15 Free Online Computer Science Summer Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- May 27
- 9 min read
If you’re a high school student interested in computer science, a free and online summer program is one of the most accessible and practical ways to build your skills in the field. These programs introduce you to concepts in programming, algorithms, and computing systems without needing to travel or pay any fees.
In most programs, you’ll work with tools like Python, Java, or Scratch. You’ll learn how to write and debug code, build simple applications, understand how data moves through systems, and solve problems using computational logic.
This kind of early experience matters. Colleges value students who have gone beyond the classroom to apply their interests in real ways. A structured program with a project or certificate will also help you stand out as someone who’s taken the time to build something with it.
To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of 15 free and online computer science summer programs for high school students!
15 Free Online Computer Science Summer Programs for High School Students
Location: Online
Cost: $800. Fee waiver available.
Program Participation Fee (if accepted): $850
Deadline: March 31
Dates: June 17–28
Eligibility: U.S. high school students entering grades 9–12; must be at least 14 years old. Strong math, coding, or healthcare project experience preferred
Offered by Stanford’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging, this free two-week virtual internship gives you an introduction to how AI is used in healthcare. You’ll attend sessions led by Stanford researchers, work on a group research project, and meet one-on-one with mentors from the university’s labs.
The program focuses on applied machine learning and medical imaging. You’ll also build skills in scientific communication and attend career talks with experts from academia, industry, and government. At the end, you’ll receive a certificate. Only about 25 students are selected, so this is a competitive program.
Cost: Full financial aid is available
Location: Remote - You can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Program Dates: Summer: June - August, fall: September - December, winter: December - February, spring: March - June
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. The deadline for the Summer Cohort I is May 20
Eligibility: Open to high school students with a minimum 3.3 unweighted GPA.
The Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation offers a free research program for high school students from low-income backgrounds. If you’re selected, you’ll get the chance to work one-on-one with a PhD mentor for 12 weeks and write your research paper. This program is based on the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, which is known for supporting individual student research.
You can join the Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program, which follows the same format as Lumiere’s Individual Research Scholar track. You’ll pick a topic from fields like computer science, data science, AI, ML, cybersecurity, and others. You can apply here!
3. Veritas AI
Location: Online
Program Costs: Full financial aid is available
Application Deadline: The summer application deadline is May 25
Program Dates: Varies according to cohort
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, started by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who want to learn and work with artificial intelligence. If you're just beginning, the AI Scholars program is a 10-session boot camp where you’ll learn the basics of AI, machine learning, and data science by working on real-world projects.
If you already know the basics and want to do a deeper project, the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase lets you work one-on-one with a mentor from a top university. 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.
Location: Virtual or in-person (Austin, TX)
Cost: Free; unpaid. A NASA certificate is awarded upon completion
Deadline: February 22
Dates: Distance Learning Modules: May 1–July 1; Remote Projects: June–July 5; Virtual Projects: June–July 19; Symposiums: July 21–22
Eligibility: U.S. high school sophomores and juniors, at least 16 years old by start date; first-time SEES participants only
NASA’s SEES program gives you a hands-on STEM research experience led by scientists at UT Austin. First, you’ll complete online modules on Earth science. Then you’ll join a mentor-guided team and work with real NASA data.
You might explore topics like satellite imagery, mission design, or how AI is used in space science. You’ll build skills in coding, data analysis, and presenting research. At the end, you’ll share your work at a virtual symposium. Some students work remotely, while others may get the chance to join on-site activities.
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Free; students receive a small stipend
Deadline: April 9
Dates: June 2- August 29
Eligibility: U.S. students entering 11th or 12th grade with a GPA ≥ 3.0; must be at least 16 by December 31 and have taken a high school biology course
GL4HS offers a full-time, four-week virtual program where you learn about omics research and bioinformatics using NASA’s GeneLab Data System. You’ll explore how spaceflight affects biological systems through coding labs, lectures, and virtual field trips with NASA experts. You’ll work in teams on a research project. The top team gets to present at a national space science conference. The program is selective, admitting only a few dozen students each year.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free; unpaid (need-based aid may be available)
Application Deadline: Extended deadline usually in March
Dates: June 17–August 9 (tentative)
Eligibility: Open to high school juniors and seniors aged 14+, and community college students under 21
This remote research internship from Stanford’s Compression Forum brings together students interested in science, engineering, the humanities, and design. Over eight weeks, you’ll work in small teams on research projects guided by mentors in fields like biology, computer science, linguistics, and philosophy.
You’ll spend about 30 to 40 hours a week working online with Stanford faculty, graduate students, and staff. The program focuses on both technical and human-centered research. At the end, you’ll present your work. About 60 students are selected each year. However, the program is currently on a hiatus. Write to them here for information on when the program starts next.
Location: Virtual or in-person (Laurel, MD)
Cost/Stipend: Free
Application Deadline: Typically February 15
Dates: Summer Session: June 24–August 21; Academic Year Session: September–May
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors, age 15+, with a GPA of 2.8+ and residency in the Washington-Baltimore metro area
The ASPIRE program connects high school students with mentors from Johns Hopkins APL to work on real STEM projects. You’ll work on problems in areas like cybersecurity, physics, planetary science, and data analysis.
Projects are matched to your interests and experience. You can do the internship virtually or in person. You’ll develop technical skills and learn how research and industry teams work together. The program is selective, accepting about 15 to 20 percent of applicants. It offers both summer and academic-year options.
Location: Virtual, hybrid, or in-person (Fairfax, VA)
Cost/Stipend: Free (except for a $25 application fee, which can be waived); unpaid
Application Deadline: Typically in February
Dates: June 18–August 8
Eligibility: Remote: Must be at least 15 years old; In-person/hybrid (computer labs): 15+; In-person/hybrid (wet labs): 16+
ASSIP gives high school students a chance to work closely with George Mason University faculty on research projects over eight weeks. You’ll focus on one project in areas like cybersecurity, digital innovation, or natural language processing.
You’ll use professional tools, improve your technical writing, and attend talks and career panels. Past students have worked on projects such as dark pattern detection, UI design, and bias in machine learning.
Location: Virtual, with some opportunities in Greater Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Free; some projects offer stipends
Application Deadline: April 22
Dates: 8–12 weeks, typically between May and August
Eligibility: U.S.-based high school students who are citizens or permanent residents
SparkSMP connects high school students with mentor-led research projects in fields like machine learning, software engineering, and market research. You can apply to up to five projects, and if accepted, you’ll work on real tasks while learning skills such as data pipelines, predictive modeling, and AI applications.
Past projects have involved detecting cancer biomarkers, analyzing extreme weather data, and building machine learning workflows for industry problems. Mentors come from universities and tech companies. The program accepts only about 3 to 5 percent of applicants.
Location: Remote or in-person at NASA centers across the U.S.
Cost/Stipend: Free; paid internships (stipend varies)
Application Deadlines: Spring: September 12; Summer: February 27; Fall: May 16
Dates: Spring/Fall: 16 weeks; Summer: 10 weeks (May–August)
Eligibility: U.S. citizens aged 16+ with a GPA of 3.0+ who are full-time students.
NASA OSTEM internships let high school students work with scientists and engineers on active NASA missions and research. You can apply for roles in robotics, astronomy, engineering, or space microbiology.
You might analyze satellite data, support technology development, or help with systems design. Some positions include coding, communications, or environmental science tasks. Interns usually work in small teams or directly with mentors. Paid internships are available, depending on the site and project.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; $300 need-based grants available for U.S. students in SIP
Deadline: Typically March
Dates: Summer Immersion Program: June 7–18, July 28–August 8; Self-Paced Program: July 1–August 9 (tentative)
Eligibility: SIP is open to students in grades 9–11, Self-Paced to grades 9–12; both are for girls and non-binary students.
Girls Who Code offers two free online summer programs for high school students interested in computer science. In the Summer Immersion Program, you join live sessions led by tech companies like Bank of America and Logitech. You’ll learn about UX design, game design, and how tech products are developed.
If you prefer to learn on your schedule, the Self-Paced Program lets you explore topics like AI, web development, and cybersecurity. You’ll work through modules and learn programming languages like Python, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript. Both options give you access to mentors, peer support, and the chance to build projects that address real-world issues like climate change or online safety.
Location: Virtual or in-person at MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free for students from families earning under $150,000; $1,750 otherwise
Application Deadline: March 31
Dates: July-August
Eligibility: U.S. high school students in grades 9–11 (mostly rising seniors are accepted)
BWSI is a summer program where you study technical topics like AI, quantum computing, and game development. You can take online courses such as Serious Games Development with AI, CogWorks (Autonomous Cognitive Assistance), or Quantum Software.
Each course has modules where you build projects, code algorithms, and apply theory to solve problems. For example, in the Serious Games course, you design a game mod to explore how AI simulates moral decisions. The courses are led by MIT Lincoln Lab staff and end with a final project. The learning is fast-paced and project-focused, with peers who share your interests.
Location: Virtual or in-person at various locations
Cost/Stipend: Free
Application Deadline: Typically late March
Dates: Multiple 2-week sessions between June 2 and August 15
Eligibility: Girls and gender-expansive students aged 13–18; no prior coding experience required
Kode With Klossy offers free summer programs for teens from underrepresented groups who want to learn coding. You can pick a track in web development, mobile app development, machine learning, or data science. Each track teaches programming and design basics like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, or Swift through hands-on projects.
You’ll also learn about UX/UI design and work with other students to build useful, user-friendly products. The program includes talks by women in tech to give you career advice and networking chances. The camps move quickly but are designed for beginners.
Location: Online via edX
Cost: Free without certificate; $299 with certificate
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Dates: Self-paced over 7 weeks; requires 10–30 hours per week
Eligibility: Open to all; prior Python programming experience required
HarvardX offers the CS50 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python course. You’ll learn the basics of AI by programming in Python. You’ll work on projects involving search algorithms, optimization, neural networks, machine learning, and natural language processing.
You’ll build systems like handwriting recognition or game playing. The course also introduces important machine learning tools used in real AI work. This course combines theory and practice to help you understand and build AI systems. It works best if you already know Python and want to learn how to apply it to AI.
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; approximately 88 hours total
Eligibility: Open to high school students; no prior experience required.
Coursera offers the Computer Science - Programming with a Purpose course from Princeton University, designed for beginners. You’ll learn core computer science concepts using Java. The course starts with basics like variables, loops, conditionals, and input/output. It then moves to recursion, modular code design, and object-oriented programming.
The lessons come from the textbook Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach and include ten modules. You’ll do coding exercises focused on problem-solving and algorithm thinking. By the end, you’ll know Java well and understand how computer science connects to the world around you.
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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