for students currently in 9th grade. You’ll choose from four research project groups: Computer Vision, Medical AI, Natural Language Processing, and Robotics. The curriculum is built around hands-on projects with Python and ML frameworks, combined with lectures from Stanford faculty and live demos with AI companies. Instructors are Stanford AI Lab researchers and PhD students. Students receive a certificate of completion from Stanford. The program prioritizes diversity and inclusion and is intentionally designed for students who are new to AI.
3. Carnegie Mellon AI Scholars Program
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (residential)
Cost: Free (tuition, housing, meals, and field trips all covered) | Demonstration of financial need required
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 20–July 18
Application Deadline: February 1 (rolling; apply early)
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA students currently in 11th grade (16+) | Students who are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are encouraged
CMU’s AI Scholars is a 4-week residential program for rising 11th graders. The daily schedule runs 9 AM–6 PM and covers college-level AI and ML coursework taught by CMU faculty, including supervised learning, classification, model building, and neural networks, all applied to real-world problem sets. A virtual pre-program Python course (no prior coding needed) runs about a month before arrival. Participants work on a capstone group project and present it at a closing symposium. Weekly college prep seminars and a writing workshop (including a workshopped college application essay) are included. The program is fully funded: tuition, housing, and meals are covered.
4. Princeton AI4ALL
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (residential)
Cost: Free (all costs covered, including travel assistance) | proof of income eligibility required
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 9–30
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: Rising 11th graders living in the U.S. or Puerto Rico with demonstrated financial need (e.g., ≤$60,000 household income or equivalent criteria)
Princeton AI4ALL is a 3-week residential program specifically targeting low-income rising 11th graders. You’ll attend lectures by Princeton AI faculty covering machine learning, NLP, algorithmic bias, and AI policy, and work on real research projects in Princeton’s AI Lab. The curriculum includes sessions on AI in criminal justice and healthcare, and on NLP-based fake news detection and a field trip to Washington, D.C., exploring AI governance and policy. All program costs, housing, meals, and travel assistance are covered. Applications from students who are underrepresented in AI (women, non-binary, Black, Hispanic/Latino/Latina, and Native American students; first-generation college students) are strongly encouraged.
5. Columbia University AI4ALL
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 27–July 15
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school students | Students from underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged | Check website for current eligibility criteria
Columbia’s AI4ALL is a 3-week program offering interdisciplinary exposure to AI, combining technical ML concepts with social science and creative arts. You’ll gain tangible research skills in Python, explore AI’s impact on communities, and develop a project tied to social change. The program runs on Columbia’s campus in New York City and includes mentorship from Columbia faculty, graduate students, and PhD researchers. Past project themes have included AI in medicine, criminal justice, and public health. Participants present their work at a final colloquium.
6. UC Berkeley Artificial Intelligence for Real-Life Problem Solving
Location: UC Berkeley campus, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $1,550 (commuter) | $1,350 additional for residential option | Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple 1-week sessions: June 22–26; July 6–10; July 20–24; July 27–31
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled (sessions often sell out early)
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th graders
This is a 1-week intensive program that introduces machine learning through guided coding workshops and structured activities. You learn Python fundamentals (if needed), then apply them to build basic machine learning models and understand core concepts such as data representation and model behavior. The curriculum combines short lectures with hands-on labs, where you design simple ML systems and explore the mathematical ideas behind them. Additional components include AI ethics discussions, exposure to current research through guest talks, and lab tours (e.g., robotics), and culminate in a project presentation.
7. Inspirit AI Scholars Program
Location: Online (live, synchronous)
Cost: $1,400 | Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple two-week summer cohorts between June 1 and August 21 | Weekend schedules available too | Check here
Application Deadline: May 1 | Applications are processed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 | No prior coding experience required
Inspirit AI Scholars is a 25-hour live online program (10 sessions × 2.5 hours) taught by Stanford, MIT, and other top university graduate students and alumni, with a 5:1 student-to-instructor ratio. The first half covers foundational AI concepts, Python programming, and ML applications. The second half focuses on building a mentor-led “AI for Social Good” project in a domain of your choice (e.g., healthcare, astronomy, journalism, criminal justice). Projects are presented to peers and instructors at the final session. Multiple summer cohorts run in weekday (2-week) and weekend (5-week) formats. Advanced cohorts are available for students with prior experience.
8. Wolfram High School Summer Research Program
Location: Bentley University, Boston, MA
Cost: $5500 | Need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 24–July 11
Application Deadline: January 18 (early decision) | March 22 (regular decision)
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–17
This is a 3-week computational research program centered on AI, symbolic computation, and algorithmic problem-solving using the Wolfram Language and Mathematica ecosystem. You work in small research groups on projects involving machine learning, computational modeling, data science, or generative systems. Early sessions introduce Wolfram tools and research workflows, after which you transition into mentored project development. Projects typically involve implementing algorithms, analyzing datasets, or building interactive computational systems. The structure is research-oriented and culminates in a final presentation and written project output. The technical focus is more on applied computation and mathematical modeling than on production-level software engineering.
9. Girls Who Code – Pathways Program (Data Science + AI Track)
Location: Virtual (self-paced with optional live sessions)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: June 29–August 14
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Current U.S. girls and non-binary students in grades 8–12 | International students aged 14–18 can apply | No prior coding experience required
Girls Who Code Pathways is a free, seven-week, self-paced program with five tracks: Data Science + AI, Game Design, Web Development, Cybersecurity, and AI + Society. The Data Science + AI track includes tasks like working with datasets, building simple decision tree or neural network models, and interpreting outputs. Coursework is delivered through step-by-step tutorials with one project per module, rather than open-ended research. You can attend optional live sessions, industry talks, and mentoring events, but the core experience is asynchronous.
10. Columbia Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) Summer Research Program
Location: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY (on-site)
Cost: Varies
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 29–August 14 (7 weeks)
Application Deadline: February 20
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors, recent high school graduates, and undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds | Must be at least 17 years old by the program start date
This is a 7-week, in-person research program focused on biomedical informatics and health data science. You are placed on an active research project led by faculty or graduate researchers, working with real-world healthcare datasets such as electronic health records. Projects typically involve tasks such as data analysis, evaluating machine learning models, or studying clinical patterns. You also engage with topics such as bias, fairness, and the healthcare applications of AI. The program ends with a research poster or presentation, and some participants go on to present at venues such as the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) symposium.
11. The Coding School (TCS) – National High School Research Program (AI Track)
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,995 | Limited need-based scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 29–July 31
Application Deadline: February 1 (Priority) | March 15 (2nd Priority)
Eligibility: Incoming 10th-12th graders and college freshmen | Basic coding skills (i.e., variables, conditionals, functions, etc) required | 2-3 Pre-program training sessions will be required for students who have not taken the TCS Intro to Artificial Intelligence Course
TCS’s NHSRP is a virtual program with an AI research track alongside Data Science and Quantum Computing. The AI track covers ML model development, data visualization, and the application of AI to real-world problems. Weeks 1–2 cover Python, data analysis, and AI fundamentals; weeks 3–5 involve building an original research project with a mentor from academia, government, or industry. The program emphasizes accessibility and structured learning, with regular mentor interaction and defined milestones. Final outputs are presented at a virtual symposium at the end of the program.
12. NSF AI Institute – Seth Bonder Summer Camp at Georgia Tech
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA; virtual options available
Cost: $500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple 1-week sessions in June and July
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 (beginner-friendly)
Georgia Tech’s Seth Bonder Camps, run by the NSF AI Institute for Advances in Optimization, offer multi-level summer AI programs for students with little to no prior programming experience. At the introductory level, you start with Snap-based programming and move into Python and data science. At the advanced level, you cover deep learning model construction and topics in generative and agentic AI. The camps run across multiple sessions with small cohorts and are designed to be genuinely accessible to beginners. Virtual options are available alongside in-person at Georgia Tech’s Atlanta campus.
13. UCSF AI4ALL — Biomedical AI Summer Internship
Location: UCSF, San Francisco, CA (in-person)
Cost: Free (unpaid internship)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 10 weeks in summer
Application Deadline: March 25
Eligibility: San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) juniors who are taking/have taken AP Statistics and/or AP Computer Science
UCSF AI4ALL is a 10-week, unpaid summer internship for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) high school students. You’ll work in small groups on biomedical AI projects using curated datasets, focusing on applications such as healthcare prediction, medical imaging, or public health analysis. The curriculum combines lectures, coding labs, and guided project work. You use Python-based tools to preprocess data, train basic models, and interpret outputs, with support from instructors and mentors. You follow predefined project scopes and present results at the end of the program. The program also includes sessions on AI ethics, bias in healthcare data, and clinical applications.
14. NYU Tandon Machine Learning Summer Program
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY (commuter or residential)
Cost: $3,180 | $327 per week for housing (optional); $206 per 10 meal packages plus $30 dining bucks (optional)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Session 1: June 15–27 | Session 2: July 6–17 | Session 3: July 20–31
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in grades 9, 10, or 11 with a minimum 3.0 GPA or equivalent | Must have completed Algebra 2 and have some prior programming experience
NYU Tandon’s two-week ML program covers the CS, data analysis, and mathematical logic behind real ML applications, such as video and image recognition, autonomous vehicles, voice controls, and diagnostic medical technologies. The program follows a daily classroom format, combining lectures, guided exercises, and short projects. Instruction is delivered by faculty and graduate instructors, with a strong focus on understanding how models are trained and evaluated. The final output is typically a small-group or individual project that uses the learned techniques.
15. MIT Jameel Clinic AI & Health Summer High School Bootcamp
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA (in-person; includes hospital site visits)
Cost: $2000 | Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 13–17
Application Deadline: Early Action: January 11 | Regular: March 1
Eligibility: Incoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors
This is a 1-week intensive program focused on applied machine learning in healthcare, delivered by researchers at the MIT Jameel Clinic. The curriculum introduces core ML concepts alongside domain-specific applications such as clinical decision support and drug discovery. You attend daily sessions, with lectures, dedicated labs, and group work. Topics include Python programming, clinical AI systems, and the use of machine learning models in medical contexts. The program includes structured group projects in which you apply learned concepts to predefined healthcare problems. These projects culminate in a final presentation evaluated by instructors.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research ProgramIf you’re looking for a longer-term, mentored research experience, 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 – The Coding School