CS Summer Programs for High School Students 2026

Summer is the highest-leverage time on a student's calendar. A focused summer program lets you go deep on a subject, live on a college campus, and produce something tangible while school is out. Aspiring CS majors stand out by building things and competing — shipping projects on GitHub, contributing to open source, and climbing the USACO ladder.

Options include selective pre-college programs at universities, STEM intensives like SSP and COSMOS, arts and writing institutes, and free, fully funded programs for students with financial need. Look for AI/ML research mentorships, university CS labs, hackathons, and programs such as MIT PRIMES and Stanford AI4ALL.

How you spend your summers tells colleges what you choose to do with unstructured time — a powerful indicator of genuine interest.

How to get started with summer programs

1. Start in the fall — the best summer programs have December–February deadlines for the following summer.
2. Prioritize selective, free or aid-supported programs (SSP, MITES, COSMOS, TASS) over pay-to-play enrichment.
3. Pick programs that go deep on one interest and produce something tangible — a project, portfolio, or paper.
4. Line up recommendations early and give teachers three weeks' notice with a short brag sheet.
5. Have a strong plan B: a local research reach-out, a self-directed project, or a virtual program you can run yourself.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Virginia Governor's School Programs — State of Virginia: Transform your summer with Virginia Governor's School Programs! Free in-person leadership and STEM opportunities for 10th-11th graders to boost skills
• Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences — PA PGSS: Transform your STEM skills with this free, 5-week summer program at Carnegie Mellon. Gain hands-on experience and boost your college applications thro
• Telluride Association Sophomore Seminars (TASS) — Telluride Association: Explore a free summer program for rising juniors focused on Black experience, leadership, and humanities. Build critical thinking skills and strengthe
• PROMYS at Boston University — Boston University: Explore number theory in a 6-week immersive summer program for high schoolers. Build research skills, enhance college applications, and dive into hand
• UPenn Summer Academies — UPenn: Transform your summer with a 3-week in-person program exploring business, STEM, or medicine. Gain hands-on experience to boost skills and strengthen c
• Beaver Works Summer Institute — MIT: Elite summer program for high schoolers in Grades 10-11 focused on STEM fields like drones and cybersecurity. Gain hands-on experience and boost colle
• Duke TIP Summer Studies — Duke: Transform your summer with a 3-week gifted student program at Duke campuses. Build advanced academic skills, boost college applications, and explore n
• Harvard Summer School — Harvard: Transform your summer with a 7-week program at Harvard. Earn college credit, deepen academic skills, and boost your college applications through hands
• Caltech YESS Summer Program — Caltech: Explore a 1-week summer program with STEM workshops and lab tours at Caltech. Perfect for high school students to gain hands-on experience and boost c
• Garcia SUMMER at Stony Brook — Stony Brook: Explore materials science in a hands-on summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Conduct research in nanotechnology and boost your college
• Clark Scholars Program — Texas Tech: Elite summer research program for high school juniors and seniors. Gain hands-on STEM experience, earn a $750 stipend, and boost your college applicat
• National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) - International Diplomacy — National Student Leadership Conference: Intensive summer program at prestigious university campuses focused on international diplomacy, global affairs, and negotiation. Students simulate int
• American Legion Boys State — The American Legion: Premier week-long government simulation program where high school juniors create a mock state government. Free, highly selective, and one of the most
• Best Delegate Model UN Institute — Best Delegate: Intensive Model UN training program teaching research, public speaking, and diplomacy skills. Programs available online and in-person for beginners th
• Girls Who Invest Summer Intensive Program — Girls Who Invest: Highly selective free 4-week summer program placing high school girls and nonbinary students at top investment management firms for training in financ
• ArtCenter College of Design Pre-College Program — ArtCenter College of Design: Intensive pre-college art and design program at ArtCenter in Pasadena for high school students to explore industrial design, graphic design, film, ill
• SCAD Pre-College Summer Art & Design Intensive — Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD): Immersive pre-college summer program at SCAD campuses in Savannah and Atlanta for high school students to build a portfolio and study art, design, fil
• Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Intensive — Berklee College of Music: Intensive 5-week summer program at Berklee College of Music for high school musicians to study performance, production, songwriting, and music busines
• Penn State Science-U STEM Camps — Penn State University: Immersive residential STEM camps at Penn State for middle and high school students covering robotics, cybersecurity, engineering, and life sciences on
• Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth (PTY) — Vanderbilt University: Summer and weekend academic enrichment programs at Vanderbilt for gifted K-12 students, offering fast-paced college-level courses in math, science, wr
• Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) — Google: Competitive free 3-week Google-hosted summer program in computer science for graduating high school seniors from underrepresented groups, including co
• Weill Cornell Medicine Gateway to Medicine Program — Weill Cornell Medicine: Prestigious summer clinical immersion program at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City for high school students exploring medicine, including hospit
• MIT Women in Stem Research Program Pre-College Summer Program — MIT Women in Stem Research Program: Pre-college program at MIT Women in Stem Research Program for high school students focusing on stem.
• Johns Hopkins Global Health Leaders Conference — Johns Hopkins University: Global health leadership conference at Johns Hopkins for high school students interested in medicine and public health.
• Johns Hopkins Pre-College Program — Johns Hopkins University: Pre-college programs at Johns Hopkins University for high school students in Baltimore.
• Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies — Stanford University: Pre-collegiate programs at Stanford University in humanities, bioscience, business, and social justice.
• NYU Pre-College Program — New York University: Pre-college program at NYU in New York City with college courses and campus living for high school students.
• Duke Summer Academy — Duke University: Pre-college program at Duke University for high school students focusing on stem.
• Columbia University PreCollege Programs — Columbia University: Pre-college program at Columbia University for high school students focusing on real world experience in variety of classes at ivy league.
• College Greenlight Free and Low Cost Pre-College Programs — Apply College Greenlight: Curated directory of free and low-cost pre-college programs for high school students seeking affordable summer opportunities.

Frequently asked questions