14 Summer Programs for International High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Aug 5
- 11 min read
Updated: Oct 1
For international high school students (students from outside the United States), summer programs can be a solid way to experience college-level coursework and campus culture, often without the effort and costs associated with traditional college enrollment. These programs can help you develop practical skills, gain industry insights, and create valuable networks that can support future academic and career goals. Many options are available virtually, and importantly, all programs listed here welcome participants from outside the United States. This makes them accessible choices for students seeking to enhance their education while managing budget and travel constraints. Exploring a summer program can also be a great way for international students to engage with new subjects and meet peers with similar interests.
To assist in this process, we have compiled a selection of 14 summer programs for international high school students that offer meaningful academic challenges and personal growth opportunities.
Location: Remote
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer (June - August), Fall (September - December), Winter (December - February), and Spring (March - June).
Application deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school | Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4) | No previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program provides an intensive research experience for high school students interested in exploring a variety of academic fields. Throughout the 12-week program, you will collaborate closely with a Ph.D.-level mentor on an independent research project, resulting in a completed research paper by the end. This program covers a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, and international relations, among others. More information about the application process can be found here.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: $6,500 (need-based financial aid is available for all domestic and international students)
Program dates: Session I Residential: June 22–July 4 | Session II Residential: July 6–18 | Session III Residential: July 20–August 1
Application deadline: January 10
Eligibility: Applicants must be current high school sophomores or juniors (or international equivalent) between the ages of 16-18 years old by the first day of Session III. See details here.
If you're interested in exploring global issues through an academic lens alongside peers from over 150 countries, the Yale Young Global Scholars program is a two-week, residential experience on Yale’s campus. You can choose from interdisciplinary tracks such as Innovations in Science & Technology, Politics, Law & Economics, Literature Philosophy & Culture, or Solving Global Challenges. Each session blends lectures, seminars, breakout discussions, and a mentored Capstone Project, allowing participants to engage with current topics while developing their analytical and collaborative skills. The summer program for international high school students does not assign grades or course credit, and lets you participate in lectures by Yale faculty and professionals, discuss complex issues with international peers, and work in diverse groups to propose real-world solutions. The experience also includes cultural and social programming to give you a taste of campus life at Yale.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies according to program. Financial aid available
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Rolling, with multiple summer cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students aged 13–18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program allows high school students to take undergraduate-level classes at universities around the world. The program pairs you with academics from universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard in classes of 4-10 students. You'll attend university-style lectures and 1:1 weekly sessions with your tutor. The program includes practical experiences such as dissections in medicine, robotic arm building in engineering, or moot courts for law. You can choose from over 20 subjects, including architecture, artificial intelligence, business management, computer science, economics, medicine, philosophy, and more. By the program’s end, you will complete a personal project and receive written feedback and a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free
Program dates: June 22–August 2
Application deadline: December 11
Eligibility: High school juniors worldwide
MIT’s Research Science Institute is a highly selective, six-week summer program for international high school students where 100 students engage in advanced STEM research. Participants begin with intensive coursework in subjects like biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and engineering, followed by a five-week research internship under the guidance of scientists or university faculty. You will get to work through every phase of the research process, including reviewing current literature, forming hypotheses, conducting experiments or simulations, and producing both a written research paper and an oral presentation modeled on professional academic standards. Access to MIT’s computing and research facilities supports your work, and an ongoing lecture series introduces you to leaders in science and tech. At the end of the program, your work will be evaluated by academic and industry experts, and select students recognized for outstanding research. RSI also includes cultural outings and community-building activities that round out the experience.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Program dates: July 28–August 8
Application deadline: April 11
Eligibility: Open to current 9th-11th graders from around the world
GirlsWhoCode is a free, virtual summer program designed to introduce high school students to computer science with real-world applications and interactive learning. In the two-week Summer Immersion Program, you will join live online classes focused on game design, where you'll study coding fundamentals, user experience (UX) design, and the end-to-end process of creating a playable game. The curriculum supports a range of skill levels and includes exposure to areas like web development, cybersecurity, data science, and artificial intelligence. Students also participate in workshops led by tech professionals to further gain practical insight into tech careers and how to prepare for them. Sessions are supported by leading tech companies and focus on fostering a strong sense of community, allowing you to work closely with peers while becoming part of the broader Girls Who Code alumni network.
Location: Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) and University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Cost: Free
Program dates: June 22 – July 26
Application deadline: December 3
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors (ages 15–18), with an emphasis on Black, Indigenous, and underrepresented communities. Both U.S. and international students may apply.
For those inclined toward critical inquiry and social engagement, TASS offers a fully-funded academic program for high school sophomores and juniors over six weeks. You will engage in daily college-level seminars in either Critical Black Studies or Anti-Oppressive Studies, exploring subjects like history, literature, politics, and systems of power through intensive reading, writing, and discussion. Outside the classroom, you will help shape your residential community through democratic decision-making, collaborative planning, and practices of transformative justice. The experience stresses collective responsibility as much as intellectual growth, with no grades or formal assessments. Expect to write essays, engage with art and film, and attend talks by guest speakers, while navigating pressing questions about identity, privilege, and justice.
Location: Remote, hybrid, and in-person at George Mason University
Free: Cost
Program dates: June 18–August 8
Application deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Students must be at least 15 years old for remote internships and at least 16 years old for in-person or hybrid wet-lab internships.
At George Mason University’s ASSIP, participants conduct full-time research under the guidance of faculty and professionals in fields ranging from bioengineering and neuroscience to computer science and environmental policy. As an intern, you’ll work one-on-one with mentors using advanced lab equipment and techniques while contributing to real research projects that could potentially lead to scientific publications or conference presentations. You’ll also sharpen your skills in scientific writing, data analysis, and professional communication through regular feedback and discussion forums. Research areas span topics such as infectious disease, cybersecurity, molecular medicine, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and tissue engineering, allowing you to explore both core and emerging domains in STEM. Beyond lab work, this competitive summer program for international high school students also includes sessions to help you navigate STEM career pathways, build a research identity, and understand the collaborative nature of scientific inquiry.
Location: Online or University of Southern California, CA
Cost: Commuter (Domestic): $7,812 | Residential (Domestic): $11,347 | Residential (International): $11,949
Program dates: June 15–July 12
Application deadline: Domestic students: May 2 | International students: March 14
Eligibility: Applicants who have completed at least 9th grade by June 15 are eligible to apply. In addition to the requirements listed above, international applicants must demonstrate English proficiency in ONE of the following ways:
Minimum scores of 600 on the SAT Critical Reading exam (previous SAT) or 650 on the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Exam (redesigned SAT) or 27 on the ACT English exam; OR
A minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum score of 20 in each section); OR
A minimum IELTS score of 7; OR
A minimum PTE score of 68 OR
A minimum Duolingo English Test score of 120
Provide a completed USC Summer Programs’ English Proficiency Waiver
As a motivated high school student interested in launching your own venture, the USC Exploring Entrepreneurship Program allows you to experience what it takes to build a business from the ground up. Over four weeks, you’ll dive into core business areas such as accounting, marketing, ethics, and innovation while learning how to develop and pitch your own business idea. The course includes hands-on group assignments, visits to startups and venture capital firms in Los Angeles, and conversations with entrepreneurs across industries. You will also work on personal branding and networking strategies, building soft skills that are essential in entrepreneurial environments. The program combines classroom instruction with real-world exposure, offering insight into both the theory and daily practice of entrepreneurship. Expect to spend several hours each day collaborating with peers, refining business plans, and ultimately presenting your concept to an audience for feedback.
Location: Rockefeller University, NY
Cost: Free
Program dates: June 23–August 7
Application deadline: January 3
Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled as a junior or senior in high school, and must be at least 16 years old at the start of the program
The Summer Science Research Program at Rockefeller University gives motivated high school students the chance to spend seven weeks immersed in mentor-led scientific research. As a member of a small team, you’ll work with researchers from Rockefeller, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Weill Cornell to investigate a question within your team’s area of focus (topics vary depending on your mentors’ scientific expertise). During the first week, you’ll get oriented with lab norms and essential research techniques before selecting a specific question to pursue. The following weeks in this summer program for international high school students are dedicated to designing experiments, collecting data, and interpreting your results with guidance from experienced scientists. Expect to participate in electives, workshops, and guest lectures–all while preparing a research poster to present at a final symposium.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Program dates: Multiple 2-week sessions available between June 2 and August 15
Application deadline: March
Eligibility: Girls and gender-expansive teens between the ages of 13 and 18 from around the world are eligible to apply
Kode With Klossy summer camps are two-week, tuition-free coding programs aimed at high school students of underrepresented genders in tech. If selected, you will be placed in one of four learning tracks–Web Development, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Mobile App Development, or Data Science–based on availability and your experience level. Depending on the curriculum, you might build interactive websites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; develop iOS apps in Swift using Xcode; train a chatbot with Python through machine learning principles; or analyze real-world datasets using SQL and data visualization techniques. Each track emphasizes practical projects and collaboration, concluding in a final showcase of what you've built. Alongside coding, you’ll attend talks by women working in STEM and join discussions about tech ethics, inclusion, and innovation.
Location: Remote
Cost: $900
Program dates: Session 3: July 7–11 | Session 2: July 21–25 | Session 3: August 4–8
Application deadline: Rolling (March 12 for international students)
Eligibility: Open to current high school sophomores and juniors from around the world. International students can also apply with additional requirements to support their application.
If you join the EFL Virtual program, you’ll participate in a live, interactive online summer program for international high school students designed to develop your understanding of economic principles alongside leadership skills. Throughout the course, economics professors and leadership instructors take students through key concepts like scarcity, opportunity cost, market dynamics, labor markets, and international trade, using simulations and real-world case studies to encourage critical thinking. You will take part in activities via Zoom and platforms like MobLab and Pear Deck, collaborating in breakout rooms to dive into economic reasoning and its impact on public policy decisions. Alongside economic theory, the program includes leadership development through the Leadership Pyramid Matrix, helping you improve teamwork, communication, and personal responsibility in leadership roles. All course materials and interactions are managed through Canvas, ensuring you have access to resources and opportunities to connect with instructors and peers.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,580
Program dates: Session One: June 16–July 4 | Session Two: July 7–25
Application deadline: February 3
Eligibility: Open to rising high school juniors and seniors from around the world
SUMaC is an intensive summer experience for those who want to delve into advanced mathematics beyond the usual high school curriculum. The program provides two distinct courses: Program I focuses on abstract algebra and number theory, exploring topics like cryptography, symmetry, and error-correcting codes through challenging problems that connect historical developments to modern applications. Program II centers on algebraic topology, a more specialized area that examines the properties of shapes and spaces using algebraic tools, suitable for students with strong proof skills and prior exposure to higher-level math concepts. Throughout the camp, you will take part in lectures, group problem-solving, and guided research projects, working with peers along the way. Assignments and concepts demand a good understanding of proofs and logical reasoning, with Program II requiring a more advanced mathematical background than Program I.
Location: University of California, Berkeley, CA
Cost: California Resident $6,292 | Out of State Resident $7,332
Program dates: Session I: July 5–19 | Session II: July 19–August 2
Application deadline: March 1 (rolling)
Eligibility: Open to rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. International students who are proficient in English are welcome to apply.
As a participant in the UC Berkeley Business Academy for Youth, participants spend two weeks immersed in an experience designed to develop their entrepreneurial skills by working in a team to create a detailed business plan. Berkeley Haas professors and guest speakers from the corporate world provide insights into real-world business practices, with classroom instruction complemented by independent research, computer lab work, and team projects. You will explore key business concepts such as market research, financial planning, and effective communication, applying them directly to your business idea. By the end of the summer program for international high school students, you and your teammates will present your business plan, honing your oral presentation skills. Beyond business, the program offers exposure to college life through campus tours, interactive admissions sessions, and opportunities to connect with current UC Berkeley students.
Location: Otterbein University, Columbus, OH, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN
Cost: $7000 (financial aid is available)
Program dates: June 15–July 25
Application deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Open to high school students, undergraduates and gap year students
Ross Mathematics Program is a six-week summer program for international high school students that immerses you in an intense exploration of number theory, where you get to study integers and their properties through a carefully designed sequence of problem sets. Each day blends lectures with small-group discussions called “family groups,” but a large portion of your time will be devoted to independent work, pushing you to develop your own mathematical insights and proof techniques. Instead of covering a broad range of topics, the program focuses deeply on one subject, encouraging you to uncover patterns, test conjectures, and build rigorous arguments. Collaboration is central to the experience, as you’ll engage regularly with peers and counselors to discuss challenging problems and share different approaches.
Image Source - Yale University logo