24 Computer Science Internships for High School Students in 2023
Are you a high school student interested in programming and computer science? Looking to jump start a career in software development or data science? If so, you’ve come to the right place. This article is your one-stop shop for 2023 computer science internships for high school students.
Curious about how to successfully apply for a high school computer science internship? Check out our guide to internship applications and our curated list of online internship directories to find the program that is right for you.
High School Internships
1. Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
Run by the industry leader in software development, CSSI is an online, four-week introduction to computer science for graduated seniors looking to explore career opportunities in programming. The institute is specifically targeted toward groups historically marginalized in the field.
The curriculum emphasizes computer science fundamentals and encourages students to participate in workshops promoting self-care, identity, career development, and community building with peers and industry professionals.
2. Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Summer Internship Program
The goal of the IALR summer internship program is to provide students with meaningful on-the-job training and real-world leadership experience in the fields of STEM. To be eligible, students must be rising first-year college students and must commit to 224 hours of work over an eight-week commitment.
The IALR internship is a paid experience with a weekly time commitment of 28 hours, in which selected students will work closely with a mentor to conduct research in one of nine different areas, including data analysis, information technology, and coding and robotics.
3. Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) Internship
Hosted at Boston University, RISE is a six-week program for rising high school seniors who will work under the guidance of university faculty to engage in hands-on research in a field of their choosing. Research areas vary as widely as public health and astronomy to computer science and neurobiology.
During the internship, students will tackle a research project that culminates in a closing poster symposium, where interns will present their completed research. Throughout this process, students will receive mentorship at weekly workshops on conducting literature reviews, constructing posters, and networking in the STEM community.
4. Sandia Internships
For students 16 years and older, Sandia National Laboratories offer three different types of internships: summer, year-round, and co-op. While high school students have the option of fully committing themselves to a research project in a summer internship, year-round and co-op internships allow students to gain valuable work experience concurrently with their academic studies.
In the year-round internship, high school students can work up to 25 hours/week during their academic term. For the co-op internship, Sandia works in partnership with individual schools to arrange for students to take time off during the academic year to learn via first-hand work experience. Some programs even offer academic credits for this work, in addition to competitive pay.
5. Simons Summer Research Program
The Simons Summer Research Program offers rising high school seniors the opportunity to conduct research in a STEM field in an apprenticeship under one of Stony Brook University’s faculty mentors. Simons Fellows will conclude the 10-week program having produced written research abstract and a research poster.
In addition to access to special workshops, tours, and events, accepted students will be presented with a stipend award at the closing poster symposium.
6. SPARK Summer Internship Program
SPARK’s mission is to provide motivated high school students in the Greater Seattle area hands-on, in-depth learning by connecting them with leading educators and industry experts from various organizations.
Students apply to up to 5 research projects of interest before being matched with a sponsoring business and conducting a summer internship with the matched company for a max stipend of $500.
7. Meyerhoff Scholars Program
Meyerhoff Scholars are selected by nomination for high school students wishing to pursue a Ph.D. or combined M.D./Ph.D. in the sciences or engineering. Sponsored by UMBC, Meyerhoff Scholars participate in research, conferences, paid internships and study-abroad experiences.
All incoming Meyerhoff Scholars attend an accelerated six-week residential program to prepare them for the program.
8. MITRE’S High School Student Program
Open to all high school students 14 years or older, MITRE’s high school student program empowers student researchers to become leaders in engineering and technology fields. For the 2023 summer, MITRE plans to offer paid positions to high school students over an eight-week period.
9. American Collegiate Adventures Internship Program
At ACA, high school students can land an internship in over 20 industries in either Boston or New York. Students will spend roughly six hours a day during the work week with their internships while the rest of their schedule will be structured around meals and activities with other students in the program.
The program boasts a 10:1 student-to-staff ratio in addition to all-inclusive activities and weekend excursions for participating high schoolers.
10. Externships Providing Leadership Opportunities in Research and Education (EXPLORE)
EXPLORE matches gifted and advanced high school students with distinguished mentors for research opportunities and professional experience in their field of interest. The program is open to all high school students and runs throughout the academic year, with events hosted at the Institute for Educational Advancement’s learning center in Pasadena.
11. Summer@Brown
Brown University offers several computer science summer courses for high school students including such titles as “Ancient DNA: Uncovering the Secrets of Our Species,” “Coding to Read and Control the Brain,” “Artificial Intelligence: A Computational Account of Intelligence,” and “Ethical Questions of the Information Age.”
Courses vary between online and in-person teaching. Check the linked website to find out more information about specific classes.
12. Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
CTY at Johns Hopkins is a nationally recognized summer program that runs classes across the country in such topics as advanced java programming, Arduino prototyping, and designing inclusive algorithms. Some courses are self-paced while others follow a regular schedule. Many classes run throughout the year. Check the CTY computer science course catalog for more information on individual programs.
13. Summer Science & Engineering Program (SSEP)
The Smith Summer Science and Engineering Program is designed for exceptional high school students with budding interests in STEM fields. SSEP offers cooperative, investigative learning under committed faculty and near-peer undergraduate teaching assistants. Advertised curriculum includes offerings like “Designing Intelligent Robots,” “Tracking an Outbreak,” and “Introduction to Ethical Data Science.”
14. Stanford Introduction to Logic
Stanford University’s online course on symbolic logic can help high school students get a head start on logical thinking, which is at the core of many STEM fields. Stanford offers intrologic summer camps for high schoolers both in-person and online and even includes a link to the entire course curriculum on the course website.
15. Seeds of Change
Another Stanford program, Seeds of Change aims to address the significant gender gap in STEM fields by pairing students with trained undergraduate mentors who will offer advice and mentorship to high schoolers seeking a STEM career. The initiative infuses high schoolers’ technical training in subjects such as computer science with feminist pedagogy, service-learning, and experiential education.
Computer Science Classes for High School Students
16. University of New Hampshire Tech Camp
The TechLeaders program at Tech Camp UNH has a number of weekly programs that cover specialized topics like molecular visualization and bioinformatics. These programs are very popular and fill up quickly because they give high school students a chance to spend a single week working on an in-depth project in one of these fields regardless of their prior experience.
17. University of Texas Science Summer Academies
UT Computer Science offers a variety of one-week summer academies from high school students ranging from freshmen to seniors including programs in robotics, iOS app development, and game development. The department also features the Academy for Women and Academy for All geared toward addressing diversity, equity and inclusion barriers in STEM-based fields.
18. MIT Online Science, Technology, and Engineering Community (MOSTEC) Program
Longer than most, the MOSTEC Program out of MIT is a six-month internship for rising high school seniors, especially from underrepresented or underserved communities. The program consists of three phases: the academic phase, in which high schoolers complete online courses and projects in computer science and science writing; a 5-day MOSTEC conference on MIT campus, and the enrichment phase, where students interact with researchers and professionals and write online blogs. The program is free and room and board are covered.
19. Emagination Tech Camps
Available in six different states, Emagination teaches coding in multiple languages, different varieties of game design, and engineering skills related to computer science. High schoolers can enroll in two courses for a one-week session or four courses for a two-week session. Each course meets for three hours daily with recreation and social activity interspersed.
20. Illinois Tech Computational Science Course
Illinois Tech has residential and daytime courses in computational science. Curriculum highlights include implementation of Mathematica, number theory, and modeling scientific and engineering problems with differential equations. High schoolers can earn college credit and letters of recommendation. The course is open to rising 10-12th graders who have completed Algebra II.
21. Carnegie Mellon Computer Science Scholars (CSS)
A Computer Science Pathways initiative, CSS is a grant-funded, merit-based program for rising high school juniors historically excluded from STEM fields. As CS scholars, accepted high school students will engage in college-level courses in computer programming and mathematics, in addition to weekly seminars on college admissions, financial aid, mental health, and building independence.
Students will also participate in group research projects and field trips to industry leaders in computer science.
22. MSU High School Engineering Institute (HSEI)
Juniors and seniors are invited to apply to HSEI at Michigan State University, a program designed to give high schoolers an in-depth experience in college engineering majors. Students will spend one week with a faculty member and a graduate student, engaging in lectures, demonstrations, team-based problem solving and campus tours. See the link above for a sample schedule.
23. Georgia Tech Summer Programs for Enrichment and Accelerated Knowledge in STEAM (PEAKS)
The PEAKS programs at Georgia Tech are designed to increase STEAM knowledge through hands-on and engaging experiential activities. These programs may be a good introduction into computer science for students with no prior coding experience.
24. AI Scholars Program
The AI Scholars program at Inspirit AI is designed to teach high school students fundamental programming skills through project-based learning. Students will receive instruction from Stanford, Harvard and MIT graduate students and apply their learnings in artificial intelligence to small-group projects.
Motivated students can take additional steps to further their AI and computer science knowledge by applying for Deep Dives programs––which focus on specialized topics such as deep learning systems and AI in human rights—or for a 1:1 research project mentorship, in which they can learn how to publish a scientific research paper.
