11 Best Artificial Intelligence Camps for High School Students
AI is one of the fastest growing technologies globally. Its applications range from self-driving cars to language translation, to even blog post writing (we wrote one paragraph in this blog using AI - can you guess which?).
As a high school student, getting started with AI can be tricky. So, we’ve compiled a list of 11 AI programs to help you get exposed to AI.
In case you missed it, we previously wrote pieces on the Best CS programs and CS competitions. Check those out! You can also consider doing AI research in our research program – Lumiere – which had 2100 students apply this past year! You can find the application form here.
Why study AI? If you are interested in computer science, learning AI can be a valuable skill set and demonstrate your interest in modern tools. Building a real-life project helps showcase your profile for college applications! Even if you are not targeting CS, understanding AI can help you understand how our world works and also give you the fundamentals of using data. All of these can be valuable for the college application process!
11 Best Artificial Intelligence Camps for High School Students
1. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Fee/ stipend: Fee - $1,490 for the AI Scholars program (The 10-week bootcamp). $4,200 for the AI Fellowship (the 12–15-week 1-1 mentorship). $4,700 for both. Need-based financial aid is available.
Application deadline: Program runs in cohorts throughout the year - applications for the Winter Cohort close on November 27, 2022.
Program dates: Rolling. Applications for the summer are between February and May.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment (AI Scholars program), Moderate (AI Fellowship)
Eligibility: Applicants must be ambitious, high school and 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.
Veritas AI has a range 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 work with PhDs from top institutions to learn the fundamentals of Python and key concepts in AI and ML. Students build a strong foundation to code and create AI models independently.
In the AI Fellowship, students create a novel AI project independently with the support of a mentor over 12-15 weeks. Examples of past projects can be found here.
Location: Virtual, with the possibility of being on campus in 2023.
Fee/ stipend: Fee - $4,000. Financial aid is available.
Application deadline: To open in winter for 2023. Keep watching this space for updates.
Program dates: June 27, 2023 - July 15, 2023 (tentatively, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Open to current 9th-grade students (that is students who will be rising 10th graders during the summer) eager to explore the exciting field of AI and increase diversity in the field.
If you want a razor-sharp focus on understanding AI, then nothing beats the Stanford AI Lab! This 3-week program is co-organized by the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), but with a new, updated curriculum developed by AI4ALL, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training the next generation of AI researchers.
Pro tip: A big goal of this AI program is to increase diversity in the field of AI - you are strongly encouraged to apply if you are from an underrepresented background!
Another great option is the Stanford Summer Sessions which also has computer science courses which are useful in building a solid foundation for more advanced programs in AI and ML (such as Programming Abstractions).
We recommend that you check out similar AI4ALL programs at Princeton University, Columbia University, UPenn and Georgia Tech.
Location: Virtual
Fee/ stipend: Fee - $4,950
Application deadline: Program runs in cohorts throughout the year - applications for the Winter Cohort close on November 27, 2022.
Program dates: There are multiple sessions of the pre-college program from June - August 2023. June 17 - August 5, 2023 for the secondary school program.
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Applicants must be expected to graduate from high school and enter college in 2024 or 2025 and be at least 16 years old by June 17, 2023 and must not turn 19 years old before July 31, 2023. A first calculus course covering functions, derivatives, optimization, and possibly some 3D geometry is a prerequisite for this course. Some familiarity with programming languages such as Python can be useful.
There are multiple computer science courses available in Harvard’s College program, but the one on Mathematical Elements of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence is recommended for anyone interested in AI. In this course, students will survey several mathematical aspects used in modern data science algorithms, building on single variable calculus, three-dimensional geometry, and elementary statistics. This course also has a computational component, where students edit code in Python as a final project.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University
Fee/ stipend: None
Application deadline: March 15, 2023
Program dates: July 1, 2023 - July 28, 2023
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Students must be rising high school juniors and at least 16 years old.
In the AI Scholars program, students will participate in project-based learning and attend lectures in various aspects of computing and artificial intelligence. They will also work on a group project that will be presented to the cohort and instructors at the end of the program.
Pro tip: This program is great for college applications and for networking with industry leaders in the field of AI. The program states that students will receive a comprehensive evaluation which can be integrated into their academic portfolio as supplemental material for college admission purposes.
Location: MIT
Fee/ stipend: None
Application deadline: March 15, 2023
Program dates: July 1, 2023 - July 28, 2023
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Students must be in high school with a demonstrated aptitude for STEM.
The Beaver Works Summer Institute is committed to providing the depth and experience of these project-based courses. There is a course titled “Serious Games and Artificial Intelligence” which will focus on applying modern methods in machine learning and game-like modeling to quantitatively analyze socially relevant technolgy and policy questions. This year’s application will be tactical routing for self-driving ambulances. Students will build an analysis framework in Python to study the technical, moral, and strategic opportunities that new technologies present to that application.
6. RAISE at MIT
Location: Virtual
Fee/ stipend: None
Application deadline: Varies according to the course
Program dates: Varies according to the course
Program selectivity: Varies according to the course
Eligibility: High school students for select programs (some programs are also open to Middle school students).
Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE) has a range of really useful tutorials and apps which can help you keep building on your AI knowledge! Think of this as a self-learning camp!
Check out Doodle Bot, for example, a robot-based Creative AI learning platform for High School students. It consists of an introduction to robotics, hardware, arduino programming and machine learning. The Doodle robot and its training module has been used for robotics and STEM workshop for over 30 high school students in the US and Mexico!
Another cool learning opportunity through RAISE is a tutorial called the Personal Image Classifier: PICaboo, where you will learn about the role of AI/ML in “image classification” — a way for computers to put what they see into various buckets. The tutorial will then guide you on how to make a “Peekaboo” game with your very own Personal Image Classification (PIC) model. Imagine the possibilities!
Location: Online/remote
Cost: Both camps are below $500
Application deadline: Open for registration now! deadline is rolling
Program dates:
Weekday Camp Options — run from July 17th through 21st.
Weekend Camp Options — from the weekend of July 22nd to August 20th.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment (till capacity is reached)
Eligibility: Middle and High School Students
Adventure AI is a unique social program running through Discord and virtual classes with an AI expert where kids can explore their interests using AI. They can create and generate products, tools, and ideas in their interest areas. Some creations include GPT-4-powered games, websites, art, rocket diagrams, and more. The camp also includes a self paced GPT and arts curriculum, along with individualized help from an AI expert.
Apart from the unique chance to create in the realms of AI and learn to prompt GPT and art AIs, the camp offers chances to compete in AI competitions and is generally fairly flexible. Students can register for either the weekday camp option (of which there are several slots) or the weekend camp option (which also has different timings).
Location: UC San Diego campus (San Diego, CA)
Cost / stipend: Fee - Program with research project: $1,500. Program without research project: free.
Application deadline: Tentatively March for 2023 (based on previous year’s application).
Program dates: June to August
Program selectivity: Fairly welcoming
Eligibility: Open to high school students generally. May have course-specific eligibility requirements.
Hosted by UC San Diego and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, this 8-week program allows students to work closely with mentors on a research project. You can pick AI for your research area! Students learn how to formulate and test hypotheses, conduct computational experiments, and draw conclusions from those experiments - a great way of applying your understanding of AI to work on a project.
Location: Mix of virtual and in-person
Cost: $4,700 (commuter option), $6,599 (residential option)
Application deadline: March 15, 2023
Program dates: June 20 - August 4, 2023
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Applicants must currently be a high school sophomore or junior (outstanding 9th graders accepted on a case-by-case basis)
UC Santa Barbara holds a summer program each year that is focused on providing students deep research opportunities. In the program, students spend 30-40 hours per a week working with their research mentor and building a research presentation. The program also provides university credit with two additional courses as part of the program - research presentation techniques and introduction to research.
This program is unique because it allows students to be exposed to a wide variety of interdisciplinary research topics, and then rank a selection of projects that they would like to work on. All students will choose a project and a research mentor (graduate student, postdoc, or faculty) to conduct hands-on, university-level research with. This is great if you want to understand the application of AI across different fields / disciplines.
Location: Virtual, with the possibility of being on campus in 2023.
Fee/ stipend: Fee - $2,625 + $600 for housing (optional)
Application deadline: Opens in December 2022 and rolling.
Program dates: Session 1: June 20 - June 30. Session 2: July 10 - July 21. Session 3: July 31 - Aug 11
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: High school students (at least 15 years old) who have successfully completed Algebra 2 or equivalent and have had some programming experience in any language. Minimum 3.0 GPA or equivalent with a passion for STEM. International students are also welcome to apply.
This 2-week summer program focuses on core principles in machine learning such as model development through cross validation, linear regressions, and neural networks. The aim of the program is to help students develop an understanding of how logic and mathematics are applied both to teach a computer to perform specific tasks on its own and to improve continuously at doing so along the way.
Location: Virtual, with the possibility of being on campus in 2023.
Fee/ stipend: None
Application deadline: To be announced for 2023, please check here for updates.
Program dates: August 08, 2023 - August 28, 2023 (tentatively, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Students must be rising high school juniors, high school seniors, or college freshmen. Must be from an underrepresented background.
This program is hosted by the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology at University of Washington. It is a 2-week, introductory course on data science and artificial intelligence. Students will learn how to understand, analyze, interpret and discuss real-world applications of data science and machine learning with the ultimate goal of understanding impactful technology decisions.
A key focus of this program is to enable dialogue and learning in small-group settings. The Center has a focus on anti-bias in AI teachings on non-ableist AI, bringing a disability studies lens to interrogate bias and fairness in AI.
Pro tip: This is also a great program if you are targeting a non-STEM academic path since it gives you introductory exposure to AI/ML in a way that can have interdisciplinary application. Plus, it also focuses on ethical use of technology which is a significant debate across STEM and non-STEM arenas.
If you're looking for a real-world internship that can help boost your resume while applying to college, we recommend Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective program equipping students with virtual internship experiences at startups and nonprofits around the world!
The startups range across a variety of industries, and each student can select which field they would most love to deep dive into. This is also a great opportunity for students to explore areas they think they might be interested in, and better understand professional career opportunities in those areas. The startups are based all across the world, with the majority being in the United States, Asia and then Europe and the UK.
The fields include technology, machine learning and AI, 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 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 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 you through the internship and helping you navigate the startup environment.
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
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates and gap year students!
Additionally, you can also work on independent research in AI, through Veritas AI's Fellowship Program!
Veritas AI focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI a suitable environment to explore their interests. The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship. These programs are designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni and you can expect a great, fulfilling educational experience. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI scholars program before pursuing the fellowship.
The AI Fellowship program will have students pursue their own independent AI research project. Students work on their own individual research projects over a period of 12-15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest. In the past, students have worked on research papers in the field of AI & medicine, AI & finance, AI & environmental science, AI & education, and more! You can find examples of previous projects here.
Location: Virtual
Cost:
$1,790 for the 10-week AI Scholars program
$4,900 for the 12-15 week AI Fellowship
$4,700 for both
Need-based financial aid is available. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Applications for fall cohort have closed September 3, 2023.
Program dates: Various according to the cohort
Program selectivity: Moderately selective
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit past experience with AI concepts or Python.
Application Requirements: Online application form, answers to a few questions pertaining to the students background & coding experience, math courses, and areas of interest.
An excellent complement to camps – Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Interested in learning about doing research in AI? Consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. In the program, you’ll work with an AI researcher to develop an independent project! Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program. You can find the application form here.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD 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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