10 Computer Science Internships for High School Students in New York

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

In this post, we have curated a list of 10 computer science internships in New York that will give you the opportunity to explore the field and interact and gain guidance from working professionals! Do note that while most of these programs are internships, there are other programs which might not be a traditional internship, but will allow you to gain experience in computer science. 

1. AI Internship Program by Veritas AI

Cost: $2,490
Application Deadline: October 20, 2024
Internship Date: Start date for the cohort is November 11, 2024
Eligibility: Open to high school students who have prior experience with AI/ML or have completed a Veritas AI program

The AI Internship Program by Veritas AI is founded and run by Harvard graduate students. Through the 8-week internship, students have the opportunity to work VC-backed startups on real-world AI/ML projects. Students work directly with mentors from Harvard, Wharton, Google, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and more.This program is a great opportunity for students who have prior experience with AI/ML and are looking to gain real world exposure to a career in the field. Students get a chance to network with industry professionals, work closely with company leadership, and receive a letter of completion from the company at the end of the internship. You can learn more about the program here and apply here.

2. Ladder Internships

Cost: $1490 (Financial Aid Available) 

Location:  Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world. 

Application Deadline: April 16 and May 14

Program Dates: 8 weeks, June to August 

Selection Rate: Selective

Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students! 

Ladder Internship is a selective program for high school students to work with startups. 

Ladder Startups work in fields including technology, machine learning and A.I., finance, environmental science and sustainability, business and marketing, healthcare and medicine, media and journalism, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form

As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship - the Ladder Coach serves as a second mentor and a sounding board, guiding students through the internship and helping them navigate the startup environment. 

Note that as a Ladder Intern, you will engage in a coaching+work-based model - a component that sets it apart from most internships in this list. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long. 

3. NASA Internships

Cost: No cost; stipend provided

Location: Varies, different for each internship offered

Application Deadline: Varies from internship to internship 

Program Dates: Varies from internship to internship, but should be in one of these three cohorts - 

  • Fall - from late August/early September to mid-December (16 weeks)

  • Spring - from mid-January to early May (16 weeks)

  • Summer - from late May/early June to August (10 weeks)

Eligibility: 

  • High School Students 

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen

  • Have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagements provides internship opportunities at all their locations around America. In New York, you can opt for internships at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. However, if you live away from one, NASA now conducts virtual internships as well! 

For the Summer 2024 internships, most NASA internships are done as a part of their year-round Climate Change Research Initiative. So your internships will be structured around climate change research, for example, one opportunity is exploring the dynamics of exoplanetary atmospheres and oceans with ROCKE-3D!

Students interested in pursuing computer science in university can consider this program as it’s a great value-add for college applications, owing to the reputation and prestige of this program as well as NASA. 

4. 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. 

5. Syracuse University Engineering and Computer Science Research Internship

Cost: No cost; stipend provided

Location: Greater Syracuse Area 

Application Deadline: While the dates for the next cohort have not been announced, expect the deadline to be 2 months before the internship. 

Program Dates: 6 weeks during the summer months

Eligibility:

  • Be a rising senior in the Greater Syracuse area. 

  • Be in good academic standing. 

Syracuse University offers a 6-week, non-residential summer internship for rising seniors in the greater Syracuse area. Interns are exposed to advanced engineering and computer science research intended to stimulate and deepen their interest in STEM careers. 

In the program, you will participate in a university-level research project while receiving mentoring from SU research faculty and graduate and undergraduate students. The program culminates with you presenting your research at a symposium with other high school and undergraduate research interns.

Through your hands-on research project, you will learn how to:

  • Participate in laboratory safety training. 

  • Learn laboratory and college-level library research techniques.

  • Develop a research plan. 

  • Maintain a laboratory notebook or its equivalent. 

  • Analyze data for your research project. 

  • Display and present data in a poster format for the research symposium. 

6. Boyce Thompson Institute Internships

Cost: No cost; stipend provided ($4,000 for 7 weeks) 

Location: Cornell University Campus, Ithaca, New York 

Application Deadline: March 31 (tentatively, based on previous years dates)

Program Dates: June 27 - August 11(tentatively, based on previous years dates)

Eligibility:

  • Students must be 16 years or older by the end of June. 

  • Students must currently reside in the Ithaca region. 

  • You cannot be a graduating senior. 

If you are interested in computational biology, the Boyce Thompson Institute Internship is a great opportunity. Done alongside Cornell University and the USDA, this 7-week internship allows you to gain research experience within plant science and computational biology

As an intern, you will be paired with a research mentor, typically a graduate student of a postdoctoral researcher, and a faculty mentor. You will work alongside your mentors on a predetermined project. 

Apart from conducting research, you can join undergraduate researchers for professional development lectures and discussions. Moreover, Boyce Institute organizes local field trips and training sessions as well!

The program culminates in a symposium in August, where you can present your findings through a scientific poster. BSI Internships are an excellent opportunity to conduct research alongside leading researchers and faculty, all while getting opportunities for training!

7. Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars Program

Cost: No Cost + stipend provided ($468.80/week)

Location: Varies based on program

Application Deadline: January (based on previous years)

Program Dates: Varies from internship to internship, but should be in one of these three cohorts - 

  • Fall - from late August/early September to mid-December (16 weeks)

  • Spring - from mid-January to early May (16 weeks)

  • Summer - from late May/early June to August (10 weeks)

Eligibility: 

  • Upper High School Student (Over 16 years old) 

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen

  • Have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA. 

  • Must be available full-time (40 hours a week) and work in their physical offices over the summer. 

Another internship if you’re interested in computer science or engineering is the AFRL program. This is a paid-internship opportunity for upper-level high school students where you will receive guidance from AFRL scientists and work on cutting-edge research! 

Each mentor in the program is highly knowledgeable and you can find a list of mentors here. The topics in the AFRL program are centered around aerospace/ mechanical design, complex electromagnetic structures, however, some projects do involve computer science!

For students in New York specifically, you can opt to work in the Rome Laboratory specifically, although they have locations across the country! 

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

Cost: No cost

Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, New York

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

9. CUNY’s STEM Research Academy

Cost: No cost; stipend provided ($1,000 for 6 weeks) 

Location: CUNY Campus

Application Deadline: While not specified, expect it to be in fall. 

Program Dates: Spring semester + 6 weeks in the summer. 

Eligibility:

  • Be a NYC public high school sophomore or junior in good academic standing:

    • CUNY Eligibility Benchmarks (75+ ELA Regents and/or 80+ Math Regents) 

  • Primarily high school juniors, however, it is open to all high school students. 

The STEM RA program is an opportunity for NYC high school students to take part in a 2-semester program. The first section of the program is a pre-college College Now science course in the spring and the other half is the chance to conduct hands-on research with CUNY faculty in the summer. 

The pre-college course will strengthen your basic research skills such as formulating researchable questions, reading scientific literature and more. An added bonus is that you will receive 2 college credits for the course! 

Upon successful completion of this course, you can participate in a 6-week summer research experience with CUNY research faculty. Following this program’s completion, you can apply to participate in the New York City Science & Engineering Fair (NYCSEF)!

10. CUNY Crest’s High School Initiative in Remote Sensing of the Earth Systems Engineering and Sciences

Cost: No cost; stipend of $1000 provided

Location: CUNY Campus + Remote

Application Deadline: While not specified, expect it to be in fall. 

Program Dates: 7 weeks in the summer. 

Eligibility:

  • Open to all high school students who are currently enrolled in or completed algebra 1 & 2 with a minimum average of B. 

  • Have a SAT Math Score of 500 or higher/ an ACT Math Score of 21 or higher. 

  • Have a SAT Critical Reading score of 480 or higher/ an ACT English score of 20 or higher/ N.Y. State English Regents score of 75 or higher. 

  • Other N.Y. State Requirements:

    • Score of 70 or higher in Algebra I (Common Core) AND successful completion of the Algebra 2/Trigonometry or higher-level course

    • Score of 80 or higher in either Integrated Algebra, Geometry or Algebra 2/Trigonometry AND successful completion of the Algebra 2/Trigonometry or higher-level course

Score if 75 or higher in one of the following - MATH A or MATH B or Sequential II or Sequential II

The HIRES program by CUNY aims to recruit and train  student communities with little or no access to high quality STEM education. In this program, you will be assigned a research project and mentors (who are graduate students & faculty at CUNY) to undertake research with a focus in climate, water, weather, ecosystem services, social and environmental justice. 

While the program does focus on environmental science research, there is an element of computer science as well as CUNY additionally offers technical workshops in remote sensing, Python and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in order to improve your research!

Bonus - MITES Semester

Cost: Free

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!

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 - Ladder Internships Logo

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