10 Data Science Programs for High School Students in New Jersey (NJ)
If you are a high school student in New Jersey interested in learning about data science, participating in a program in the field can help you build relevant skills. Data science programs typically cover key skills like how to work with data, write code in Python, and use tools like machine learning and data visualization. As a participant, you will also get to work on projects and see how data science is used in real life.
These programs allow you to learn from and work with professionals in the field and explore college majors and career options. The program experience is also a good way to assess your interests and see if data science is something you want to pursue in the future.
In this blog, you will find 10 data science programs for high school students in New Jersey. We have focused on programs that are credible, cater to various skill levels, and offer networking opportunities.
1. Princeton AI4ALL Summer Program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~30 students accepted each year
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Cost: Free
Application deadline: April 9
Program dates: July 9 – 30
Eligibility: Rising 11th graders who attend high school in the U.S. or Puerto Rico and qualify as low-income
The Princeton AI4ALL Summer Program is a free three-week program for 10th-grade students from underrepresented groups who want to learn about artificial intelligence. Here, you will attend lectures and engage in hands-on work in labs to develop basic AI skills, analyze real-world data, and learn about research in the field. Princeton professors and graduate students will help you build these skills and lead discussions on AI ethics and real-world problems. You will also hear from people working in AI, connect with other students and mentors, and work on a final project that allows you to use what you learned and solve a real challenge using AI. This program also offers access to mentorship and professional development.
2. Veritas AI Programs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290 for the AI Scholars program; $5,400 for the AI Fellowship
Application deadline: Deadline varies by cohort; June 22 for the upcoming cohort
Program dates: Several cohorts each year; the upcoming summer cohort starts in July
Eligibility: High school students; the AI Fellowship program has a couple of prerequisites
Veritas AI is a program offered by Harvard and Oxford graduates. It helps high school students learn about data science and artificial intelligence by working on real projects in small groups. As a participant in any of Veritas AI programs, you will learn how to work with large data sets, build and train neural networks, classify images, use deep learning, and code with Python. The AI Fellowship program allows you to work one-on-one with a mentor from a top university. Together, you will create a project based on your interests. The project can utilize concepts in AI and data science, as well as fields such as finance, medicine, the environment, education, and gaming. The programs offer you real-world insights and experience in using AI tools, helping you build skills that can help you in future academic and professional pursuits.
3. New Jersey Institute of Technology High School STEM Research Programs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: NJIT campus, Newark, NJ
Cost: $150; need-based waivers available
Application deadline: February 27
Program dates: June 23 – July 31
Eligibility: New Jersey high school students completing 10th or 11th grade in June; applicants should have a GPA of 3.75 or higher
Through High School STEM Research Programs, NJIT provides six-week in-person opportunities for high schoolers to work on real research projects with university faculty and college students. You will be part of a lab team and can choose from five STEM subject areas, which include data science and management. In this track, you will get to learn how to collect and analyze data, work with lab tools, and build skills that data scientists and engineers use every day. Your schedule and exact tasks will vary based on your faculty mentor. The program can offer insights into university-level research as well as data science.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program: Data Science Track
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 500 students accepted out of 4,000+ applicants
Location: Virtual
Cost: Starts at $2,990; full financial aid is available
Application deadline: Rolling admissions with several annual cohorts; upcoming cohort’s applications are due on June 23
Program dates: Vary; typically, 12–16-week sessions offered
Eligibility: High school students with strong academic performance
The Research Scholar Program offered by Lumiere Education is a hands-on research opportunity for high schoolers. You can choose to conduct your own research in the field of data science under the guidance of a mentor, who will be a PhD student, researcher, or professor from a leading university. You can work with your mentor to explore a topic in data science in detail. You will also connect with a writing coach to understand the research process and work on your scientific paper. At the end of the program, you will have completed a college-level research paper.
5. Rutgers University’s Waksman Institute Summer Experience (WISE)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Waksman Institute at Rutgers University’s Busch campus, Piscataway, NJ
Cost: $2,200
Application deadline: TBA; applications open on January 1
Program dates: Several two-week sessions in June, July, and August
Eligibility: High school students who have completed a biology course
The Waksman Institute Summer Experience at Rutgers University is a program that allows you to learn about bioinformatics, a subset of data science, and molecular biology through real-world research. You will attend seminars led by university professors, work in a lab, complete assignments, and present what you learn during the program. You will primarily study gene fragments using bioinformatics tools and submit your findings to GenBank, a public DNA database. You will also conduct procedures to purify and analyze DNA fragments in the lab. If you prefer to work remotely, you can join the online version of the program, called vWISE, which allows you to conduct research from home but does not include lab work.
6. Academy College Courses for High School Students at NJIT
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) campus, Newark, NJ
Cost: $622/credit + non-refundable application fee of $60
Application deadline: May 30
Program dates: July 8 – August 11
Eligibility: High-achieving students in grades 11 and 12
NJIT offers various pre-college experiences, of which the Academy College Courses are opportunities to earn college credits and experience college-level academics on campus. While applying, you can choose the computer science course called Computer Programming and Graphics Problems, which covers concepts like data abstraction, programming, and algorithm design. During certain sessions, a course called Road to Computing is offered. It covers programming and problem-solving as well as the use of high-level data types, including strings, dictionaries, and lists in problem representation. During the program, you will attend faculty-led lectures within a small group. At the end of the program, you will be assigned grades and awarded three credits (per computer science course) that are transferable.
7. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Introduction to Data Science
Acceptance rate/cohort size: The total number of accepted students is not specified, but the average class size is 16
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,080; financial aid is available
Application deadline: March 20
Program dates: Session I: June 16 – 27 | Session II: July 7 – 18
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 11 familiar with at least one computer programming language and have a working knowledge of statistics
The Introduction to Data Science course is part of Stanford’s online pre-college program. The course covers computer algorithms and models, as well as the basics of working with datasets to address real-world questions. Here, you will learn about various aspects of machine learning by engaging in R programming exercises, as well as get some hands-on coding experience. The course will be conducted through lectures and project work. By the end of the session, you will have developed skills to investigate datasets.
8. Girls Who Code Summer Programs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not selective; cohort size varies
Location: Online
Cost: Free; eligible U.S. students may receive a need-based grant of $300
Application deadline: Early acceptance: February 28 | General application: April 16
Program dates: Summer Immersion Program: July 28 – August 8 | Pathways: June 30 – August 8
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 12 who identify as girls or non-binary individuals
Girls Who Code is a nonprofit that offers free summer programs focusing on computer science and coding, which are skills crucial for practicing data science. You can opt for the two-week Summer Immersion, which offers computer science courses catering to all knowledge levels. To learn about data science, you can choose the Pathways Program, which offers a dedicated Data Science + AI track covering concepts like data visualization and analysis through course-based instruction and project work. The self-paced Pathways program also covers coding and how to use tools like decision trees and neural networks to work with data. You will also explore jobs in tech, interact with professionals in the field, and join a community of girls with similar goals. You will also get to build projects that solve real-world problems and help you apply what you’ve learned.
9. Illinois Tech Elevate College Prep’s Summer Programs: Data Science Basics
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Cost: $350 + $100 application fee; financial aid available + upon completing the program, you may get a $500 scholarship for future education
Application deadline: TBA
Program dates: June 23 – 27
Eligibility: Rising 9th – 12th graders between the ages of 14 and 17
Illinois Tech offers various in-person and virtual summer programs to high schoolers interested in exploring topics in STEM. The Data Science Basics: Exploring Big Data is a week-long virtual opportunity for students interested in big data and analytics. During the program, you will explore data science concepts like data visualization and analysis through instruction and hands-on projects. You will also find opportunities to develop skills and analytical thinking. The program also offers opportunities to connect with Illinois Tech faculty and/or data scientists.
10. The Coding School’s Qubit by Qubit Quantum Computing Summer Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Cost: $495 for one week and $895 for two weeks; need-based scholarships are available; exact cost details TBA
Application deadline: Not specified
Program dates: Week-long sessions in summer; exact dates TBA
Eligibility: Incoming 9th – 12th grade students and undergrads
The Qubit by Qubit Quantum Computing Summer Camp is meant for high schoolers interested in learning quantum computing basics, which can have useful applications for data science. At camp, you will explore ideas like quantum superposition and entanglement. You will also learn to use Qiskit, a coding language developed by IBM, and run your code on a real quantum computer. You can indicate your preference for data science while applying to get insights into the field and explore the overlap between data science and quantum computing. The program will also help you learn how to develop quantum circuits and algorithms, as well as develop programming skills in Python.
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