10 Tech Summer School Programs for High School Students
The future is in tech, and studying computer science can help you build a career in engineering, cybersecurity, finance, and even medicine! As a high school student, however, it can take a lot of work to find worthwhile summer programs, especially with hundreds of programs offering computer science and tech related courses and certifications. Luckily, we’ve got you covered.
Why participate in a tech summer school program?
Participating in a tech summer school program provides a focused environment for exploring interests in technology and related fields while offering hands-on experience through real-world projects and coding challenges. While these programs do not guarantee admission to any particular university, they help develop technical skills and foster networking and collaboration with peers and industry professionals, which can help prepare you for college and future careers. Additionally, the skills learned through these programs can be applied to create projects and to get into other selective programs, which can help you build a strong college application if paired with solid grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, and awards.
How we selected these programs
Finding the right program can be difficult, so we selected, analyzed, and ranked each program based on its technical rigor and reputation, ease of understanding, and the amount/level of experience you will gain from participating.
Technical Rigor and Reputation: The depth and breadth of the program’s curriculum; the program offers advanced concepts, challenging projects, and opportunities for skill development. Program reputation was assessed by researching reviews and success stories from past participants.
Ease of Understanding: How effectively the program delivers its content and concepts to participants. Programs that offer clear explanations, well-structured materials, and supportive instructors who can simplify complex topics and make them accessible to learners of different levels were preferred.
Experience Gained: The program’s ability to provide hands-on experience and practical application of knowledge. Programs that offer opportunities to work on real-world projects, engage in coding or design challenges, and tangibly apply what you’ve learned were favored.
Things to consider when choosing a program
Program Focus: Determine the specific areas of technology or subjects that interest you the most. Some programs focus on computer science, while others emphasize robotics, game design, or cybersecurity. Choose a program that aligns with your interests and goals.
Program Duration and Schedule: Consider the program’s duration and schedule to ensure it fits within your summer plans and availability. Some programs may be a few weeks long, while others could span the entire summer. Evaluate if the program’s schedule is compatible with your other commitments.
Eligibility Requirements: Review the eligibility criteria for each program, including grade levels, prerequisites, or any specific requirements. Ensure that you meet the qualifications before applying to avoid disappointment.
Cost and Financial Aid: Consider the program’s cost, including tuition fees, accommodation, and additional expenses. Explore if there are any financial aid options or scholarships available to make the program more affordable.
Ultimately, a program that is the right fit for you would explore a topic or field that interests you, fits into your summer schedule, offers financial aid (if needed), challenges you appropriately without being too advanced or basic for your skill level, has a strong reputation, and offers support and resources to enhance your experience. This “right fit” may differ for each student, so we’ve compiled a list of programs that fulfill these criteria to ensure there’s something for everyone. Now, without further ado, here are 10 tech summer school programs for high school students!
1. Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Scholars Program
Location: Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
Cost: Free
Prior Coding Experience: No prior experience is required, but admitted students tend to have some programming experience.
Selectivity: Very High (5-10%)
Eligibility: This program is for rising high school juniors who have historically been excluded from STEM fields.
The four-week Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science Scholars Pre-College program is designed for high school students who have a strong interest in computer science and want to explore the subject in-depth. The program has a rigorous curriculum that covers fundamental computer science concepts and explores advanced topics while simultaneously allowing students to gain hands-on experience by participating in a group project that will be presented to peers and instructors at the end of the program.
Additionally, students get the chance to engage with industry leaders to learn about the vast and exciting opportunities in the field of computer science, and they receive an instructor evaluation that can be used for college applications. Lastly, given that students who complete the program may be invited to return as rising seniors to CMU’s AI Scholars program the following summer, we highly encourage students to apply to this program offered by, arguably, the best computer science university in the country.
2. The Clark Scholars Program (Texas Tech University)
Location: Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX)
Cost: Free + $750 stipend awarded upon program completion
Prior Coding Experience: Significant prior coding experience is highly recommended/required.
Selectivity: Extremely High (<3%)
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the program start date and must be high school juniors or seniors. International students are welcome to apply.
The Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University is a prestigious, competitive summer research program designed for high-achieving high school juniors and seniors interested in STEM fields. Accepting only 12 students per year, Clark Scholars spend seven weeks during the summer on the Texas Tech University campus, working closely with faculty mentors on cutting-edge research projects.
Specifically, the program’s computer science research track allows students to engage in hands-on research projects that cover various aspects of computer science, including but not limited to data structures and algorithms, artificial intelligence, and computer systems and networks. Additionally, scholars can present their projects at a symposium at the end of the program, and they can build connections with faculty mentors and engage in networking events with professionals from various STEM industries.
You can find more information about past scholars and their projects here.
3. MIT’s Women’s Technology Program
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Cost: Free
Prior Coding Experience: No prior experience is required, but students should be able to handle college-level material rapidly.
Selectivity: Very High (5-10%)
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.
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, students 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. While WTP’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science track was not offered in the Summer of 2023, the program should return next summer, and we encourage all eligible students to apply.
4. MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) and virtual
Cost: Free
Prior Coding Experience: Aside from a few courses that expect familiarity with Python, no prior coding experience is required.
Selectivity: Very High (5-10%)
Eligibility: Applicants must be rising seniors in high school.
MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is a rigorous four-week, hands-on summer program that brings together high school students, educators, and MIT faculty to work on challenging engineering and technology projects. BWSI offers a variety of courses in areas such as robotics, cybersecurity, coding, aerospace engineering, and autonomous vehicle design, and the program provides access to MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. BWSI fosters a supportive and inclusive learning environment where participants can interact with their peers, receive guidance from experienced mentors, and work on a challenging final project to display their skills. We highly encourage students interested in learning more about computer science, engineering, and life at MIT to apply to BWSI.
Location: California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)
Cost: $1200-1600, depending on the course you select
Prior Coding Experience: No prior coding experience is required.
Selectivity: N/A; Open-enrollment
Eligibility: Applicants must be between 13-17 years of age.
These coding camps, taught by Caltech faculty, experienced instructors, and industry professionals, aim to introduce various computer science languages, such as Python, Java, and C++, through a customized at-camp curriculum and interactive projects. While the camps are costly, they provide tons of hands-on learning experience, take-home assignments, and course transcripts, and they ensure that students walk away with valuable knowledge that will help them in college and life.
6. Stony Brook University’s Computer Science and Informatics Summer Research Experience Program (CSIRE)
Location: Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY) 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.
Prior Coding Experience: Significant prior coding experience is required.
Selectivity: Relatively High (20%)
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, and 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 (CS4CS)
Location: New York University (New York City, NY)
Cost: Free
Prior Coding Experience: No prior coding experience is required.
Selectivity: High (<20%)
Eligibility: This program is women-focused. Applicants must be high school students in New York City.
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s three-week-long CS4CS summer program provides 48 exceptional women with an introduction to cybersecurity and computer science. During the program, students can work on individual and group projects, solving real-world cybersecurity challenges and learning about industry-standard tools and techniques. In addition to working on projects and receiving guidance and mentorship from experienced instructors, CS4CS also includes sessions on career opportunities in cybersecurity, college admissions advice, and networking opportunities with professionals from academia, industry, and government organizations. If you’re interested in pursuing a cybersecurity or computer science career and meet the eligibility criteria, we encourage you to apply to CS4CS.
8. Columbia University’s SHAPE Program
Location: Columbia University (New York City, NY)
Cost: $4900. Financial aid is available.
Prior Coding Experience: Most courses require no prior coding experience.
Selectivity: Relatively High (20-25%)
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 electrical engineering, advanced robotics and autonomous driving, computer science, and data science (to name a few), 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 and at Columbia, and we encourage all students to apply.
9. UCLA’s Computer Science Summer Institute
Location: University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
Cost: $3061. Scholarships are available for California State students in 8th-11th grade.
Prior Coding Experience: No prior coding experience is required. However, you are encouraged to apply to the intermediate track if you have prior coding experience.
Selectivity: N/A; Open-enrollment
Eligibility: Applicants must be in 8th-12th grade in Spring 2024 for the introductory track. Applicants must be in 10th-12th grade in Spring 2024 for the intermediate track.
UCLA’s Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) is a three-week program that introduces students to programming in Python and awards credit for certain UCLA coursework. Throughout the program, students get the chance to learn various fundamental programming topics, such as functions, lists, loops, and recursion, from professors at UCLA. In addition, CSSI offers an intermediate track for students with coding experience, which covers more advanced topics, such as linear regression, SVM and Decision Trees, Clustering, and K-Means. While the programs are costly upfront, they are great opportunities for students, especially those in California, interested in learning more about computer science and earning college credit for UCLA coursework.
10. Berkeley Summer Computer Science Academy
Location: University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
Cost: $5,060
Prior Coding Experience: No prior coding experience is required.
Selectivity: N/A; Open-enrollment
Eligibility: Applicants must be 16-17 years old by the start of the program. International high school students are welcome to apply.
This rigorous two-week-long academy held by one of the best computer science universities in the country provides a simple but quality introduction to computer science and important programming topics, such as algorithms, lists, boolean logic, recursion, and tree recursion. The Berkeley Summer Computer Science Academy curriculum is based on the same introductory computer science course content that UC Berkeley undergraduates use, which allows students to familiarize themselves with the structure and general pace of computer science courses at UC Berkeley. However, this program is quite expensive and offers no financial aid. Therefore, we only recommend this program to students who can afford the high cost of participation and would like to experience life at UC Berkeley.
These programs are fascinating and allow you to challenge yourself, regardless of your prior coding experience. It can be easy to overload yourself with work and programs during the summer, so be sure to take some time for yourself and pursue some of your hobbies!
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!
