10 Computer Science Programs for High School Students in New York

If you are a high school student in New York who is interested in computer science, chances are that you are looking for summer programs in your area as a valuable addition to your college application. 

In this post, we have curated a list of 10 computer science programs in New York that will enable you to gain hands-on experience, and will make for an excellent learning opportunity. We have also included remote programs if you are not able to travel to these locations. There’s something for everyone! 

1. Columbia University’s SHAPE Program

Location: Columbia University, New York
Cost: $4,900. Financial aid is available.
Application Deadline: To be announced. Applications open November, 2023 for 2024
Program Dates: July 29 - August 16, 2024)
Eligibility: Applicants must be rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, or recent high school graduates.

The three-week-long SHAPE program at Columbia University offers a rigorous and immersive academic experience for high school students and recent high school graduates. With course offerings in computer science, advanced robotics and autonomous driving, and data science, SHAPE participants can work on innovative projects and gain exposure to foundational engineering principles, problem-solving techniques, and emerging technologies.

Columbia University's SHAPE program aims to inspire students to pursue a tech career and provides a glimpse into the academic and professional opportunities available in the field, particularly at Columbia. This program would be a good fit for beginners looking to gain an introduction to various STEM fields.

2. Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, New York
Cost: No cost
Application deadline: March (tentatively, based on previous years) 
Program dates: June- August (tentatively, based on previous years) 
Eligibility: Students who will complete 10th or 11th grade by June 2024 can apply. Students applying must be NYC residents.

Through ARISE, you experience 2-weeks of college-level coursework, and then supplement this with 5 weeks of conducting research in a lab, all while being mentored by a graduate or postdoctoral student! You will gain experience in college-level research, expository writing, scientific methods, professional development, and ethics. You will conclude the program with a professional poster presentation and colloquium.

The subjects you can experience at ARISE are computer science, AI, machine learning and more! You can explore the full subject list here. 

3. Veritas AI

Location: Remote - you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: $1,790 (for the AI Scholars program)
Application Deadline: There are 4 cohorts (You can apply here!)
Upcoming deadline for the winter 2023 cohort: December 3, 2023
Program Dates: Cohort starts on December 16, 2023
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in middle school or high school

Veritas AI is founded and run by Harvard graduate students. Through our programs, students get to build their foundations in computer science and artificial intelligence. In the program, students learn various concepts in computer science, data science, and artificial intelligence like neural networks, image classification, natural language processing, sentiment analysis, coding using python, and more. 

Veritas AI offers up to 100% financial aid for the AI Scholars program. Through the program,students build real-world projects in groups of 3-5 students to showcase their interests and skills. You can also apply for the AI Fellowship where you work 1-1 with mentors from top universities to build unique, individualized projects. 

4. Horizon Academic Research Program

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.

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!

5. Columbia University Pre-College Programs

Location: Online (for the Academic Weekend Program) 
Cost: $2,700 per course (for the Academic Weekend program) 
Application Deadline: Rolling Deadline
Program Dates: For their Academic Weekend program, it is 10 weeks over the cohort (Fall/Spring).
Eligibility: Open to all high school students. 

Columbia University’s Pre-college program is an opportunity for you to experience advanced college classes in a university environment, all while being taught by Columbia faculty! While they offer summer programs, you can also opt for a pre-college program during the semester. 

They offer different courses in computer science, and their courses for Fall 2023 include Introduction to Programming with Python (Levels I and II), and Big Data, Machine Learning and their Real World Applications! 

Through their different programs, you can develop skills in topics such as database modules, graphical modules, numerical analysis modules, and more. 

6. Stony Brook University’s Computer Science and Informatics Summer Research Experience Program (CSIRE)

Location: Stony Brook University, New York and virtual. There is no residential option; you must commute to and from Stony Brook University if you select the in-person program.
Cost: $2,800. Financial aid is available.
Application Deadline: To be announced
Program Dates: June-August (tentatively, based on previous years dates)
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school students studying and residing in the United States. 

The intensive six-week-long CSIRE program at Stony Brook University is designed to provide high school students with research experience in computer science and informatics. 

Students work in a lab mentored by a faculty or a Ph.D. student on a hands-on research project in various computer science and informatics areas, such as artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, software engineering, and human-computer interaction.

In addition to this research experience, CSIRE allows students to contribute to ongoing research at the university, offers a combination of research seminars, career seminars, networking opportunities, on-campus lab tours, and allows students to present their research findings at conferences or symposiums at the conclusion of the program. 

7. NYU’s Computer Science for Cyber Security Program

Location: New York University Campus, New York
Cost: No cost. 
Application Deadline: April (tentatively, based on previous years dates)
Program Dates: June to July (tentatively, based on previous years dates)
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, including rising freshmen (excludes graduated seniors) who are NYC residents. 

This is a 3-week summer program held at NYU that serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of computer science and cybersecurity. This program will teach you various software tools and techniques to detect cyber threats. Moreover, you will cover topics such as using ciphers to protect computer networks. You also get the opportunity to develop your coding skills! 

Some topics included in the course are “white-hat” hacking, cryptography, steganography, digital forensics, private data usage, and more. If you are interested in computer science but have little to no experience, this program is a great choice.

8. Syracuse University Pre-College Programs

Location: Syracuse University Campus, New York or Virtual
Cost: Ranges from $2,020 - $10,430 for the residential program and from  $1,543 - $7,592 for commuters. You can find the detailed breakdown based on your chosen session here (Note. These are for the on campus programs, the virtual programs have a different cost breakdown)
Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions
Program Dates: Multiple sessions from July to August (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: High school students who are 15 years or older by their move in date are eligible to attend summer college – on campus.Students who have graduated high school in 2023 are also eligible if they are not matriculating into Syracuse University in the fall.

Syracuse University offers summer courses ranging from 2-6 weeks that can either be done on campus, virtually, hybrid or in their other campus locations! The regular summer course program allows you to experience university-level classes in computer science while also living on campus and living the life of Syracuse students. Additionally, they have a research intensive program which is more selective, and allows students to work on college-level research by aiding faculty in research projects.

They offer multiple courses in computer science from cybersecurity, to computer animation and game design. They even offer a course on empowering women in technology! Each class also allows you to work on a real-world project. In the cybersecurity class, a hackathon will be held where teams of students (blue teams) will be competing to defend their systems from disruptive actions by the red team (hackers).

9. NYU’s Summer Program for Machine Learning

Location: On Campus
Cost: $2,500 + $610 for housing (optional)
Application Deadline: To be announced. You can check here for updates.
Program Dates: For 2024 - Session 1: June 20 - June 30, Session 2: July 10 - July 21, Session 3: July 31 - August 11 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 15 years old and must have completed Algebra 2 or equivalent and have some programming experience.

NYU’s 2-week summer program introduces students to the fundamentals of computer science, data analyses, mathematical techniques, and logic that are widely used in AI and ML. It primarily focuses on exciting topics like video and image recognition technologies, interactive voice control, autonomous vehicles, real-time monitoring and traffic control, and cutting-edge diagnostic medical technologies.

As part of this program, you will be expected to devote two weeks to learning about core principles in ML such as model development through cross-validation, linear regressions, and neural networks. The program lays a very strong emphasis on using these skills to solve social issues, so you should keep in mind the applications of the concepts you’ll learn. 

If you’re considering a career in social service or non profit management, gaining knowledge about principles in ML can possibly give you a more broad perspective while thinking about solutions to social issues!

10. Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program

Location: Virtual
Cost: No cost.
Application Deadline: For 2024 (tentatively, based on previous years). Early Acceptance - February, General Acceptance - March 
Program Dates (tentatively, based on previous years dates): Round 1 - June, Round 2 - July, Round 3 - July end - August
Eligibility: Identify as a girl or non-binary. In the 2023-2024 school year, you were a freshman, sophomore, or junior (U.S. Citizen). Should be between the ages of 14-18 as of June, 2024 (International Students).

The Summer Immersion Program (SIP) is run by  Girls Who Code, an organization with a mission to help girls around the world close the gender gap in tech. As part of this mission, the 2-week SIP program was created where you can attend virtual classes sponsored by companies such as MetLife, Bank of America, and Game Design.

In 2023, you will learn about intermediate CS concepts, the iterative design process, and UX design basics and gain an introduction to Game Design! Moreover, SIP promises participants that they can meet mentors who are industry experts from their partner companies. 

One of the advantages of participating in SIP is the flexibility offered to each student. Through the course, you can pursue any project that you are passionate about. In fact, previous projects by students have included cybersecurity chatbots to protect people’s passwords or creating affordable GPS tracking devices that alert caregivers! 

11. MITES Semester

Location: Remote 
Application Deadline: February (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program Dates: June - December (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility:
- All high school juniors who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents. 
- Strong academic record. While they have not specified a cutoff, you should expect PSAT math scores to be at least 740 (or higher) and evidence-based reading/ writing scores to be 700 (or higher). ACT math scores should be at least 33, and verbal scores should be at least 34.
- Passion for science, technology, engineering, and math - which is demonstrated through extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation. 

MITES Semester is a program by MIT and is a 6-month hybrid STEM program where you can deep dive into science and engineering disciplines. In this program, you will choose one project-based course, followed by a supplemental core course, which can either be in computer science, calculus, physics, science writing, or communication!

Through this program, you can delve into interdisciplinary subjects that involve computer science. For instance, past projects have included computational biology, embedded systems, machine learning, robotics, thermodynamics, climate change, and more!

At the end of the MITES program, you will receive a written evaluation from your instructor outlining your strengths and growth areas and highlighting your contributions to the class. This is a valuable supplement for any college application!

Note: MIT strongly encourages students from underrepresented and low socioeconomic backgrounds to apply.

If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!

Image Source: Columbia University’s SHAPE Logo