15 Data Science Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
High school students looking to gain advanced academic, research, and career development experience within an academic field of their interest should consider pursuing programs. They offer advanced college-level education, industry exposure, networking opportunities, and the chance to develop practical skills for college and professional work. Participating in a program in a field that interests you can help you stand out in the college admissions process by showing your ability and commitment to the subject.
Data science programs are a great option for students interested in quantitative work. As an interdisciplinary field, data science programs provide the opportunity to learn both advanced techniques in data analysis and their applications in subjects like computer science, economics, bioinformatics, medicine, and more. In this blog, we’ve narrowed down a list of 15 top data science programs for high schoolers, focused on rigorous opportunities offering advanced academics, research experience, career and college preparation, and networking opportunities. Our list includes highly selective opportunities, including paid internship experiences, mentored university research, and undergraduate courses open to advanced high schoolers.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; small cohorts
Dates: Summer Cohort 1: June 2–August 19 | Summer Cohort 2: July 14–September 30
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines by cohort (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter)
Eligibility: High school students with strong academic records; GPA 3.3+ recommended
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 specialized 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 pursue a data science research project on a topic of your choice, applying advanced mathematical skills to a real-world problem. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply to the program here.
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: High school students. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
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 and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: $5,600
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; 4 high school students and 18 undergraduates
Dates: June 15–August 7
Application Deadline: January 12
Eligibility: Chicago-area high school students and undergraduates
UChicago’s Data Science Institute (DSI) Summer Lab program provides a summer-long paid research opportunity for high school students and undergraduates in the Chicago area. You’ll work under the mentorship of a UChicago data scientist specializing in a sub-field matching your interest, with options such as computer science, climate and energy policy, materials science, and biomedicine. You’ll be trained in large-scale and discipline-specific data science methods through conducting a hands-on research project. You’ll learn about DSI’s undergraduate and graduate programs, research partnerships with industry and government organizations, and responsible data collection and use. Other features include networking opportunities with UChicago faculty and students, field trips around Chicago, and a guest speaker series. You’ll present your research to your cohort and the Data Science Institute faculty at the end of the program.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; residential students pay for housing (~$2,450)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; under 5% acceptance rate
Dates: June 29–August 7
Application Deadline: February 5
Eligibility: Rising seniors aged 16+ who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents; must be nominated by high school (up to 2 nominations per school)
SSRP is a highly selective and fully-funded research program for high school students with the opportunity to specialize in data science. You’ll be matched with a professor mentor and research team to undertake an individual research project in your area of interest. Potential data science research topics include developing high-performance computing algorithms, using statistical learning to predict coastal flooding, or applying machine learning to precision medicine. You’ll spend most of your time conducting research, but will also attend weekly faculty lectures on diverse STEM topics, join academic workshops with peers and professors, and participate in networking events with STEM researchers and professionals. You’ll finish the program by writing an academic research paper and delivering a presentation on your work.
Location: Scripps Research Translational Institute, La Jolla, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid or unpaid with course credit
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; about 40 students per year
Dates: June 1–August 7 | June 15–August 7
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and graduate students aged 16+
The Scripps Student Research Internship offers an opportunity for high school students to conduct paid research at Scripps Research Translational Institute within a cohort of undergraduate and graduate students. Students interested in Data Science can select opportunities within the Translational Institute’s Data Science division, where you’ll apply advanced data analysis methods to study topics such as integrative biology, gene expression, and regulatory genomics. Your work might include developing metrics to understand genome elements, designing mathematical models to quantify genetic variation among humans, or identifying genetic biomarkers for diseases. You’ll present your research at the end of the program at the Student Research Internship Poster Symposium and the Translational Institute Research Meeting.
Location: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; 8 students
Dates: June 30–July 24
Application Deadline: May 16
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th-grade students from low-income backgrounds and/or first-generation college-bound students
Harvard offers a fully-funded public health and data science program for high school students through the T.H. Chan School of Public Health. You’ll study data science methodologies for analyzing biological and health data, working under the mentorship of both a Harvard professor and a graduate student. You’ll cover specialized topics including biostatistics, analyzing quantitative health data, and statistical programming in R. You’ll complete a group research project applying data science and biostatistics skills to analyze a real-world public health issue, which you’ll present at the end of the program. To prepare for post-high school plans, you’ll hear from Harvard faculty about degrees and careers in quantitative public health and receive college application guidance.
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; about 80 students; under 2.5% acceptance rate
Dates: June 22–August 2 (6 weeks)
Application Deadline: December 11
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors with exceptional achievement in STEM
RSI is a highly selective, free STEM research program for high school students hosted at MIT each summer. You’ll start off with a week of intensive STEM training before diving into a research project of your design under the mentorship of an MIT and/or Harvard researcher. You’ll have the opportunity to focus on data science by researching topics such as bioinformatics, machine learning, and genomics. You’ll also attend a series of guest lectures from prestigious speakers, including Nobel laureates, STEM industry leaders, and professional researchers. You’ll finish the program by writing a conference-style research paper, which you’ll present to your peers and RSI mentors; prizes are awarded to the top 5 papers and presentations.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; ~50 students
Dates: June 9 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: Current 11th and 12th graders can apply | Must be a US citizen or permanent resident and attend school in the U.S.
Stanford’s SIMR Program offers paid research internships for high school students within its broad range of medical research institutes. If you’re looking for a data science program, you can pursue a placement in Bioinformatics, which includes research focuses such as biomedical data science. You’ll work under a Stanford researcher for the course of 8 weeks, during which you’ll design and execute a research project in an area of your choosing. Bioinformatics and data science focus areas may include clinical genomics, cancer systems biology, and computational biomedicine. Outside of your research, you’ll also attend educational sessions on scientific presentation skills, college preparation workshops, and networking events. You’ll present your work to Stanford Institute researchers and your peers at the end of the program.
Location: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz, CA
Cost: $5,518. Financial aid is available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; about 150-200 students at each campus
Dates: July 5 - July 31 or August 1, depending on your campus placement
Application Deadline: February 6
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th graders who are California residents | Specific Clusters typically have additional prerequisites
The COSMOS program hosts California high schoolers for three weeks of STEM research and academic training, where students pursue specialized “Cluster” areas of their choosing. Multiple data science program areas are offered, including Exploring Data Science and Big Data Innovation at UC Davis, Data Science in Health Sciences at UC Irvine, and Smarter World: Where Data Science Powers Internet of Things at UCLA. You’ll be taught by UC professors, participating in a combination of lectures, discussions, hands-on activities, and field trips. You’ll end the program by completing a capstone research project, where you can focus on a data science application of your choice.
Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA; off-site research institute placements may be offered
Cost/Stipend: $1,299; full financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective
Dates: June 18–August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students; minimum age 15 for remote and computer lab internships, 16+ for wet-lab internships
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program at George Mason University is a two-month research opportunity for high school students and undergraduates, with the ability to specialize in data science. You’ll work under a faculty mentor to pursue an advanced research project on a data science topic such as agent-based simulation, computational social science, machine learning, or economics of AI. You’ll also receive training in scientific research, writing, and communication skills, attend discussions on STEM career paths, and network with academics and professional researchers. You’ll present your work at a final poster session. As you’ll be supporting your mentor’s ongoing research, you may be listed as a co-author in a publication or a conference paper. You will earn three transferable college credits for your work.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: $10,599; limited financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; 75 students admitted per session
Dates: June 21–July 11 | July 12–August 1
Application Deadline: January 28 (priority) | March 18 (final)
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10–11 with strong skills in math and coding
UPenn’s Wharton School hosts the Data Science Academy for high school students interested in applying their data science interest to the study of economics and business. You’ll study advanced data science topics, including neural networks, LLMs, R programming, and model assessment, as well as research skills like ethical data collection and avoiding bias. Outside of classwork, you’ll also attend guest lectures from data analysts, workshops on college admissions, practical labs, and case study discussions. You’ll complete a capstone project and Data Science Live showcase, where you’ll apply data science research methods to develop a solution to a real-world challenge. You’ll present your work to your peers and Wharton faculty at the end of the program.
Location: Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
Cost/Stipend: $3,000
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; 12 students
Dates: July 16–July 31
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th-grade students; Connecticut residents
Yale’s School of Public Health offers an opportunity for high schoolers to dive into data science, medicine, and biology through its Young Scholars Summer Program in Biostatistics and Clinical Research. You’ll work with Yale biostatistics professors to learn skills including programming in R, statistical methods for data science, and designing studies in quantitative medicine and public health research. Alongside connecting with Yale faculty, you’ll also receive guidance from a Peer Mentor, a current Yale student who previously participated in the program, to learn about their journey to attending Yale, academic experiences, and career plans. You’ll finish the program by completing a small-group final project, where you’ll apply data science, biostatistics, and public health research skills to analyze real-world clinical data. You’ll present your work to Yale faculty and students.
Location: Remote and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Pre-requisite course: Free | Summer Program: Free for families with incomes under $150,000; otherwise $2,350
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Online course: Open enrollment | Summer Program: Selective
Dates: July 7–August 3
Application Deadline: Online course: open registration ending mid-January | Summer program: March 31
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11 residing and attending high school in the U.S.
MIT’s Beaver Works Summer Institute offers a biomedical data science program for high schoolers, providing both a school-year course and a summer research program. You’ll start by taking an online course providing fundamental training in data science, statistics, coding, and machine learning. Based on your performance and interest, you’ll come to MIT over the summer to learn how data mining and machine learning techniques are used to solve medical problems with Cambridge and Boston-area data scientists and clinicians. You’ll also receive training in specialized data science fields, including image and signal processing, deep learning, and advanced data analytics. You will apply your skills to projects like classifying textures through convolutional neural networks and diagnosing hypothyroidism, culminating in a final Capstone project where you’ll create and demo a health application prototype.
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, or online (varies by course)
Cost/Stipend: $4,180–$15,735; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; about 45 students per course
Dates: Varies by course; 4- and 7-week options offered
Application Deadline: January 7 (early/priority) | February 11 (regular) | April 1 (late; courses may be full)
Eligibility: Students in grades 10–12, ages 16–18
If you’re looking for college-level study of data science, Harvard’s Secondary School Program offers advanced high school students the opportunity to enroll in Harvard undergraduate courses, with multiple data science offerings. Options include learning about the Internet of Things, data mining, and graph algorithms in Data Mining, Discovery, and Exploration, or studying the evolution of data science from the angles of policy, philosophy, computer science, and more. You’ll study under a Harvard professor with current undergraduates as classmates, completing assignments like class discussions, exams, research projects, and academic papers. As an official Harvard course, you’ll earn a grade and transferable college credits for your participation.
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI, or online (varies by course)
Cost: Varies by course and residential/commuter/online format; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Varies by course
Dates: Multiple 2- to 6-week sessions; varies by course
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions ending May 9
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12, ages 14–18
Brown offers multiple data science programs for high school students through its summer Pre-College program. In Introduction to Computational Mathematics and Big Data Visualization, you’ll learn the applications of data science to topics including visualizing hurricane trajectories, 3D data analysis methods, and numerical simulation software. AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning focus on newly developing industry applications of computational data science. In Cancer Informatics, you’ll study the intersection of data science, biology, and medicine, and how bioinformatics research can improve cancer diagnostics and treatment.
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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