15 Information Technology (IT) Programs for High School Students

Key Takeaways

• These 15 programs span a broad range of IT specializations, from cybersecurity and machine learning at MITRE and NIST to embedded systems and aerospace computing at the Air Force Research Laboratory and Johns Hopkins APL.
• Program formats vary considerably, from year-long research commitments like MIT PRIMES to intensive eight-week summer placements like SEAP and NYU ARISE, so you can choose based on how much time you want to dedicate.
• Many programs, including MIT’s RSI, SEAP, and NYU ARISE, are free to attend and also provide a stipend, while others, like the Wolfram Research Program and UT Dallas’ Computer Science Research Program, charge tuition ranging from a few thousand dollars up to several thousand, often with financial aid available.
• Most placements pair you with a faculty mentor, research scientist, or industry professional on an active technical project rather than following a fixed classroom curriculum, and nearly all conclude with a research paper or poster presentation.
• If you want a longer, mentored research experience that results in an independent paper rather than a lab placement, Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs offers a mentored path toward a formal academic paper across specializations like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data science.

15 Information Technology (IT) Programs for High School Students

If you’re interested in computer science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software engineering, or data science, Information Technology (IT) programs for high school students offer a structured way to explore these fields beyond your school’s curriculum. Unlike standalone online courses or internships, these programs combine formal instruction with mentorship and project-based learning over several weeks or months. Many Information Technology (IT) programs for high school students are hosted by universities, government laboratories, and research organizations. Depending on the program, you may complete coding assignments, contribute to ongoing research, build software applications, analyze datasets, or work with faculty mentors on technical problems. Some programs are fully funded, while others charge tuition or offer stipends to participants.

What do Information Technology (IT) programs for high schoolers include?

Most Information Technology (IT) programs for high school students focus on practical technical skills. Across these programs, you may learn programming languages such as Python, Java, C++, JavaScript, or the Wolfram Language while using development environments like Visual Studio Code, Jupyter Notebook, Git, GitHub, Linux, and cloud computing platforms. Based on your research area, you could also work with machine learning libraries such as TensorFlow or PyTorch, cybersecurity tools for network analysis and vulnerability assessment, SQL databases, data visualization software, or simulation environments.

Many research-oriented IT programs also introduce skills that are rarely covered in a typical high school classroom. You may read technical papers, reproduce published experiments, document your methodology, analyze experimental results, write research reports, and present your work through posters or technical presentations. Throughout the program, faculty members, graduate students, or researchers provide feedback on your code, research methods, and project development.

Below is a curated list of 15 Information Technology (IT) programs for high school students that span a range of specializations, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, computational research, and information systems. If you are looking for broader opportunities, check out our guide on tech summer research opportunities for high school students here.

1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)

Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students in subjects such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you 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 you can use to improve future projects. Apply here!

2. Research Science Institute (RSI)

RSI’s six-week duration is split into two distinct phases: a week of seminars, then five weeks of lab research. Faculty from MIT, Harvard, and other Boston institutions teach the seminar week on their current work. The research phase pairs you with a mentor at one of those institutions, running a project in computer science or another STEM field, depending on that year’s available placements, where you read current literature, draft a plan, and execute it with your mentor checking in but not directing every step. Evening lectures from working scientists run throughout, spanning disciplines beyond your own project. Everything builds toward a written paper and an oral presentation at the RSI Final Symposium. Ten standout presentations get selected for an encore round afterward.

3. Simons Summer Research Program

The Simons Summer Research Program places you in a faculty research lab for full-time work on an ongoing project in computer science, electrical and computer engineering, or another STEM discipline. You’ll learn research workflows by reading technical papers, writing code, analyzing experimental data, and documenting results under the guidance of faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. The program also includes workshops on scientific communication and concludes with a research poster presented at the closing symposium. Past computing-track work has covered bioinformatics data analysis, orthopedics-related computing, and applied statistics.

4. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program

The Clark Scholars Program pairs each participant with a Texas Tech faculty mentor for a seven-week independent research project. Depending on mentor availability, computing-focused projects may cover computer science, electrical engineering, data analysis, embedded systems, or computational modeling. You’ll spend most of the program reviewing technical literature, writing code, or analyzing experimental data, documenting your methodology, and preparing a formal research report. Weekly seminars and research discussions complement the lab experience without replacing the project’s technical focus.

5. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

SEAP places you inside an active U.S. Navy research laboratory, where you’ll contribute to ongoing projects under the supervision of scientists and engineers. Depending on the host lab, you may write software, analyze large datasets, develop cybersecurity workflows, automate experiments, or test computational models. Rather than following a common curriculum, you’ll use the programming languages, software, and research methods already employed by your assigned laboratory while documenting your contributions through the lab’s existing research process.

6. ASSIP (Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program)

ASSIP matches you with a George Mason University researcher working on an active project in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software engineering, data science, or human-computer interaction. Depending on your placement, you’ll use programming languages such as Python or R, analyze datasets, evaluate machine learning models, develop software prototypes, or conduct computational experiments. Alongside your research, you’ll participate in scientific writing workshops and present your findings through a final poster or research presentation.

7. Wolfram High School Summer Research Program

The Wolfram High School Summer Research Program begins with an intensive bootcamp in Wolfram Language, computational thinking, and symbolic programming, then transitions to an independent research project. You’ll develop algorithms, build computational models, and create interactive applications while working with a mentor on a project aligned with your interests. Every participant completes a computational essay and an interactive research paper that documents their methodology, code, and findings.

8. NIST Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP)

SHIP places you in a NIST research laboratory under the supervision of a scientist or engineer. Within the Information Technology Laboratory, projects may involve machine learning, data mining, information visualization, image analysis, cybersecurity, or digital preservation. You’ll review technical literature, develop code, analyze experimental results, and present your work through a professional research poster at the end of the program.

9. UT Dallas Computer Science Research Program

At UT Dallas, you’ll be working up to 40 hours a week on your assigned lab’s ongoing research, reading and synthesizing research papers, running simulations, or building software for an active faculty research agenda. Placement runs lab by lab, so the technical focus, machine learning, systems, or theory comes down to which lab you work in. A separate, parallel track runs an eight-week AI workshop with a fixed curriculum for applicants who prefer structured coursework. Research-track participants close with a paper or presentation documenting their contribution to the lab’s ongoing work. Mentoring style varies from lab to lab, since each operates independently of the others.

10. MITRE High School Student Program

MITRE offers high schoolers a payroll status on a live government-funded project in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, positioning and navigation systems, or software engineering. A Learning Track Program runs alongside the assigned project, and past tracks have covered sifting large datasets with AI tools and a cyber warfare track that teaches hacking methodologies and defense techniques, with a particular focus on embedded systems. Technical talks from staff scientists across MITRE’s other research areas broaden exposure past the single assigned project.

11. ASPIRE (Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory)

ASPIRE places you on a research team at Johns Hopkins APL, where you’ll contribute to projects in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, aerospace computing, software engineering, or data science. Depending on your mentor’s project, you may develop Python or C++ code, evaluate machine learning models, analyze large datasets, simulate engineering systems, or test computational algorithms. The program emphasizes solving open-ended technical problems, documenting your work, and collaborating with professional researchers throughout the summer.

12. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program

AFRL Scholars places you inside an Air Force Research Laboratory where you’ll work alongside scientists and engineers on active research projects. Computing-related placements may involve machine learning, software development, satellite systems, cybersecurity, autonomous systems, data analysis, or computational modeling. You’ll use the programming languages, engineering software, and research workflows required by your assigned laboratory while contributing to ongoing technical investigations rather than completing simulated classroom projects.

13. Governor’s School of New Jersey in Engineering & Technology (GSET)

GSET combines faculty-led coursework with collaborative engineering research at Rutgers University. Computing-focused research projects have included artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, cybersecurity, robotics, and data analytics. You’ll review technical literature, develop software or computational models, analyze experimental results, and prepare a conference-style research paper before presenting your work at the program’s closing symposium. Alongside research, you’ll complete engineering coursework and laboratory activities that reinforce core computing and engineering concepts.

14. BU RISE (Research in Science & Engineering) – Internship Track

The BU RISE Internship Track places you in a university research laboratory under the supervision of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, or graduate students. If you’re matched with a computer science or engineering lab, you may work on artificial intelligence, computer vision, software engineering, machine learning, data science, or computational modeling projects. You’ll spend approximately 40 hours per week conducting research, reading technical literature, writing code, analyzing results, and presenting your work at the program’s closing Poster Symposium. Weekly workshops also cover research ethics, scientific communication, and reading technical papers.

15. NYU ARISE (Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering)

NYU ARISE combines remote research training with full-time laboratory research at NYU Tandon. Depending on your placement, you may contribute to projects in computer science, cybersecurity, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or data science using the programming languages, software, and experimental methods employed by your assigned research group. Before entering the lab, you’ll complete workshops covering research ethics, scientific communication, and experimental design. The program concludes with research presentations at both the NYU Colloquium and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Poster Symposium.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of IT programs are available to high school students?
You’ll find a mix of formats, including university research placements like MIT PRIMES and the Simons Summer Research Program, government lab internships like SEAP, NIST SHIP, and the AFRL Scholars Program, and industry-connected opportunities like the MITRE High School Student Program. Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs offers a different kind of option, letting you conduct independent, mentored research remotely across subjects like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data science rather than joining a fixed lab placement.

Do you need prior coding experience to apply?
It depends on the program. Some, like the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program, begin with a bootcamp that introduces the technical language before the research phase starts, making them accessible even with limited prior experience. Others, like the research tracks at UT Dallas and MIT PRIMES, expect a stronger existing technical foundation since you’ll be working on advanced, open-ended research questions from the outset.

Are there free options available?
Yes, several programs on this list don’t charge tuition. MIT PRIMES, MIT’s RSI, the Simons Summer Research Program, SEAP, NIST SHIP, Johns Hopkins APL’s ASPIRE, the AFRL Scholars Program, and Rutgers’ GSET are all free to participate in. Others, like the Wolfram Research Program and UT Dallas’ program, do charge a fee, though several offer need-based financial aid.

Which programs offer stipends or paid positions?
A number of these programs compensate participants. SEAP pays $4,000 to $4,500 depending on whether you’re a returning participant, NYU ARISE offers a $2,000 stipend, and the Anson L. Clark Scholars Program provides a $750 tax-free stipend. The MITRE High School Student Program is structured as a paid, payroll-based position, and the AFRL Scholars Program offers a weekly stipend as well.

Which programs focus specifically on cybersecurity?
If cybersecurity is your main interest, the MITRE High School Student Program includes a dedicated cyber warfare learning track covering hacking methodologies and defense techniques, and NIST SHIP’s Information Technology Laboratory track includes cybersecurity-focused projects. SEAP and ASPIRE at Johns Hopkins APL also offer cybersecurity placements depending on which lab you’re assigned to, so it’s worth asking about lab-specific focus areas during the application process.

Is there a way to pursue independent IT research beyond a structured program?
Yes. If you’re interested in exploring topics like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, machine learning, or data science beyond the high school classroom, Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs lets you engage in advanced research and develop a 20-page research paper on a subject of your choosing, with guidance from a professor or PhD scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation and detailed feedback, and covers over 600 research specializations. You can find the application here.

When should you apply?
Deadlines for these programs are spread throughout the year, so it helps to plan ahead. MIT PRIMES and MIT’s RSI have among the earliest deadlines, both falling in early to mid-December, while SEAP opens even earlier, running from August 1 to November 1. January brings several more deadlines, including the AFRL Scholars Program, Rutgers’ GSET, and NIST SHIP, and February rounds out a large cluster with the Simons program, ASPIRE, ASSIP, and NYU ARISE. Horizon, by contrast, has multiple deadlines throughout the year across its Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts, giving you more flexibility if you miss an earlier cutoff.

Image source: Rutgers University