20 Best Computer Science Programs for High School Students
If you are a high school student 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 the top 20 computer science programs for high school students. We have included a mix of in-person and remote programs if you are not able to travel to these locations.
Location: Remote - you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: $1790 for AI Scholars & $4900 for AI Fellowship
Application Deadline: Upcoming cohorts - Winter 2023: December 3, 2023 & Spring 2024: January 14, 2024. You can apply here!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school or plan to enroll as a freshman in college in the fall of 2023. No previous knowledge is required for AI Scholars!
Note. The financial aid is available for students from households earning less than $60,000 annually (for a typical household of 4) with minimum assets.
Veritas AI is founded and run by Harvard graduate students and our programs are geared towards high school students who want to build their foundations in computer science. In the program, students learn various concepts in 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 10-week AI Scholars program. Through the program students build real-world, hands-on 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 machine learning projects for a period of 12-15 weeks. These programs are a great option for you if you like engaging in hands-on learning and are a beginner!
2. Berkeley Summer Computer Science Academy
Location: University of Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
Cost: $5,060 + $25 application fee
Application deadline: March 12, 2024
Program dates: June 16 - June 28, 2024
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school students and have an overall B average (3.0, weighted or unweighted) in all their high school coursework. Must be 16-17 years old by June 16, 2023
Note. International students must meet the English Language Requirements. You can get a more detailed list of criteria here!
The Berkeley Summer Computer Science Academy is a rigorous, 2-week intensive camp for students who are interested in coding and computer science, and wish to gain an excellent understanding of college-level student life. Even if you don’t have previous coding experience, you can apply to this program as you will be sorted into groups based on your previous knowledge!
You will get a chance to learn concepts in coding, collaborative performing, computer science and problem solving. The Academy is based on the Beauty of Joy of Computing curriculum, which is the introductory computer science course that Berkeley undergraduates take.
An interesting component of this program is the daily, unique coding challenge using Snap! - a visual programming language. Through this program, you will explore core “big ideas” of computer science, and go from an introduction to computing and coding languages to pursuing a programming project of your choice.
3. 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!
4. MIT’s Women’s Technology Program
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Cost: No cost (Note. WTP is still deciding whether there should be a tuition fee charged. Currently, there is no cost – however, even if a fee was implemented, financial aid will be available).
Application Deadline: January 15, 2024
Program Dates: June 29 to July 26, 2024 (subject to change as these are the projected key dates).
Eligibility:
- This program is women-focused.
- Applicants must be rising seniors in high school.
- Students who have already covered WTP’s curriculum in their high school classes, after school activities, online courses, or other summer programs or internships will not be accepted.
Note. WTP is targeted towards students who love math and science but have no prior/little experience in mechanical engineering. They also want to encourage historically underrepresented groups in engineering to apply.
MIT’s Women’s Technology Program (WTP) is a competitive four-week summer program designed to introduce high school girls to computer science and engineering. During the program, you will attend classes, engage in lab sessions, and work on extensive team projects. They learn fundamental concepts and skills in computer science (primarily in Python) while gaining exposure to MIT’s cutting-edge research facilities.
WTP’s classes are taught by graduate students from the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, assisted by MIT or Wellesley undergraduate students. They encourage students to work collaboratively, developing multiple ways to approach and solve problems. Note that the only track available for WTP in 2024 will be the Mechanical Engineering track, as the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science track will be taking a hiatus.
5. Columbia University Pre-College Programs (Python & Big Data 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 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. Lumiere Research Scholar Program - Computer Science Track
Location: Virtual
Cost:
- Lumiere Individual Research Program – $2,800
- Lumiere Premium Research and Publication Program – $4,800
- Lumiere Research Fellowship – $8,400
Application Deadline: Rolling, Cohort based. Applications for the winter cohort are open now. You can apply here!
Program Dates: Upcoming date - December 18
Eligibility: High school students
Founded by Harvard and Oxford PhDs, Lumiere is a selective research program for high school students, where students work one-to-one with a PhD mentor to develop an independent research paper. While it offers programs across an array of disciplines, research areas in computer science span computer networks, human computer interaction, ethics in computer science and so much more!
Due to its one-to-one nature, you can expect to not only learn the most recent developments of various tech industries but also expand your technological skillset, regardless of what level it is at. If you’re interested in doing interdisciplinary research, this would be a good option!
Location: Remote
Cost: No Cost
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.
8. Harvard’s Pre-College Summer School Program for High School Students (CS Programs)
Location: Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and online option for the Secondary School Program.
Cost: $5,550 (pre-college program), $3,600–$13,750 (secondary school program, depending on the number of courses selected).
Application deadline:
- Early Application and Priority Financial Aid Deadline — January 10, 2024
- Regular Application and Financial Aid Deadline — February 14, 2024
- Late Application Deadline — April 10, 2024
Program dates: There are multiple sessions of the pre-college program from June - August 2024.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be expected to graduate from high school and enter college in 2025 or 2025
- Be at least 16 years old by June 22nd, 2024 and must not turn 19 years old before July 31, 2024.
Harvard University’s Pre-College Program is an intensive 2-week summer program where you will take college-level course work, and experience the life of a university student. There are many courses you can take if you’re interested in computer science from “Introduction to Scientific Programming in Python” to “Mathematical Elements of Artificial Intelligence”.
Note that you will not get credit for this 2-week course. If you are interested in getting credits from a summer course, you can look at Harvard’s Secondary School program where you will have to take a 4-7 week course for credits!
9. UCSDs and SDSCs Annual Research Experience for High School Students (REHS)
Location: On Campus (UC San Diego, California) & Virtual
Cost: Program with research project - $1,500; Program without research project - Free.
Application Deadline: March 15, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s deadline)
Program Dates: June 19 - August 11, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 10th grader
Note. The program is focused on students from San Diego county but if you have summer housing accommodations, your application will be accepted.
UC San Diego and the San Diego Supercomputer Center collaborate on this 8-week research program. Students work closely with mentors on a research project of their choice (including computer science & AI!) where they learn how to formulate and test hypotheses, conduct computational experiments, and derive conclusions from those experiments. This program offers an excellent opportunity for students to apply their computer science knowledge to real-world projects and gain practical experience in the field.
Since the program is an 8-week research opportunity, you should consider applying if you wish to work on a research project on a crisp timeline, under mentorship of UC San Diego faculty. Note that this program does serve as an advantage to students who aren’t fully comfortable with conducting research on their own, or need some guidance on how to approach research. As part of the program, you will be expected to engage in software instruction, practical readings and discussions with your mentor and your graduate student team members.
10. Carnegie Mellon’s Pre-College Program
Location: Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Cost: None (Note that one of the factors to be selected is a demonstrated financial need)
Application deadline: March 15, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Program dates: July 1, 2023 to July 28, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be current sophomores in high school (at the time of applying).
- Be at least 16 years old by the program start date.
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (you can also be registered with DACA).
Through this pre-college program, you can experience college-level classwork through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on research project, faculty lectures and industry engagement with leading tech companies around the country.
As a computer science Scholar, you will learn the core elements of programming and problem solving in Python. Some areas you will cover are algorithmic components like variables, functions, conditionals and loops, basic data structures and problem-solving techniques!
Apart from the courses in computer programming and mathematics, you will attend weekly seminars that explore college admissions, financial aid, mental health, building independence and more!
11. 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 program allows you to experience university-level classes in computer science while also living on campus and living the life of a Syracuse student. 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 is also where teams of students (blue teams) will be competing to defend their systems from disruptive actions by the red team (hackers).
12. 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 you 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.
Location: Stanford University (Stanford, California)
Cost: Attending as a commuter, taking a minimum of 3 units: starts at $4,962. Living on campus, taking a minimum of 8 units (typically 2-3 courses): starts at $17,197.
Application deadline: Not mentioned, however, you can be notified when the application opens here!
Program dates: June 22 - August 18, 2024
Eligibility:
- Be a current sophomore, junior, or senior at the time of application.
- Be at least 16 at the start of the program, June 24, 2023, and no more than 19 by the last day, August 20, 2023. There are no exceptions to these age restrictions.
- Not be matriculating into Stanford as a first year.
These 8-week programs offer an array of research opportunities across different subject areas and within computer science. Students can explore a wide range of topics from essentials of programming, programming abstractions to various internet technologies. All Stanford Summer Session courses carry Stanford University credit.
If you are interested in Computer Science, we recommend you take courses such as “Mathematical Foundations of Computing” or “Programming Methodology”. However, you can look at the full course catalog here. In the programming methodology course, you can learn topics such as program design, decomposition, encapsulation and abstraction!
14. Rice University’s Tapia STEM Camps
Location: Rice University Campus
Cost: $1,750 for tuition.
Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions
Program Dates: Tentative, based on previous year’s dates:
- Session 1: July 2 - 7, Sunday - Friday.
- Session 2: July 9 - 14, Sunday - Friday.
- Session 3: July 16 - 21, Sunday - Friday.
- Session 4: July 23 - 28, Sunday - Friday.
Eligibility: Open to all students between grades 8-12.
Named after Professor Richard Tapia, a current professor at Rice University, the Tapia STEM Camp is a 6-day/5-night program where high school students can explore STEM careers through classes conducted by Rice University students, with a curriculum designed by research members.
Throughout the course of a week, students can focus on multiple STEM subjects, design their independent STEM projects, and present them at the end of the program to professors, fellow students, and Dr. Richard Tapia himself. Students also discuss STEM concepts in the context of social equality, and they can gain firsthand experience from professionals and academics on their work and experiences in the STEM field. We’ve gone through a bunch of student testimonials and what most students speak highly about are the building communication skills they pick up and the college advice that’s given to them.
While the Tapia STEM camp is focused on STEM as a whole, you will be able to explore college-level computer science courses and can even choose to do your project in this field!
Bonus - Another option is Rice's one-week ELITE tech camp where you can explore college-level engineering topics such as machine learning, AI, internet of things, data science, 3D printing, deep learning, data analytics and more.
15. UPenn’s Summer Coding Camps
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fee/stipend: $5,700
Application deadline: Rolling
Program dates: July 9 - July 29, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Applicants must be in grade 9-11. Courses have different experience levels, and those criteria must be met.
UPenn’s Summer Coding Camps is a 3-week course that is designed to introduce students to front-end web development. In this course, you will learn languages such as HTML, CSS and JS and will put these tools together to produce useful and attractive web pages. You will also experience collaborative coding through GitHub and how to use Git commands and GitHub repositories, especially in the final challenge where you form teams and create web applications of your choosing!
16. UCLA’s Computer Science Summer Institute
Location: University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
Cost: $3,061 (Note that scholarships are available for students in California)
Application deadline: June 15 (tentatively, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program dates: June 21, 2023 – July 8, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled in a high school as of Spring 2024.
If you are a beginner or have little to no programming experience, you should look at UCLA’s Computer Science Summer Institute which runs a 3-week introductory program. It also awards credit for UCLA coursework! In this course, you will explore Python and learn how to design, implement and text programs that solve computational problems. Some key concepts you will learn are functional decomposition, usage of common data types and usage of common control structures.
17. 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. You will also cover topics such as using ciphers to protect computer networks. Additionally, you 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.
18. Brown Pre-College Program - Introduction to ML & AI with Python
Location: On Campus
Cost: $5,364 (commuter); $7,038 (residential)
Application Deadline: May (tentatively, based on previous years). You can check for updates here.
Program Dates: June 26 - July 24 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Rising 9th graders.
Note. While not a requirement, algebra and pre-calculus are recommended.
Brown’s introductory course on machine learning and artificial intelligence is designed to help you learn, understand, and practice big data analytics and AI approaches which includes the study of computing big data technologies and ML techniques with a focus on industry applications. By the end of the program, students will have a basic understanding of AI, understand the applications of big data science across various disciplines, use ML techniques, and be able to deploy algorithms for specific research problems.
If you are a beginner and looking to kick start your AI journey with a fairly technical course, you should consider applying to this one. The focus of the course is on the theory and applications of AI and ML without relying on complex math. The classrooms are interactive and do require students to put in some time outside of the class to work on assignments. Note that this course is not very hands-on, and while there is an introduction to computer programming and designing algorithms, you will not be working on a real-world project to apply what you have learned.
19. University of North Texas’ GenCyber Program
Location: University of North Texas Campus, Texas
Cost: No Cost
Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions
Program Dates (tentatively, based on previous years):
- Session 1: June 5 - June 9,
- Session 2: June 12 - June 16
- Session 3: June 19 - June 23
- Session 4: June 26 - June 30
Eligibility: Open to all students from North Texas middle and high schools who are in grades 8-12 (as of Fall 2024).
The University of North Texas, the National Security Agency, and the National Science Foundation have collaborated for the Texas Edition of the GenCyber Program, which provides free summer cybersecurity camps. These camps are non-residential day camps where students are introduced to the fundamentals of cybersecurity mechanisms, principles of practicing effective cybersecurity, and how cybersecurity policies can be reliably implemented.
You will explore areas such as cryptography, network security, and digital forensics through games, hands-on labs, animals/simulations, videos, and invited speakers. If you are interested in a career in cyber security, the GenCyber camp is a great introduction to this field!
20. 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, students focused on CS concepts, the iterative design process, and UX design basics and gained an introduction to game design! Moreover, through SIP, you 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!
21. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
Location: Texas Tech University, Texas
Cost: No Cost
Application Deadline: February 18th (tentatively, based on previous year’s deadline)
Program Dates: June 18 - August 3 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the pro
The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program was established in 1963 in honor of Anson L. Clark, a former Texas A&M student and World War II veteran who proceeded to create a successful business career. This 7-week comprehensive research program will allow you to gain hands-on research under the mentorship of Texas Tech faculty. Apart from one-on-one research with faculty, you can participate in weekly seminars, discussions, and field visits.
One of the research areas available for students is the computer science track. Scholars from the 2022 cohort, like Akaash Kolluri, have conducted research in predicting GPU energy consumption using machine learning algorithms. You can view past projects from other scholars here!
The Clark Scholars program is one of the most prestigious and selective programs, with an acceptance rate of less than 3% and only 12 students in each cohort. Therefore, having the title of an Anson L. Clark Scholar will be a valuable add-on to any college application. An additional benefit is the $750 tax-free stipend that is provided!The Dean of Texas Tech has given advice on how to get into this very prestigious program which you can find here!
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!
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