10 Summer Programs for High School Students in Georgia
- Stephen Turban
- Jul 7
- 7 min read
Are you a high school student in Georgia interested in exploring a field of your choice? A summer program in the state can be an accessible (and affordable) way to spend your school break.
Summer programs can help you engage in college-level academics, gain hands-on experience in different fields, build skills, and learn beyond the classroom. Georgia is home to many universities and organizations offering such summer experiences.
As a participant, you may also get access to one-on-one mentorship, hands-on projects, site visits, and opportunities to build meaningful connections with professionals and peers across the country.
To help you get started, we have come up with a list of 10 summer programs for high school students in Georgia. We prioritize selective, known, and low-cost or fully funded options that offer academic rigor and strong networking or mentorship opportunities.
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: High school students with strong academic performance (applicants typically have a GPA of 3.3)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; in the past, the program accepted 500 students out of 4,000 applicants
Dates: Varying lengths and start dates, depending on the format and cohort you choose. The individual research program lasts 12 weeks, and the first summer cohort begins June 2
Application deadline: Varies for each cohort | The upcoming summer cohort’s applications close on May 11
Cost: $2,990—$8,900 | Financial aid is available.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a selective research opportunity for high school students. As a participant, you will get to work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research project in a field of your choice. You can choose from various subject areas, from data science, engineering, and neuroscience to international relations and classics. During the program, you get access to individual research sessions with your mentor, along with sessions with a writing coach. The experience ends with you completing your college-level research paper. You can learn more about the program on the application form here.
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: High school students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Typically two weeks (weekdays) in the summer; you can also opt for the 10-week program conducted only on the weekends
Application deadline: Differs for every cohort | The upcoming summer cohort’s applications are due on May 25
Cost: $2,290 | Financial aid is available
Veritas AI programs are flexible summer opportunities for high school students in Georgia and beyond. Its AI Scholars is a beginner-friendly program that offers a 25-hour introduction to artificial intelligence through small-group sessions in a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio. Here, you will explore foundational concepts including exploratory data analysis, linear regression, and image classification using convolutional neural networks. You will work with mentors from top universities such as Stanford, Oxford, and Columbia, and collaborate with three or four other students on a final project. The project work can range from building image classifiers for medical applications, designing responsive games, and predicting stock trends using deep learning models.
Location: University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 12; exact requirements vary for each camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies by program; typically, one-week camps are held in June and July
Application deadline: Rolling admissions
Cost: $450 – $1,200; need-based scholarships available
University of Georgia’s Summer Academy Camps are week-long opportunities to explore STEAM fields, including engineering, mass communication, animation, creative writing, acting, and advertising. Led by industry professionals, faculty, and specialists, the camps provide you with hands-on learning opportunities. Here, you will get to engage in interactive learning through team-based projects, simulations, and showcases. Some camps also include final presentations. For instance, if you choose the Broadcast Journalism camp, you will work on your technical skills in reporting, videography, and video editing through instruction and project work, which may involve creating your own broadcast show.
Location: Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA
Acceptance rate: Not specified, but 30 students are selected from each school system
Eligibility: Rising 10th and 11th grade students from Newton County School System or Putnam County Charter School System, GA
Application deadline: TBA
Dates: June 2 – 6
Cost: No details specified.
The Summer Experience program is a week-long residential session for high school students interested in getting a firsthand look at life on a liberal arts college campus. The program also introduces them to the key aspects of the college preparation process. During the program, you will attend lectures conducted by the university faculty from departments like political science, chemistry, and English. During the program, you will also participate in workshops on writing personal essays, choosing high school courses strategically, and building relationships with faculty. The experience can help you become better equipped for applying to colleges and seeking financial aid or scholarship opportunities. Beyond the classroom, the program offers opportunities to engage in enrichment and recreational activities such as team-building exercises, games, competitions, and field trips.
Location: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions between June and July
Eligibility: High school students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: Admissions are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
Cost: $400 – $650 | Scholarships are available.
The Georgia Institute of Technology, via P.E.A.K.S (Programs for Enrichment and Accelerated Knowledge in STEAM), offers a series of sessions to high school students interested in science, tech, engineering, art, and math. You can choose from multiple one-week sessions, from those covering topics in AI to chemistry and brain science sessions. All high school sessions offer opportunities to engage in hands-on experiences. For instance, if you choose the Energy Unplugged session, you will learn about the future of energy with the help of interactive demonstrations and activities.
Location: David J. Sencer CDC Museum, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, Atlanta, GA
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 by the first day of camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 27 participants per session
Dates: June 23 – 27 and July 21 – 25
Application deadline: TBA
Cost: Free
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) Museum’s free five-day Disease Detective camp introduces high school students to the field of public health. The program covers various health-related topics, including environmental health, emergency preparedness, injury prevention, and public health law. Here, you will participate in activities like re-created outbreaks, mock press conferences, lab sessions, an introduction to chronic disease surveillance, and short lectures led by CDC scientists. You will also learn about the fundamentals of the CDC’s work, especially the science of epidemiology, which is one of the sciences used at the CDC to improve the public’s health.
Location: Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA
Eligibility: Rising or graduating high school seniors who are at least 16 years old
Acceptance rate: Highly competitive, only 10–12 students accepted annually
Dates: June 9 – July 18
Application deadline: TBA
Cost/Stipend: No cost | A stipend of $2,400 provided
The Summer Scholars Research Program offered by the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University is a six-week internship. Here, you will get to work one-on-one with a physician or researcher in a lab or clinical setting and contribute to an ongoing research project. In addition to research work, you will attend lectures from Winship oncologists and faculty covering current topics in cancer research and care. The internship also includes visits to places like the CDC’s David J. Sencer Museum and the Georgia Institute of Technology. At the end of the internship, you will present your research findings at a final symposium attended by doctors, researchers, and graduate students from the institute.
Dates: Varies by location, but the internship typically begins shortly after the school year ends
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors who live in an eligible location and are not Bank of America employees or immediate family members
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 300 students are selected nationally
Application deadline: Applications open in October and close in January
Location: Multiple sites in Georgia. You can check the locations here.
Stipend: Paid internship; specific amount not disclosed
The Student Leaders Program by Bank of America, one of the Big Four banks in the US, is an eight-week paid internship opportunity at a local nonprofit. Here, you will get to develop leadership skills while working on community-focused projects. During the internship, you will get to attend a national Student Leaders Summit, where you will explore how government, business, and nonprofits collaborate to create social change. The program combines work experience with civic education. The experience can help you get insights into the daily operations of a nonprofit.
Location: Microsoft Office, Atlanta, GA
Eligibility: Graduating high school students or incoming college first-years who have completed pre-calculus and attend schools in Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, or Gwinnett County districts
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application deadline: TBA, but applications typically open in February
Stipend: Selected candidates will receive a competitive salary
The Microsoft Discovery Program is a four-week experience that offers high school students a chance to explore what it’s like to work in tech. Here, you will learning from professionals across software engineering, product management, and UX design. You will join a small team to work on a project and take part in the design phase of the product development cycle. Along the way, you will learn how to identify user pain points and customer needs and translate those into product ideas. This experience can offer you early exposure to big tech work environments and mentorship from Microsoft employees. During the program, you will also get hands-on experience and explore different roles in the tech industry.
Location: Spelman College, the Atlanta University Center, and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
Dates: June 20 – July 18
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application deadline: TBA, but application cycle typically opens in February
Cost: Free
The Early College Program in Art History and Curatorial Studies is a co-educational program for high school students of color who are interested in pursuing art history and curatorial studies. Through lectures, workshops, site visits, and guided discussions, you will explore how art is studied, interpreted, and displayed in museums and cultural institutions. As a participant, you will take ‘Ways of Seeing: Art History, Curating, and Museums’, a course that carries three undergraduate credits in art history and curatorial studies. It introduces you to the discipline with a focus on African American and Western art. You will engage with professionals in the field, work on exhibition projects inspired by the High Museum of Art’s collection, and visit museums, archives, and libraries across Atlanta and the region.
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.
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