22 Computer Science Summer Programs for High School Students [2027]
Updated: Oct 24
TL;DR
You’ll find 22 summer options here, grouped into four types: university pre-college courses, AI and machine learning programs, coding camps and bootcamps, and research placements in university labs. Costs run from free to around $18,800, and several of these programs pay a stipend instead of charging tuition, so you can filter by budget before anything else. Most accept students in grades 9 to 12, though a few set an age floor of 16 or restrict applications to one state or region. The selective end is tight: Stony Brook’s Simons Summer Research Program took 60 fellows from 1,864 applications in 2026. If you want a research paper of your own rather than a campus course, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you with a PhD mentor remotely over 12 weeks.
A computer science summer program lets you write real code, try a college course, or join a research lab before you pick a major. The 22 options below range from free, selective programs to open-enrollment camps you can join this winter. We grouped them by type so you can jump to what fits: university courses, AI programs, coding camps, and research.
Do computer science summer programs help with college applications?
Yes. The lift comes from what you produce, not from the name of the university hosting you. A program that ends with a paper, a trained model, or a poster gives you something to point at.
A faculty or PhD mentor becomes a credible recommender: Someone who supervised your project for six to twelve weeks can describe how you think and where you got stuck. That carries further than a letter from a teacher who graded you in a class of thirty.
Sustained activities help: Pairing the summer program with a research project, an internship, or a school club shows continued interest in computer science. This shows colleges that you have demonstrated interest in the subject for a while and have a lot of experience to point to.
A finished output gives an admissions reader something specific: A research abstract, a published paper, a working application, or a conference-style poster can be described in an activities entry and expanded in a supplement. Across 492 scholars in the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, 97% used their research project somewhere in their college application, and students who published their paper were close to 9% more likely to be admitted to a top 20 university.
How competitive are computer science summer programs?
The free, research-heavy programs are the hardest to get into. Stony Brook’s Simons Summer Research Program selected 60 fellows from 1,864 applications in 2026, which is close to 3%. Open-enrollment camps on this list take anyone who registers before seats run out.
Free programs are selective: The programs that cost nothing draw the largest applicant pools. Carnegie Mellon’s CS Scholars, Princeton AI4ALL, the Research Science Institute with roughly 100 places, and Anson L. Clark Scholars with 12 places are the sharp end of this list.
Most programs screen for readiness: Berkeley asks for a 3.0 GPA and no prior coding, UCLA’s introductory track asks for a 3.5, and UCSD’s REHS asks for a 3.0. Age floors of 15 or 16 are more likely to rule you out than your coding experience is.
Check all prerequisites: Simons needs a school nomination and US citizenship or permanent residency. Berkeley Lab restricts to Bay Area public school students, UCSD to Southern California residents, and Princeton AI4ALL to current 10th graders who qualify as low-income. Check these before you write anything.
Deadlines land long before summer: RSI closes on 11 December 2026 and Carnegie Mellon on 1 February 2027. Build your list in the autumn, not the spring.
Can you earn college credit from a computer science summer program?
Mostly, no. On this list, Harvard’s Secondary School Program, Stanford Summer Session, UCLA’s Computer Science Summer Institute, and George Mason’s ASSIP all award credit. Everything else gives you a certificate, a project, or nothing you can transfer.
The same university often runs both a credit and a non-credit version: Harvard’s 4-week and 7-week Secondary School Program is credit-bearing and ends in a transcript you can request. Its 2-week Pre-College Program is not. The names are similar enough that students apply to the wrong one, so read the format before you pay.
Research internships can carry credit too: George Mason’s ASSIP charges $1,299 in tuition for three undergraduate credits, and that tuition can be waived for demonstrated financial need. You finish with research experience and transferable credit rather than one or the other.
Credit costs more and transfers unevenly: Stanford Summer Session tuition starts near $8,200 for commuters, and a receiving university may count your credits as an elective rather than toward a major requirement. Ask your target colleges how they treat external summer credit before you choose a program on that basis alone.
Credit is not the only outcome worth paying for: A published abstract, a mentor letter, or a finished project often does more for an application than three transferable credits.
What do computer science summer programs cost?
Prices on this list run from free to roughly $18,800 for a residential Stanford quarter, and several of the strongest programs pay you rather than charge you.
Fully funded programs exist: Carnegie Mellon’s CS Scholars and AI Scholars cover tuition, housing, and meals, and there is no option to pay out of pocket, so documented financial need is part of the application itself. Princeton AI4ALL is free, including housing, meals, and a trip to Washington, DC. Girls Who Code is free and offers US-based students a $300 grant plus laptop and hotspot access.
A few programs come with a stipend: Anson L. Clark Scholars covers room and board and pays $750 on completion of your research report, UChicago’s Data Science Institute Summer Lab is a paid research position, and Simons Fellows receive a stipend award at the closing symposium.
Residential university programs sit at the expensive end: Berkeley’s Computer Science Academy runs at $5,197 plus a $25 application fee, Harvard’s Secondary School Program reaches $15,735 for the 7-week residential option, and Stanford is higher still.
Aid usually needs a separate, earlier application: UCSD’s REHS charges $2,000 with full and partial scholarships available, and ASSIP waives both its tuition and its application fee for financial need. Apply for aid at the same time as the program, not after you are admitted. If budget is the deciding factor, start with the free computer science summer programs on our separate list.
How we selected these programs
We assessed every program on this list against four criteria, then grouped them by format so you can compare like with like.
Who teaches you and how much contact you get: whether you work with faculty, PhD researchers, graduate students, or camp instructors, and in what ratio.
What you leave with: a paper, a poster, a trained model, transferable credit, or a certificate of attendance.
Cost transparency: the full published price including application fees, and whether financial aid or full funding is stated on the program’s own page.
Eligibility you can actually check: grade, age, GPA, citizenship, residency, and nomination requirements, verified against the official program page rather than a directory listing.
Section | Top programs | Cost | Best for |
University pre-college computer science programs | Berkeley Summer Computer Science Academy, Harvard Secondary School Program, UCLA Computer Science Summer Institute, Carnegie Mellon CS Scholars, Stanford Summer Session | Free to $18,800 | Students who want to test-drive college computer science in a university classroom, often with credit or a certificate |
AI and machine learning programs | Veritas AI, Carnegie Mellon AI Scholars, Princeton AI4ALL, Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship, Berkeley Lab Director’s Apprenticeship Program | Free to $850 | Students curious about AI and machine learning, including beginners and students who qualify for fully funded programs |
Coding camps and bootcamps | Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, iD Tech Academies at Caltech, NextGen Bootcamp, NYU Tandon SPARC | Free to $4,999 (Girls Who Code is free; iD Tech starts at $4,999) | Students who want a guaranteed seat with no competitive application and a finished project at the end |
Computer science research programs and internships | Lumiere Research Scholar Program, Research Science Institute (RSI), Simons Summer Research Program, Anson L. Clark Scholars, UChicago Data Science Institute Summer Lab | Free to $2,450 (Simons residential housing; UChicago and Clark Scholars pay a stipend) | Students ready to join a real lab or write an independent paper with a faculty or PhD mentor |
University Pre-College Computer Science Programs
These programs put you in a university classroom for a few weeks, often for credit or a certificate. They suit students who want to test-drive college computer science.
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: $5,197 program fee plus a $25 application fee for 2026. A scholarship with the National Society of High School Scholars covers tuition and room and board for selected students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
Dates: June 21 to July 3, 2026 (two weeks). Usually late June to early July
Application deadline: The 2026 application ran from February 2 to March 17. Usually opens in early February and closes in mid-March
Eligibility: Students who have finished 10th or 11th grade, are 16 by the start date and hold a 3.0 GPA. Open to domestic and international students with little or no coding experience
This two-week academy teaches the same intro course Berkeley undergraduates take, CS10: The Beauty and Joy of Computing. Berkeley teaching professor Dan Garcia developed it. You code every day in Snap!, a block-based language, and build a project of your own. New in 2026 is a unit on AI, from supervised learning to ethics. At the end, Berkeley CS faculty watch you present at the Code Celebration.
Who it's best for: A complete beginner who wants a short, residential taste of Berkeley before picking a major.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (residential or commuting), or online
Cost/Stipend: $4,180 for one course online or commuting, up to $15,735 for the 7-week residential option in 2026, plus a $75 application fee. Need-based scholarships for U.S. citizens and permanent residents
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published. There is no minimum GPA, and test scores are optional
Dates: 7-week program: June 20 to August 8, 2026. 4-week program: July 12 to August 7, 2026
Application deadline: Usually early January for priority financial aid and mid-February for the regular deadline
Eligibility: Students graduating high school in 2026, 2027 or 2028 who are at least 16 by June 20 and won't turn 19 before July 31
Harvard's Secondary School Program puts you in real college courses for credit. The CS list includes Introduction to Computer Science with Python, the Intensive Introduction to Computer Science, and Introduction to AI with Python. In the 7-week format you can take two courses, say Python plus Data Structures. You finish with letter grades and a Harvard transcript you can request. There's no minimum GPA, and test scores are optional.
Who it's best for: A student ready for real college grades, including one who needs the online option to join from home.
Location: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. Track 1 (Intro to CS) ran fully online in 2026
Cost/Stipend: $3,150 for the Track 1 certificate option, or about $3,821 for the course-credit option for domestic students (2026). A CSSI scholarship is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published. Decisions are rolling and come within about 2 weeks
Dates: Session A: June 22 to July 10, 2026 (Tracks 1 and 2). Session B: July 13 to 31, 2026 (Tracks 3 and 4)
Application deadline: Track 1 accepted applications from February 15 to June 15, 2026. Usually opens in mid-February
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 to 12 who are at least 15 by the first day. Track 1 asks for a 3.5 GPA and no prior coding
CSSI is a three-week program run by UCLA's computer science department. In 2026 it had four tracks: Intro to CS, Intro to AI, Generative AI, and Internet of Things. Each matches a real UCLA course, so you can earn a certificate or UCLA credit. UCLA faculty supervise, PhD students teach, and every track ends with a capstone project. You can enroll in one track per session.
Who it's best for: A student who knows which corner of CS they want, such as AI or connected devices, and wants UCLA credit for it.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded: tuition, housing, meals and select trips are covered. Limited travel help is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Merit-based and holistic. No acceptance rate published
Dates: June 26 to July 24, 2027 (four weeks)
Application deadline: February 1, 2027
Eligibility: 10th graders who will be 16 by the start date, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with documented financial need
CS Scholars is a free four-week program for students with little access to computer science. You take a Python programming course and a math course. You also hear about faculty research and visit tech companies. At the end, your group presents a project at a symposium. A writing workshop helps you draft your personal statement. Strong students may be invited back for AI Scholars.
Who it's best for: A 10th grader with financial need whose school offers little or no computer science.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY. Commuter, residential and online options
Cost/Stipend: Commuter: $2,883 for 1 week or $6,381 for 3 weeks in 2026, plus a $95 application fee. Residential is about $12,800 per 3-week session. Financial aid is offered for commuter and online programs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published. Decisions are rolling
Dates: 2027 sessions: June 21 to 25, June 28 to July 16, July 20 to August 6, and August 2 to 6
Application deadline: Usually opens in late November and stays open into spring while space lasts
Eligibility: Commuter students entering grades 9 to 12 or their first year of college. Residential students must be 15 or older
Columbia's summer program offers over 70 short courses across a dozen subjects. Its technology courses include intro Python. Classes meet about four hours a day on the Morningside campus. You don't earn college credit. You do get a Columbia certificate of participation and an evaluation letter from your instructor.
Who it's best for: A student near New York who wants a one- or three-week coding course without college credit or a long summer.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA (residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: In 2026, tuition started at about $8,200 for commuters and about $18,800 for residential students with a full course load
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective, with a limited number of high school places. No acceptance rate published
Dates: Usually late June to mid-August (eight weeks). The 2026 quarter ran June 20 to August 16
Application deadline: Usually in February
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors and seniors who are at least 16 at the start and no older than 19 by the end. Students starting at Stanford as first-years can't apply
Stanford Summer Session lets you take regular Stanford undergraduate courses during its eight-week summer quarter. Computer science and engineering is one of its main interest areas. Every course carries Stanford credit. Commuters take at least 5 units and residential students at least 8. Expect a full college workload.
Who it's best for: An advanced student ready for a full college quarter, with the budget for one of the priciest options here.
AI and Machine Learning Programs
These programs focus on AI and machine learning. Several are free for students with financial need, and a few need no coding at all.
7. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program type. Full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective. The AI Fellowship expects either AI Scholars completion or experience with AI concepts or Python
Dates: Multiple 12 to 15-week cohorts in spring, summer, fall and winter
Application deadline: Rolling. Cohorts open in January (spring), May (summer), September (fall) and November (winter)
Eligibility: High school students. AI Fellowship applicants need AI Scholars or prior AI or Python experience
Harvard graduate students founded and run Veritas AI. The AI Scholars program is a 10-session boot camp on AI, machine learning and data science through real projects. The AI Fellowship pairs you one-on-one with a mentor from a top university on your own project. An in-house team helps you work toward publishing in high school research journals.
Who it's best for: A beginner who wants a structured start in AI that can grow into a one-on-one project.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded: tuition, housing, meals and select trips are covered. Limited travel help is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Merit-based and holistic. No acceptance rate published
Dates: June 26 to July 24, 2027 (four weeks)
Application deadline: February 1, 2027
Eligibility: 11th graders who will be 16 by the start date, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with documented financial need
AI Scholars is CMU's free four-week AI program for rising seniors. No coding experience is required. A virtual Python course a month before arrival gets everyone ready. On campus, CMU faculty teach the core AI curriculum. Your team builds a project and presents it at a final symposium. You also leave with a workshopped college essay.
Who it's best for: A rising senior with financial need who wants a serious AI start without any coding background.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Tuition is charged, with need-based financial aid through a separate application. Past cycles listed about $850 plus a $40 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published
Dates: Usually two weeks in June, offered across two sessions
Application deadline: Applications for summer 2027 open November 10, 2026 and close February 1, 2027
Eligibility: U.S. high school students entering grades 9 to 12, with a strong foundation in computer science, math or biology
Stanford's Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging runs this two-week internship. You learn how AI is used in health care. Then you work on mentored research with real-world health data. AIMI also runs a Summer Health AI Bootcamp for students with less technical background.
Who it's best for: A student who already codes a little and is curious about AI in medicine.
10. Princeton AI4ALL
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Free, including housing, meals and a field trip to Washington, D.C.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective. No acceptance rate published
Dates: The most recent session ran July 9 to 30, 2025 (three weeks). The program hasn't posted a 2026 or 2027 session yet
Application deadline: Usually in April. The 2025 deadline was April 9
Eligibility: Current 10th graders in the U.S. or Puerto Rico who qualify as low-income
Princeton AI4ALL is a free three-week camp. Princeton's computer science department and its Center for Information Technology Policy run it with the AI4ALL organization. You hear daily lectures from Princeton AI faculty and work on team projects, such as AI in medicine and biodiversity. A trip to Washington, D.C. shows how AI policy gets made. No programming experience is needed.
Who it's best for: A low-income 10th grader who cares about how AI affects society as much as how it works.
Location: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (in person, non-residential)
Cost/Stipend: No program fee listed. The program is funded through the Department of Energy's Pathway Summer School initiative
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published. Priority goes to public school students
Dates: Six weeks in summer. The 2025 session ran June 17 to July 25
Application deadline: Usually in March. The 2025 application closed March 21
Eligibility: Public school students in 10th and 11th grade in the Bay Area, especially Alameda, San Francisco and Contra Costa counties. You need to travel to the lab at least four days a week
This six-week apprenticeship focuses on machine learning and data science. You do hands-on projects, take a computer science short course, and join weekly talks with STEM professionals. Finishers can join more courses and seminars the next fall and spring. Students in good standing may be invited to a lab internship the following summer.
Who it's best for: A Bay Area public school sophomore or junior who can get to Berkeley Lab most weekdays.
Coding Camps and Bootcamps
Camps and bootcamps skip the competitive application and get straight to building. They're a good fit if you want a guaranteed seat and a finished project.
Location: Caltech campus, Pasadena, CA (overnight). Run by iD Tech, not by Caltech
Cost/Stipend: Starting at $4,999 per two-week session, with a payment plan
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment. Courses often sell out
Dates: Two-week sessions. In 2026 the academies ran from July 19 to August 14
Application deadline: Rolling. Summer 2027 registration opens to the public November 8, 2026
Eligibility: Teens ages 13 to 18, from beginners to advanced
iD Tech's teen academies at Caltech are two-week overnight programs. You pick one track, such as Data Science with Python and Machine Learning, NVIDIA AI and Machine Learning, Full-Stack Engineering and AI, or game design in Unreal Engine 5. You spend about five hours a day on the computer. You leave with a finished portfolio project, like a trained model or a playable game.
Who it's best for: A teen who wants a guaranteed seat, with no competitive application, and a project to show off.
Location: Live online, with an in-person version in New York City
Cost/Stipend: $3,695 live online or $4,495 in NYC, based on the most recent published prices
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment with rolling admissions
Dates: Several summer sessions, usually late June through July. About 95 hours of class
Application deadline: Rolling. NextGen is already enrolling for summer 2027
Eligibility: High school students. No coding experience required
NextGen teaches Java first, then Python. That covers the core of AP Computer Science before you move into data science and an intro to machine learning. Classes are live and small, with about 8 students per teacher. NextGen is a partner school of Noble Desktop, a New York coding school for adults.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a head start on AP Computer Science A in a live, structured class.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free. U.S.-based students can apply for a $300 grant plus laptop and hotspot access
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to beginners. No acceptance rate published
Dates: Two-week live virtual sessions, usually in July. A six-week self-paced option runs alongside
Application deadline: Usually late February for early acceptance and April for general acceptance. In 2026 these were February 25 and April 10
Eligibility: Girls and non-binary students in high school, mainly grades 9 to 11, living in the U.S.
Girls Who Code runs a free two-week live program. You learn coding basics in a virtual classroom and meet people who work in tech. A six-week self-paced option covers game design, data science, AI, cybersecurity and web development. Both are built for students with little or no experience.
Who it's best for: A girl or non-binary student who is new to coding and wants a free, low-pressure first step.
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY. Optional housing
Cost/Stipend: $3,300 total, including $2,800 tuition. Housing ($638) and a meal plan ($398) cost extra
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published
Dates: SPARC did not run in summer 2026, and 2027 dates haven't been announced. It runs as a two-week, full-day program when offered
Application deadline: Not yet announced for 2027
Eligibility: Students age 15 and older, from current 9th graders to graduating seniors. U.S. and international students. AP Math, Algebra 2 and Trigonometry are expected
SPARC teaches robotics, mechatronics and programming together. You wire microcontrollers, sensors and motors, then write the code that runs them. You test your robot in tournament-style challenges. Professor Vikram Kapila of NYU Tandon leads it. SPARC took a break in summer 2026, so check that it's running before you plan around it.
Who it's best for: A student who likes building things and wants coding that moves a real robot.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Computer Science Research Programs and Internships
These programs put you on real research, often in a university lab. Many cover several sciences, so look for the computing projects inside each one.
Location: Remote, so you can join from anywhere in the world
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program type. Full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective. Admission is based on academic review
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in high school with a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you one-on-one with a PhD mentor for an independent research project. You can pick topics like computer science, data science, engineering, physics, economics and psychology. By the end of the 12-week program, you'll have written your own research paper.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a solo CS research paper with a personal mentor and a start date that fits their schedule.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (in person). No housing for high school students
Cost/Stipend: Paid research position. The program page doesn't list the amount. Our review of the 2024 cohort put the stipend at $4,800
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Small cohort, about 22 students in 2026 across undergraduate and high school participants
Dates: June 15 to August 7, 2026 (eight weeks)
Application deadline: Usually in mid-January. The 2026 deadline was January 12
Eligibility: High school students who live in the Chicago area year-round, plus undergraduates. No prior research experience needed
Summer Lab pairs you with a data science mentor for eight weeks. Projects span computer science, public policy, climate and energy, and biomedical research. A weekly speaker series brings in working researchers. At the end, you share your results in a final video at a conference-style symposium.
Who it's best for: A Chicago-area student who wants paid, real data science research close to home.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Location: Remote, hybrid, or in person at George Mason campuses in Virginia
Cost/Stipend: $25 application fee and $1,299 tuition for 3 college credits. Both can be waived for financial need
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive. No acceptance rate published
Dates: Eight weeks full-time. The 2026 internship ran June 18 to August 12
Application deadline: The 2027 application opens December 7, 2026 and closes February 12, 2027
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students. Remote and computer-lab internships require you to be 15 or older; wet labs require you to be 16 or older
ASSIP matches you one-on-one with a faculty researcher at George Mason or a partner institution. The computing options include machine learning, cybersecurity, data mining, software engineering and robotics. You earn 3 college credits. Many past abstracts are published in the Mason Journal of Student Scientists Research.
Who it's best for: A student outside Virginia who wants a remote, credit-bearing research internship in computing.
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (residential)
Cost/Stipend: No program fees. Room, board and meals are covered, and you receive a $750 stipend after your research report. $25 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12 scholars each year
Dates: June 21 to August 6, 2026 (seven weeks)
Application deadline: Usually in February
Eligibility: Students who are at least 17 by the start date and graduating in 2026 or 2027 (rising seniors and recent graduates). U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Clark Scholars work in a Texas Tech faculty lab for seven weeks of full-time research. The program covers almost any field, and computer science is well represented. Three of the 12 scholars in 2026 did CS projects, including work on multimodal language models and quantum error correction. Weekly seminars and social events round out the summer.
Who it's best for: A 17-year-old rising senior with a specific research question who wants a fully paid, very small program.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY (residential or commuter)
Cost/Stipend: No tuition. Residential students pay for housing and dining, about $2,450 in 2026. Fellows receive a stipend award at the closing symposium
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 60 fellows selected from 1,864 applications in 2026 (about 3%)
Dates: June 28 to August 6, 2027 (six weeks)
Application deadline: The 2027 application link posts November 15, 2026. The deadline is usually in early February
Eligibility: High school juniors nominated by their schools, at least 16 by the start date, U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Simons Fellows join a Stony Brook faculty research group for six weeks. Mentors come from computer science, chemistry, neurobiology and more than a dozen other departments. You work on a question of your own, then write an abstract and present a poster. In 2026, 10 Simons Fellows were named Regeneron STS Scholars.
Who it's best for: A junior whose school can nominate them and who wants to work in a real university lab near New York City.
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA, and from 2027, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Free to attend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 100 students at MIT each year. Third-party estimates put acceptance near 3%
Dates: MIT: June 20 to July 31, 2027. Stanford: June 27 to August 7, 2027
Application deadline: December 11, 2026
Eligibility: Students in their junior year (grade 11) of high school. Sophomores and seniors are not eligible. International students can apply
RSI starts with a week of intensive STEM classes. Then you spend five weeks on an individual research project with a mentor. You go through the full research cycle and finish with a paper and a conference-style talk. Computer science is one of the STEM fields you can research. In 2027, RSI adds a second site at Stanford.
Who it's best for: A top junior with some research experience who wants to aim at the most selective program on this list.
Location: San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego, CA
Cost/Stipend: $2,000 registration fee, with full and partial scholarships. The application is free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No acceptance rate published. 774 students from 77 high schools have taken part over 17 years
Dates: June 8 to July 31, 2026 (eight weeks), about 10 to 20 hours a week
Application deadline: Usually mid-February to mid-March. In 2026, it ran February 15 to March 15
Eligibility: Southern California residents in grades 10 to 12 who are 16 by June 15, with at least a 3.0 GPA
REHS places you on an active computational research project at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. You learn to test hypotheses with computational experiments and join regular lab meetings. At the end, you present a poster. The program says 70% of its alumni chose computer science or engineering as their college major. Over 17 years, it has hosted 774 students from 77 high schools.
Who it's best for: A Southern California student who wants part-time research that leaves room for a summer job or class.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Frequently asked questions: computer science summer programs for high school students
Can you do a computer science summer program online?
Yes, several options on this list run fully or partly online. UCLA ran its introductory track entirely online in 2026, Harvard’s Secondary School Program offers an online format, Girls Who Code is virtual, and NextGen Bootcamp teaches live online alongside its New York classroom. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is remote by default, so you work with your PhD mentor from anywhere. Online suits you if you are not near a research university or want a schedule that fits around a job or family plans. For more options, see our list of online computer science summer programs.
Do you need coding experience to apply?
No, a surprising number of these programs are built for complete beginners. Berkeley’s Computer Science Academy is open to students with little or no coding background, Carnegie Mellon’s AI Scholars requires none and runs a virtual Python course before arrival, and Princeton AI4ALL asks for no programming experience at all. The programs that do expect prior skill tend to be the research placements, where you join an active project already underway.
What skills do you learn in a computer science summer program?
Most programs teach a language plus a way of working. Python is the most common starting point across this list, with Java, Snap! and project tools like Unreal Engine appearing in specific courses. Beyond syntax, you pick up data analysis, model training, version control, and the habit of debugging work that does not run. Research placements add a different set: reading academic literature, testing a hypothesis, writing an abstract, and presenting a poster.
What is the difference between a coding camp and a computer science research program?
A camp teaches you a skill on a set curriculum, and a research program asks you to answer a question nobody has answered yet. Camps like iD Tech and NextGen have open enrolment, fixed syllabuses, and a portfolio project at the end. Research programs such as Simons, RSI and ASSIP place you inside a faculty group, where the output is an abstract, a poster or a paper. Camps are the better choice for a first exposure, and research is the better choice once you know the subject you want to go deeper on.
Are computer science summer programs open to international students?
Some are, and some are closed by law or funding rules. Berkeley’s Computer Science Academy, Harvard’s Secondary School Program, RSI, and NYU Tandon’s SPARC all accept international applicants. Carnegie Mellon’s CS Scholars, Simons and Anson L. Clark Scholars restrict eligibility to US citizens and permanent residents, and several others limit applications to one state or metro area. Remote programs are the most open route if you are applying from outside the US.
How do you choose the right computer science summer program?
Start with what you want to leave holding, then filter by what you can access. If you want a credential, look at the credit-bearing options; if you want research, look at the lab placements; if you want a first taste, a camp with open enrolment removes the application risk entirely. Next, rule out anything you are not eligible for on age, grade, residency, or nomination, since that cuts the list faster than any other filter. Finally, check the deadline, as the strongest free programs close in December and February for the following summer.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.