Top 11 AI Summer Programs for High School Students
With the rapid advancement of technology, there is a growing demand to understand the realm of artificial intelligence. If you’re a high school student who is interested in exploring AI, doing a program over your summer break is the perfect way to explore the subject. Summer programs can offer academic enrichment and valuable skill-building opportunities and enhance your college applications. We’ve curated a list of the top 10 AI summer programs for you to consider! Through these programs, you can build your knowledge base in the field of AI, engage in real-world applications of the subject, and interact with like-minded peers.
1. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual. You can attend from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: Applicants can be anywhere in the world. For the AI Scholars program, no previous experience is required - applicants need to show a keen interest in AI. For the AI Fellowship program, applicants will either need to complete the AI Scholars program or have had past experience with AI concepts or Python.
Application deadline: The program runs in cohorts throughout the year. Applications for the summer cohort close on April 14, 2024. You can apply here!
Program Dates: Multiple sessions from July to September. The AI Scholars runs for 10 weeks, and the AI Fellowship program runs for 12-15 weeks.
Fee: AI Scholars - $1,790 | AI Fellowship - $4,900 | For both programs - $5,900
Financial Assistance: Need-based financial aid is available.
Veritas AI offers a number of AI programs for ambitious high school students, starting from close-group, collaborative learning to customized project pathways with 1:1 mentorship. The programs have been designed and run by Harvard graduate students & alumni.
In the AI Scholars program, students will work with Ph.D. students from top institutions to learn the fundamentals of Python and key concepts in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science – which include regression, natural language processing, and neural networks, and learn the basics of Python. You will build a strong AI foundation through real-world group projects. In the AI Fellowship program, you will 1-1 with a mentor to create a unique, individual project. In the past, students have worked on AI projects at the intersection of medicine, finance, sports, environmental science, mental health, and more. You can check out examples of past projects here.
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!
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Current 9th-grade students (who will be rising 10th graders in the summer) are eligible to apply. If you are from an underrepresented background in AI and related fields, you’re strongly encouraged to apply.
Application deadline: Applications will open on January 16, 2024. The regular Application deadline is mid- February tentatively. Look out for further updates here
Program dates: June-end to mid-July (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Fees: $4,000
Financial Assistance: Financial aid is available.
This 3-week online program, co-organized by the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), in partnership with AI4ALL (a nonprofit organization), is a prestigious opportunity for students to dive into the world of AI through a combination of lectures, hands-on research projects, and mentoring activities. If you are looking for a program that helps you explore the endless possibilities of AI, then you must consider this program. This program aims to promote diversity and inclusivity while addressing the ethical developments of AI. During the program, students can expect to gain a deep understanding of the applications of AI in medicine, combating poverty, disaster response, and more.
Students will participate in small-group research projects led by graduate students and postdocs in computer science and AI. These projects will focus on how AI can improve pressing problems in society.
Check out similar AI4ALL programs at Princeton University, Columbia University, UPenn and Georgia Tech.
Location: NYU Tandon University, Brooklyn, NY
Eligibility: Students who are 14 years or older, have completed Algebra 2 or equivalent, and have some programming experience, are eligible to apply.
Application Deadline: April 20, 2024
Program Dates:
Session 1: June 17- June 28
Session 2: July 08- July 19
Session 3: July 29- August 9
Fees: $4,100 (tuition) + $308 per week (housing). Additional costs may include application fees, meals, etc.
Financial Assistance: There are no scholarships or aid options available for this program.
In this program, offered by New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, students can expect to gain a foundational understanding of Machine Learning (ML), by attending introductory courses in logic, computer science, mathematical techniques, and data analysis. The program covers lessons on video and voice recognition technologies, autonomous vehicles, real-time monitoring and traffic control, medical technologies, and more. Students will learn the core principles of ML such as model development through neural networks, cross-validation, and linear regression. The program also aims to help students utilize engineering problem-solving to tackle societal issues.
Note: This program is well-suited for students who possess prior programming knowledge and have completed Algebra 2 & Trigonometry.
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Eligibility: Students who:
- will graduate high school and enter college in 2025 or 2026;
- will be at least 16 years old by June 22, 2024;
- will not turn 19 years old before July 31, 2024; and
- have completed a first calculus course covering functions, derivatives, optimization, and vectors and some familiarity with programming languages such as Python; can apply.
Application deadline: February 20, 2024 (Early application deadline) | March 26, 2024 ( Regular application deadline)
Program Dates:
Session 1: July 23- July 5, 2024
Session 2: July 7- July 19, 2024
Session 3: July 21- August 2, 2024
Fees: $4,950
Financial assistance: Need-based financial aid is available.
Harvard’s pre-college summer program is an intensive 2-week summer program designed to give students a glimpse into college life. With over 100+ courses, the program allows students to explore their passions and connect with peers. For students keen on AI and computer science, the program offers multiple courses – such as Introduction to Scientific Programming in Python, Introduction to Data Science with a Focus on Visualization, and Mathematical Elements of Artificial Intelligence.
The course on mathematical elements of artificial intelligence is great for anyone interested in AI and is designed to help students understand the mathematical aspects of modern data science algorithms.
Harvard’s pre-college programs offer accessible course content, however, since most of the courses offered are primarily beginner-level or introductory courses, students may not get a very comprehensive deep dive into the subject. The program is ideal for students who have some familiarity with AI, and those who wish to work on personal projects under mentorship, independent of course credit and assignments.
Location: Both in-person (Columbia University, Manhattan, NY) and virtual options are offered.
Eligibility: Students in grades 11 and 12 can apply.
Application Deadline: April 1, 2024
Program Dates:
In-person Session 1: June 24- July 12, 2024
In-person Session 2: July 16- August 2, 2024
Virtual Session 1: July 1- July 12, 2024
Virtual Session 2: July 15- July 26, 2024
Fees: $12,449 (residential) | $6,300 (commuter) | $3,960 (online)
Financial Assistance: Need-based scholarships are available.
Columbia’s pre-college summer program offers over 70 course options to choose from. For students interested in AI, the program offers courses on data science and machine learning and their real-world utility. This includes introductory lessons on the real-world application of these technologies and progresses towards hands-on experiences. Students will learn to code using Python and popular machine-learning algorithms. This introductory course offered allows students to engage with data and its growing applications. Students will develop a strong foundation in data-driven thinking in solving real world problems while learning common AI and ML techniques and develop and evaluate analytical solutions. The course is a great introduction to data science and AI and is taught by industry experts (from the Walt Disney Company), educators, and researchers!
This course is a pretty solid option if you’re already familiar with basic concepts in AI and ML, and are looking for a course that offers a deep dive into more specific topics.
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Students aged 12–18 can apply.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in July.
Program dates: June 10 - 28, 2024
Fees: $2,495
Financial Assistance: Need-based scholarships are available.
Berkley’s Data Science to AI is a comprehensive course covering Machine Learning, AI, and big data science. Students who are interested in Python and are looking to enhance their technical skills can consider this course. It offers lessons on writing and evaluating Python codes behind AI, and enables students to build and score machine learning models and evaluate big data. Based on proficiency levels, students are grouped into small groups for projects. With this program, students will have permanent access to 100+ Berkley coding videos and notebooks and a blockchain-authenticated certificate, among other takeaways.
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 and 11 with beginner-level Python proficiency can apply.
Application deadline: March 29, 2024
Program Dates:
Session 1: June 17, 2024 - June 28, 2024
Session 2: July 8, 2024 - July 19, 2024
Fees: $3,050
Financial Assistance: Need-based financial aid is available. The deadline to apply for aid is April 5, 2024.
The prestigious Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes are programs designed to help students explore the depths of various advanced topics. With 43 courses in different areas, this program has something for everyone.
For AI enthusiasts, this 10-day program offers an intensive AI course. The course enables students to gain a deeper understanding of AI through learning methods such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning algorithms. The course will include the application of fundamental mathematical concepts such as linear algebra, calculus, statistics, etc. Students with an interest in and basic knowledge of Python can consider this too, as it can help them develop their programming skills. At the end of this program, students can expect to gain a sound knowledge of various machine learning algorithms that can be used to build ethical AI systems.
Another great option for students who want to explore the technical applications of AI in healthcare is Stanford’s Summer Research Internship. Check this out for more information!
Location: Virtual.
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible to apply.
Application Deadline: For the summer cohort, the final application deadline is in May. The program runs in winter, fall, and spring as well.
Program Dates: The summer cohort typically begins in June. The program length depends on which one you choose to attend!
Fees: Individual Research Program - $2,800 | Premium Research & Publication Program - $5,400 | Research Fellowship - $8,900.
Financial Assistance: Need-based financial aid is available. Also check out the Lumiere Research Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program, founded by researchers at Harvard and Oxford, pairs you with a top PhD student, who you work with 1-1 to produce a university-level research paper. While many high school students conduct research in a wide range of subjects during this program, you can choose to do research in AI, ML, and data science. The programs are remote and vary in length based on your goal. This program does not offer any introductory courses and is a good option if you’re interested in conducting research in a particular topic within AI or if it is an interdisciplinary topic.
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Eligibility: High school students with aptitude for STEM
Application Deadline: March 31, 2024
Program Dates: July 8, 2024 - August 4, 2024
Fee: None
The 4-week Beaver Works Summer Institute is a project-based STEM program featuring workshop-style courses on various subjects. Some of the courses offered in the field of AI include Serious Games and Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous RACECAR Grand Prix, and Autonomous Cognitive Assistance. Serious Games and Artificial Intelligence explores a combination of machine learning and game-like modeling to analyze socially relevant technology. Autonomous Cognitive Assistance is designed to help participants understand how to apply machine learning and game-like modeling to quantitatively analyze socially relevant policy questions like disease transmission and self-driving cars. The BWSI has generally received solid reviews from alumni, owing to the diversity of its cohorts, opportunities for networking and collaboration, as well as the uniqueness of the courses it offers.
11. Ladder Internships
Location: Virtual. You can work from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. These internships are also open to undergraduates and gap-year students!
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year.
Program Dates: 8-week programs with multiple cohorts throughout the year. The summer cohort typically runs from June - August.
Fees: Starting at $1,990
Financial Assistance: Need-based financial aid is available.
Ladder Internships is a selective program that provides students with virtual internship opportunities at startups and nonprofits around the world. The startups range across a variety of industries, with a number of them in AI and tech, and you can select the field you want to work in. This program’s curriculum caters specifically to high school students, ensuring a balance between building theoretical knowledge and its practical application.
As interns, you will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working with your manager at the startup, you will also work with a Ladder Coach, who will serve as a second mentor, guiding you through the internship. Interns are offered one-on-one training in communication, time management, and other such valuable skills. The program's emphasis on hands-on experience allows you to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios, fostering a sense of confidence and adaptability. The startups you’d have the chance to intern with are based all across the world, with the majority being in the United States, Asia, and then Europe and the UK.
Bonus!
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Open to everyone!
Application Deadline: None, only registration is required at the time of starting a course.
Program Dates: The courses are available all year-round.
Fee: Free
A self-paced learning program offered by Google AI, its courses focus on generative AI and machine learning. They allow students to build a solid foundation for future research or study in the field of computer science and AI. These courses are well-paced, and cover complex topics in AI in a simple manner. Some of the topics covered include linear algebra for AI and ML, machine learning problem framing, and basics of machine learning. These courses are self-paced, so it is up to you to set aside learning time. Take a look at the complete list of courses offered by Google AI here.
Here’s a few more programs and camps in AI you can check out:
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1–1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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