14 Data Science Summer Research Programs for High School Students
If you are interested in exploring the field of data science before college, a research program is a great way to get started. As a participant, you will get to apply coding skills, algorithms, statistics, and problem-solving to investigate real research questions. Data science summer research programs for high school students are typically opportunities to spend several weeks working with mentors, learning how to analyze and interpret data.
These programs help you develop research skills like cleaning and analyzing datasets, interpreting results, and presenting your findings in a clear way. Some programs are structured around group projects where you collaborate with peers, while others match you directly with university mentors to contribute to active research. In addition to building technical skills, you will learn how to ask strong research questions and think critically about data.
Here is a list of 14 data science summer research programs for high school students.
1. NYU’s Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE) Program
Location: New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: $1,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; exact numbers aren’t available
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who live and attend schools in New York City
At ARISE, you will split your time between workshops and STEM research in NYU labs. During the first month, you will develop core skills, learn lab safety protocols, explore academic writing, and navigate scientific inquiry. Then, you will join one of 80+ labs, which include the Responsible Data Science Lab, and contribute to research under the guidance of faculty and mentors. You will also present your work at NYU as well as the American Museum of Natural History. As an ARISE participant, you will gain about 120 hours of lab experience, get to collaborate with peers, and sharpen skills in public speaking.
2. Veritas AI Programs
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by format; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts in a year, including in the summer
Application deadline: May/June deadlines for the summer cohorts
Eligibility: High school students; AI Fellowship requires completion of the AI Scholars track or prior experience with Python
Veritas AI offers summer programs for high school students, where you can build and apply data science and machine learning skills. In the AI Scholars program, you will begin with Python and data science basics, then move on to topics like regression, neural networks, and natural language processing, before finishing the program with a group project. The AI Fellowship is more individualized, allowing you to design and carry out a novel research project with one-on-one mentorship. Over several weeks, you progress from exploring a research question to building and testing a model under the guidance of mentors, frequently refining both your methods and your presentation.
3. MIT’s Research Science Institute (RSI)
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 100 students are accepted
Dates: June 22 – August 2
Application deadline: December 11
Eligibility: High school juniors with strong academic standing; check the detailed requirements here.
At MIT’s Research Science Institute (RSI), you will engage in a STEM research experience that mirrors the work of professional researchers, developing questions, consulting current literature, executing a plan, and presenting results. The program begins with a week of intensive STEM coursework before transitioning into a five-week research internship. You will work under the guidance of a mentor and design and carry out your own project. You may work on a project that helps you explore data science. In the final phase, you will submit a research paper and deliver a conference-style oral presentation.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by format; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts in a year, including in the summer
Application deadline: May/June deadlines for the summer cohorts
Eligibility: Academically strong high school students
In the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, you will work closely with a university researcher to develop an independent academic project. Early sessions focus on exploring a topic and narrowing down a clear research question. In this stage, you can choose a data science topic you want to investigate. From there, you will write, revise, and compile your research into a full research paper with the help of direct feedback from both your mentor and a writing coach. By the final week, you will have a completed paper. You will also present your work at a virtual symposium.
5. George Mason University Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Virtual or at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost/Stipend: $25 application fee with need-based fee waivers available; no stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 18 – August 8
Application deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Students who are at least 15 years old
ASSIP offers virtual, in-person, and hybrid research internships in various fields, including computational and data sciences. You can find a mentor whose research interests lie in data science topics like modeling and simulation, computational research psychology, natural language processing, machine learning, and deep learning. During the eight-week program, you will work with your mentor, contributing to data science research and developing scientific writing and communication skills. As an intern, you will learn about STEM career paths through discussion forums led by professors, researchers, and professionals. The program ends with a research symposium and celebration.
6. National Library of Medicine (NLM) Data Science and Informatics (DSI) Scholars Program
Location: NIH campus, Bethesda, MD
Stipend: Students receive a stipend based on education and experience
Acceptance rate/cohort size: The previous cohort had 32 students; the number can vary each year
Dates: 8 – 12 weeks starting in June
Application deadline: February 19
Eligibility: High school seniors or college students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, who have completed coursework in computer science, data science, informatics, mathematics, or related fields; applicants must be U.S. citizens/permanent residents
Run by the National Library of Medicine, this data science summer research program for high school students focuses on offering research experiences in computational biology and health informatics. You will join a research team and work with a mentor on projects that use data science methods to analyze biological or clinical data. You will attend weekly seminars on emerging approaches in biomedical research and professional development workshops to strengthen your scientific communication skills. Your work will culminate in presentations at both NLM’s Summer Poster Day and the NIH-wide Poster Day, which will allow you to practice communicating your research in a professional environment.
7. University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute (DSI) Summer Lab
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Stipend: $5,600
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Previous cohorts had around 22 students; the number can vary each year
Dates: June 16 – August 8
Application deadline: January 12
Eligibility: Undergraduates and Chicago-area high school students
At the University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute Summer Lab, you will get an eight-week interdisciplinary data science research opportunity.
This program places you in a lab where you will work with mentors on research projects spanning disciplines such as data science, public policy, computer science, climate science, and biomedical research. This data science summer research program for high school students also offers training in research methodologies and teamwork. You will also practice communicating your results through final videos and symposium presentations.
8. Carnegie Mellon CS Scholars
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Exact information is unavailable
Dates: June 21 – July 19
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores who are 16 years old by the start of the program, are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and have demonstrated financial need
CS Scholars is a computer science summer research-based program for high school students that combines classroom study, group projects, and exposure to ongoing research at Carnegie Mellon. Here, you will explore concepts like algorithmic components (variables, functions, conditionals, and loops) and basic data structures while also practicing how to debug, test, and refine code. The experience can help you develop skills in Python programming and problem-solving. You will collaborate with peers on group research projects, which you will present at the program’s conclusion.
9. NASA Internships
Location: NASA centers nationwide
Stipend: Paid and unpaid opportunities available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Late May/Early June – August
Application deadline: February 27
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 at the time of application, have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, and are U.S. citizens
NASA’s internship opportunities allow you to work alongside scientists and engineers tackling assignments in aeronautics, technology, and space exploration. While tasks can vary by role, you may contribute to research that may involve analyzing datasets from satellites, developing software tools, or modeling complex systems. You will also gain experience in professional collaboration and receive mentorship during the program. The experience can help you explore career pathways at NASA.
10. Wharton Data Science Academy
Location: The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $100 application fee (waivers available) + $9,799 (scholarships are available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~75 students are selected
Dates: July 13 – August 2
Application deadline: January 29 (priority); April 2 (final)
Eligibility: 10th- and 11th-grade students with a strong background in math and coding, as well as an interest in data analytics
The Wharton Data Science Academy is a data science summer program for high school students that focuses on both technical skill development and critical thinking development. During the program, you will explore statistical foundations, real-world datasets, and R—a programming language widely used by professionals. Lectures and workshops cover visualization, data wrangling, and introductory machine learning, along with guest speakers and teaching assistants who add perspective on how these skills are used in research and industry. You will also work in a team to complete a final project. The program closes with a showcase of your findings, giving you a chance to share your analysis with peers and instructors.
11. Stony Brook University’s Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost/Stipend: No tuition fees, but the residential fee is $2360.25 (optional); a stipend will be awarded
Acceptance rate: ~5%
Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application deadline: February 7
Eligibility: High school juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and are at least 16 years old by the start of the program
The Simons Summer Research Program is one of the longest-running summer research programs for high school students. It offers research opportunities spanning fields like data science, mathematics, engineering, and other scientific disciplines. You will join a Stony Brook University research group and contribute to a project while learning how to work with professional laboratory techniques and tools. You will engage in weekly faculty talks to gain exposure to fields outside your own, while workshops help you refine practical research skills. You will submit and present a research abstract and poster that document your findings.
12. University of the Pacific’s Data Science Boot Camp
Location: University of the Pacific’s Northern California campuses, CA
Cost: $3,650; $500 discount available for eligible students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Exact information is unavailable
Dates: June 17 – 27
Application deadline: April 25
Eligibility: Rising high schoolers
At the University of the Pacific Data Science Boot Camp, you will explore how artificial intelligence works by learning the fundamentals of programming and data handling. The program begins with an introduction to Python, where you will explore the process of reading and transforming datasets. You then move into building systems that detect patterns and generate predictions, with a focus on visualization. You will learn about and apply the basics of machine learning, predictive modeling, and coding in a way that prepares you to understand larger data-driven projects. While not a research program, the camp offers insights that can help with research as well as access to instruction led by professors with research experience.
13. UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program (RMP)
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Cost: $5,175 (commuter) | $12,474 (residential); scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 16 – August 1
Application deadline: March 17
Eligibility: High school students in the 10th or 11th grade with a minimum 3.80 academic weighted GPA
UCSB’s RMP is a six-week opportunity to engage in research under the guidance of a faculty member, postdoc, or graduate student. The program begins with a virtual orientation, where you will explore available projects and meet your mentor before starting hands-on work on campus. You can choose from various disciplines, including computer science and data science. You will spend the majority of your time conducting research, working in the lab, analyzing data, writing a research paper, and presenting your findings at a formal symposium. The program also offers the opportunity to earn 8 university credits through participation in two interdisciplinary research courses that cover research techniques, methods, scientific writing, and research presentation.
14. Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI): Medlytics Course
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free for students with a family income of less than $150,000; $2,350 otherwise
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 2 – August 3; the pre-program online component must be completed by June 20
Application deadline: March 31
Eligibility: 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students
The BWSI Medlytics is a data science summer research course that focuses on the intersection of health, medicine, and data science. Once you complete an online preparatory course that introduces probability, statistics, coding, and machine learning, you will spend four weeks applying these skills to real-world medical data. Working in a team, you will explore supervised and unsupervised algorithms, diagnostic research, time-series analysis, and computer vision applications. Each week includes a clinical data challenge that tests your ability to design models, interpret results, and present findings. By the end of the program, you will complete a capstone project that demonstrates how data science can be applied to solve practical problems in healthcare.