Top 11 AI Summer Programs for High School Students
With the rapid advancement of technology, there is a growing demand to understand artificial intelligence. If you’re a high school student interested in AI, doing a program over your summer break is a great way to explore the subject. Summer programs can offer academic enrichment and valuable skill-building opportunities while enhancing your college applications.
We’ve curated a list of the top 11 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.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Current 9th-grade students (who will be rising 10th graders in the summer) are eligible to apply, with underrepresented students strongly encouraged to apply.
Application deadline: Applications open on January 16. The regular Application deadline is typically in mid-February. Look out for further updates here.
Program dates: June-end to mid-July.
Fees: $4,000. Financial aid is available.
This 3-week online program is an opportunity to explore AI through lectures, research projects, and mentoring activities. This program aims to promote diversity and inclusivity while addressing the ethical developments of AI. During the program, you will gain a deep understanding of the applications of AI in medicine, combating poverty, disaster response, and more. You will participate in small-group research projects led by graduate students and postdocs in computer science and AI. Check out similar AI4ALL programs at Princeton University, Columbia University, UPenn, and Georgia Tech.
3. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Application Requirements: Online application form, answers to a few questions about the student's background & coding experience, math courses, and areas of interest.
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
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
Program Dates:
Session 1: June 17 - June 28
Session 2: July 8 - July 19
Session 3: July 29 - August 9
Fees: $4,100 (tuition) + $308 per week (housing). Additional costs may include application fees, meals, etc.
In this program, students 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. You 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 you utilize engineering problem-solving to tackle societal issues.
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Eligibility: Students who:
- will graduate high school and enter college in the next 2 years;
Application deadline: February 20 (Early application deadline) | March 26 ( Regular application deadline)
Program Dates:
Session 1: July 23 - July 5
Session 2: July 7 - July 19
Session 3: July 21 - August 2
Fees: $4,950. Need-based financial aid is available.
Harvard’s pre-college summer program is designed to give students a glimpse into college life. With over 100+ courses, the program allows you to explore your interests 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 designed to help you understand the mathematical aspects of modern data science algorithms. The program is ideal for students who wish to work on personal projects under mentorship, independent of course credit and assignments.
Location: In-person (Columbia University, Manhattan, NY) and virtual options are offered.
Eligibility: Students in grades 11 and 12 can apply.
Application Deadline: April 1
Program Dates:
In-person Session 1: June 24- July 12
In-person Session 2: July 16- August 2
Virtual Session 1: July 1- July 12
Virtual Session 2: July 15- July 26
Fees: $12,449 (residential) | $6,300 (commuter) | $3,960 (online). Need-based scholarships are available.
Columbia’s pre-college summer program offers over 70 courses. 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 application of these technologies. You will learn to code using Python and popular machine-learning algorithms. You will develop a strong foundation in data-driven thinking while learning common AI and ML techniques. The course is taught by industry experts (from the Walt Disney Company), educators, and researchers!
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Students aged 12–18 can apply.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in July.
Program dates: June 10 - 28
Fees: $2,495. Need-based scholarships are available.
Berkley’s Data Science to AI covers Machine Learning, AI, and big data science. Students interested in Python and looking to enhance their technical skills can consider this course. It offers lessons on writing and evaluating Python codes behind AI, enabling you to build and score machine learning models and evaluate big data. You will be grouped into small groups for projects based on proficiency levels. With this program, you 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
Program Dates:
Session 1: June 17 - June 28
Session 2: July 8 - July 19
Fees: $3,050. Need-based financial aid is available. The deadline to apply for aid is April 5.
The Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes are programs designed to help students explore advanced topics. For students interested in AI, this 10-day program offers an intensive AI course. The course enables you to better understand AI through 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. At the end of this program, you can expect to gain 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!
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Eligibility: High school students with aptitude for STEM
Application Deadline: March 31
Program Dates: July 8 - August 4
Fee: None
The Beaver Works Summer Institute is a project-based STEM program featuring workshop-style courses. 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 you understand how to apply machine learning and game-like modeling to quantitatively analyze socially relevant policy questions. 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.
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 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 the basics of machine learning. These courses are self-paced. 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.
Image Source: University of Berkeley seal