15 Coding Research Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 3 minutes ago
- 11 min read
If you are interested in coding, research programs can be a practical way to explore the real applications of computer science and tech. These programs simulate the pace and expectations of university coursework, helping you build technical depth, explore scientific inquiry, and deepen your understanding of algorithms, artificial intelligence, and data science while strengthening your time management and collaboration skills.
Participating in a structured program in high school can give you early exposure to college-level academics, independent inquiry, and real-world problem-solving. Beyond academic exploration, programs can offer you opportunities to learn from mentors who are academics or professionals, present your findings, and navigate professional environments , which are experiences that mirror college and industry life.
Why should I participate in a coding research program in high school?
Programs designed for high school students are accessible ways to explore your interests before college. If your interests lie in emerging tech, coding research programs are especially impactful because they go beyond basic programming and dive into complex, open-ended problems. Here, you can also develop hands-on skills and build your portfolio. Research programs also provide networking opportunities with professors, graduate students, and peers, which can lead to mentorship, recommendation letters, and future internships. For college applications, rigorous research experience demonstrates intellectual curiosity and the ability to pursue advanced work beyond the high school curriculum.
To help you find the right option, we have listed 15 coding research programs for high school students. In narrowing down the top options, we have focused on programs that are academically rigorous, hosted by prestigious institutions, maintain selective admissions standards, and are low-cost or substantially funded.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
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, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: Online with final two weeks in-person at University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: Free (includes housing, meals, and local transport during on-site portion)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; ~215 students accepted from ~2,000 applicants
Dates: Virtual: May 15 – July 3 | On-site: July 5 – 18 | Virtual symposium: July 20 – 21
Application deadline: February 22
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors, U.S. citizens, at least 16 years old
SEES is a competitive STEM research internship offered through a collaboration between NASA and the University of Texas at Austin. Here, you will work with researchers and subject-matter experts on projects related to Earth science, satellite imagery, and data analysis. During the in-person portion at UT Austin, you will collaborate in teams to examine large datasets, participate in field investigations, and attend sessions on remote sensing, satellite systems, and climate research. A key component of the program involves using programming tools, including Python, to analyze satellite data and interpret results. You will also learn how to organize and communicate your findings in a clear, structured format. The experience ends with a virtual symposium where you will present your research to peers and mentors.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts; rolling admissions.
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from eminent top universities like Oxford and Cambridge.
You can choose the computer science track to learn about data structures, algorithms, and programming languages, and build a strong technical foundation. You will also work on coding projects and team challenges to develop problem-solving, analytical thinking, and programming skills. By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Fully funded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Extremely selective; under 2.5% of applicants, ~100 students/year
Dates: Six weeks during the summer (varies yearly)
Application deadline: Typically early- to mid-December
Eligibility: High school juniors who meet the RSI academic prerequisites
RSI is a selective, fully funded STEM research opportunity conducted at MIT. During the first week, you will attend intensive STEM seminars led by university faculty, covering a range of advanced topics. For the remaining five weeks, you will work on research, completing an individual project in computer science or a programming-focused topic under the guidance of a research mentor. Throughout this phase, you will focus on developing your methodology, analyzing results, and refining your technical writing. At the conclusion of the program, you will prepare a formal research paper and deliver an oral presentation summarizing your work in a format similar to an academic conference.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Stipend: $5,600
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~22 students per year
Dates: June 15 – August 7
Application deadline: January 12
Eligibility: Chicago-area high school students and undergraduates; familiarity with a programming language (Python, Java, C++, etc.) preferred
DSI Summer Lab is an eight-week summer research experience that places you on a team at the University of Chicago to work on applied data science projects. You will contribute to ongoing research in areas such as public health datasets, climate modeling, and computational social science, alongside faculty members and other researchers. During the program, you will use tools such as Python, Jupyter Notebooks, and version control platforms to complete research tasks and manage your work. You will also attend weekly sessions focused on research methodology and meet consistently with faculty and graduate student mentors to review progress and address challenges. At the end, you will deliver a presentation with your team to outline the results of your work.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: Fully funded; financial need must be demonstrated
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; varies by year
Dates: June 20 – July 18
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Students entering 11th grade (current 10th graders), at least 16 years old by June 20, U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Carnegie Mellon University’s Computer Science Scholars (CS Scholars) program is a summer pre-college experience that introduces you to advanced study in computer science and mathematics. During the program, you will attend structured classes, take part in lectures and seminars, and visit campus research labs and technology-focused facilities. The coursework is centered on collaboration and hands-on learning. You will attend programming sessions and work in small groups on research-based computer science projects with guidance from faculty, graduate students, and program staff. At the end of the session, you and your group will present your project at a closing symposium. Additionally, the program includes workshops on preparing for college and organized weekend activities to help you explore Pittsburgh.
Location: New York University, New York/Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded; includes $1,000 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 1 – August 14
Application deadline: February 27
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10–11, living in and attending school in New York City
ARISE is a 10-week summer program that offers NYC high schoolers STEM research experience. Through a combination of training and hands-on lab work, you will learn about lab work, scientific inquiry, and scientific writing in fields like robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, and machine learning. The program also introduces you to research design, data analysis, professional development, and research ethics. You will spend the summer gaining 120 hours of lab experience, attending seminars, and working on your research presentation, which you will deliver at the end of the program. ARISE also provides college application support and access to an alumni research network.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; varies yearly
Dates: June 20 – July 18
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Rising seniors (current juniors), at least 16 by start date, U.S. citizens or DACA/permanent residents; no prior coding experience required, strong interest in AI necessary
Carnegie Mellon University’s AI Scholars program is a four-week residential experience centered on artificial intelligence. Before arriving on campus, you will complete an online Python course designed to strengthen your foundational programming skills. During the program, you take part in daily coding labs, contribute to faculty-led research projects, and work with peers on collaborative assignments leading to a final capstone presentation. In addition to technical instruction, you attend weekly sessions focused on college preparation, mentorship, and discussions about AI ethics and career options in the field. The program may also include visits to industry sites to provide additional context for your learning, with an emphasis on broadening participation in STEM.
Location: Virtual and University of California, San Diego, CA
Cost/Stipend: $2,000; full and partial scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; over 70 schools participate yearly
Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Southern California residents in grades 10–12, at least 16 by June 15, minimum unweighted 3.0 GPA; one year of high school chemistry or biology recommended; must meet project prerequisites
This program is designed to introduce San Diego County students to computational science and related fields through hands-on research in computer science and data analysis. Hosted by the San Diego Supercomputer Center, the eight-week program offers opportunities to get hands-on exposure to machine learning, data visualization, and high-performance computing. You will work closely with a mentor on a research project, attend lab meetings, and engage in group discussions, developing a deeper understanding of computational methods. You will learn how to design experiments, test hypotheses, and carry out computational analyses. Research projects may involve AI modeling, big-data analysis, and algorithm development in areas such as bioinformatics or climate science. You can choose the non-research track to focus only on coding workshops, seminars, and lectures on subjects such as cybersecurity, robotics, and natural language processing.
Location: Virtual or Johns Hopkins APL, Laurel, MD
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; fewer than 10% accepted
Dates: June 23 – August 21
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors, ages 15 and up, with a minimum 2.8 GPA, who are permanent residents of the Washington-Baltimore area (details available here)
ASPIRE is a hands-on STEM research experience for high school students. You will work one-on-one with researchers, scientists, and engineers at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University on projects in areas such as computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, mathematics, and information technology. You will work in a professional research environment and potentially contribute to projects recognized by organizations like NASA. You will also gain exposure to Johns Hopkins’ research facilities and resources, which support advanced experimentation and learning. Beyond technical skills, the program emphasizes teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, helping you develop practical skills valuable for college and future careers while connecting you with mentors and peers in STEM.
Location: Virtual
Stipend: $1,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 27 – August 21
Application deadline: March 29
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders; preference for Washington State residents
Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Coding For Cancer is a virtual program focused on the role of computation in cancer research. In the first phase of the program, you will learn about the application of computational tools in cancer research, participate in group activities, study and practice using the R coding language, and connect with computational biologists. In the second phase, you will work on individual research projects under the guidance of computational biologists. At the end, you will earn a Cradley Badge along with a stipend.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost/Stipend: No participation fee; stipend available
Acceptance rate: ~5%
Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application deadline: February 5
Eligibility: High school juniors, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, at least 16 years old
The Simons Summer Research Program is a STEM research program for high school students conducted at Stony Brook University. It offers you the opportunity to conduct research in various fields, including computer science and engineering. During the program, you will join a Stony Brook University team and contribute to a research project while learning how to use advanced laboratory techniques and tools. You will also engage in faculty talks to learn about STEM fields and attend workshops to build and refine your research skills. You will submit and present a research abstract and poster at the end of the program.
Location: Virtual or George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost: $25 application fee + $1,299 tuition for three course credits; fee waivers available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: February 15
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Eligibility: Students aged 15 and older
ASSIP offers on-campus and virtual research internships in various fields, including computational and data sciences and computer science. You can choose a mentor offering a coding-focused research placement to engage in research, refine scientific writing skills, and explore scientific communication. During the program, you will also learn about various STEM career paths through discussions with professors, researchers, or professionals. The program ends with a symposium, where you will learn about the research conducted at ASSIP over the summer.
14. Stanford AI4ALL
Location: Online or Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: Online: $4,120 | Residential: $9,800; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: February 6
Dates: Online: June 15 – 26 | Residential: July 19 – 31
Eligibility: Rising 10th graders; underrepresented students in tech encouraged to apply
Stanford AI4ALL is a two-week program run by the Stanford University Human-Centered AI Lab that introduces high school students to artificial intelligence. During the program, you will work on research projects in areas such as medical AI, computer vision, robotics, and natural language processing. You will attend lectures led by Stanford computer science, AI, and other faculty to explore the world of tech and pathways within. You will collaborate with graduate students and researchers, participate in career panels with AI professionals, and visit technology companies to explore applications of AI in industry.
Location: Virtual or University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost: $75 application fee + $875 (in-person) or $610 (virtual); partial scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: Not specified
Dates: June 22 – 26
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–12
ACB camp is designed to introduce you to the programming language R and to how to use it to conduct research. Over the course of a week, you will learn how to generate the outputs of your research in the form of graphs that can be used to describe your work in the form of presentations or a research paper. You will use RStudio tools and datasets to support your research projects. During the camp, you will also learn how to identify cancer biomarkers and separate cancer samples based on microRNA expression data using the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas).
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 in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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