7 AI Programs for High School Students in California
If you are a high school student interested in artificial intelligence, participating in a structured AI program can help you build foundational knowledge while exploring how machine learning is applied across different fields. These programs often introduce topics such as Python programming, data analysis, neural networks, computer vision, and natural language processing through coursework, research projects, and coding exercises. They can also help you understand how AI is used across healthcare, robotics, business, and scientific research while developing technical and analytical skills.
Why should you attend an AI program in California?
California is home to institutions such as Stanford University, the University of California system, and UCLA that offer AI-focused programs for high school students. Through these programs, you may study machine learning concepts, conduct research, analyze datasets, develop AI models, or explore specialized applications of artificial intelligence in fields such as medicine and engineering. Whether you are looking for a university-based summer program, a research experience, or a virtual option, California offers several pathways to explore AI before college.
We have curated a list of 7 AI programs suitable for high school students in California.
Key Takeaways
Best free option: UCSF AI4ALL (San Francisco/SFUSD students only)
Best virtual options: Veritas AI (year-round, financial aid available), Horizon (publishable research paper), Stanford AIMI Bootcamp (no coding needed)
Earliest deadlines: Stanford AIMI financial aid (February 13), UCSF AI4ALL (March 25), BeSMART (April 15) — start preparing in January
Open to international students: UCLA CSSI Tracks 3 & 4; all other programs require U.S. residency or California attendance
1. Veritas AI
Veritas AI is founded and run by Harvard graduate students, and our programs are geared toward high school students who want to build strong foundations in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In the program, students learn various concepts in data science and artificial intelligence, including neural networks, image classification, natural language processing, sentiment analysis, Python coding, and more. Veritas AI offers up to 100% financial aid for the AI Scholars program. Through the program, students build real-world projects in groups of 3–5 to showcase their interests and skills. You can also apply for the AI Fellowship, where you work 1-on-1 with mentors from top universities to build unique, individualized projects.
Cost: Varies, financial aid available
Location: Virtual
Application deadline: Varies by cohort; you can apply here.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
2. UCSF AI4ALL
UCSF AI4ALL is a 10-week summer internship at UCSF that pairs San Francisco high school students with faculty-led research projects at the intersection of AI and biomedicine. You will work in a small group on an original research project focused on applying AI to a biomedical question, with guidance from UCSF graduate students, and present your findings at the end of the program. The curriculum also includes lectures by UCSF professors, field trips to local AI and biomedical companies, and small-group mentoring sessions with faculty and senior researchers. Students who demonstrate strong progress may have the opportunity to continue their research into the fall semester.
Cost/Stipend: Free
Location: UCSF Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, Mission Bay, San Francisco, CA
Application deadline: March 25
Program Dates: June 8 – August 14
Eligibility: Current SFUSD juniors who are taking or have completed AP Statistics and/or AP Computer Science; students must provide their own transportation and a personal laptop
3. Horizon Academic Research Program
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more. Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research. Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Financial aid available.
Location: Virtual
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th- or 11th-graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites; more details can be found here.
4. ICS Summer Academy, UC Irvine
The ICS Summer Academy is a commuter program at UC Irvine's Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, offering two-week and four-week courses taught by UCI faculty. The AI and Machine Learning course, offered in Session II, covers machine learning algorithms and methods, including classification, clustering, and regression, through both paper and programming approaches. Other two-week courses include Data Analytics, Cybersecurity and Cryptography, Software Engineering, and Game Development and Design. A new, standalone four-week course, Intelligent Robotics, covers the full pipeline for building an autonomous driving robot — from microcontroller software development to circuit design and robot framework development.
Cost/Stipend: $2,500 (2-week sessions); $5,000 (4-week Intelligent Robotics session); need-based scholarships available; 10% discount for returning participants and second-course registration
Location: UC Irvine Campus, Irvine, CA
Application deadline: April 12
Program Dates: July 6–31; Session I: July 6–17; Session II: July 20–31
Eligibility: Rising high school students in grades 9–12 and graduating seniors; Python experience required for Intelligent Robotics only
5. Computer Science Summer Institute - Generative AI
CSSI is a three-week program at UCLA's Samueli School of Engineering that offers four tracks, taught by UCLA CS faculty and PhD students. Track 2, Intro to AI, covers the data science lifecycle — data selection and cleaning, feature engineering, model selection, and prediction — through a blend of theoretical and practical instruction. Track 3, Generative AI, goes further, covering neural networks, large language models, and multimodal generation through coursework adapted from UCLA's machine learning and NLP courses. Each track combines morning lectures with afternoon group discussion and concludes with a capstone project. Students can enroll in one track per session, with the option to take one track from each session.
Cost/Stipend: $3,150 (Certificate of Completion); $3,821 (Course Credit, domestic); scholarships available
Location: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Application deadline: April 30 (Tracks 1 & 2); June 1 (Tracks 3 & 4)
Program Dates: Session A3 (Tracks 1 & 2): June 22 – July 10; Session B3 (Tracks 3 & 4): July 13 – July 31
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10–12, minimum 3.5 GPA, ages 15+; open to domestic and international students
6. Stanford AIMI Summer AI Bootcamp
The AIMI Summer Health AI Bootcamp is a two-week virtual program run by Stanford's Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging that introduces high school students to machine learning and its applications in healthcare. Sessions run Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 1 PM PT and include lectures by Stanford researchers and clinicians covering topics such as medical imaging, model evaluation, responsible AI, and generative AI in medicine. Structured breakout sessions and case-based exercises help students connect technical concepts to real clinical settings. The program also features a guest speaker series with professionals from academia, healthcare, industry, and government, and concludes with a Certificate of Completion from Stanford AIMI.
Cost/Stipend: $2,000; need-based financial aid available; $45 application fee (waived for financial aid applicants)
Location: Virtual
Application deadline: February 21 (standard); February 13 (financial aid)
Program Dates: Session A: June 15 – June 26; Session B: July 6 – July 17
Eligibility: U.S. residents attending a U.S. high school, entering grades 9–12 in the fall, ages 14+; no coding experience required
7. BeSMART (Berkeley Engineering Summer Machine-learning & AI Research Training) – UC Berkeley
BeSMART is a two-week residential program at UC Berkeley's College of Engineering where students build hands-on fluency in Python, data analytics, and machine learning, taught by IEOR faculty. Each day is split between a morning lecture and an afternoon coding lab, where you work directly with real datasets and learn to extract and communicate insights through visualization. The program covers both foundational machine learning concepts and more advanced applications, with a focus on understanding how algorithms work rather than simply using them. It concludes with a final project in which you apply your skills to a domain of your choosing, alongside visits to Berkeley student labs and Silicon Valley companies throughout the two weeks.
Cost: $7,000; scholarships available
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Application Deadline: April 15
Program Dates: July 27 – August 7
Eligibility: High school students ages 15–17; no prerequisite coursework required