15 Free Summer Programs for High School Students in NYC (New York City)
If you’re a high school student in New York City looking to use your summer in a meaningful way, consider joining a free program based here in the city. New York is home to top universities, research labs, theaters, museums, and startup hubs. The summer offers a wide range of opportunities for high school students.
You can take part in lab research, theater performance, coding, business development, or social impact projects. Most programs do not require prior experience or college-level coursework. These programs also give you a chance to build skills, grow your network, and strengthen your college applications by showing what you’ve learned.
To help you get started, here are 15 free summer programs for high school students in New York City!
15 Free Summer Programs for High School Students in NYC (New York City)
1. Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; students will receive a $1000 stipend on completing the program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Full-time NYC residents attending NYC schools
ARISE is a free, intensive summer program at NYU where you can spend 10 weeks doing real lab research alongside faculty and graduate students. You start with online training in lab safety, writing, and research methods, then move into full-time lab work in fields like engineering, neuroscience, and computer science. You gain about 120 hours of hands-on research experience and get support through mentorship and college prep sessions. At the end, you present your work at a research symposium, including a poster session at the American Museum of Natural History.
2. Summer Science Research Program (SSRP)
Location: RockEDU Science Outreach Laboratory, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; stipends may be available for students facing financial hardship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 32 students are accepted each year
Dates: June 23 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 3
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are 16 years or older at the start of the program
SSRP is a free seven-week summer research program in New York City where you join a small team and work full-time on real science projects. You choose your research question and do experiments with mentors from places like Rockefeller University, MSK, and Weill Cornell. You learn directly from professionals in labs that focus on topics like molecular biology or computational science. Along the way, you take courses, join lectures, and build your scientific and technical skills. At the end, you present your work in a formal research poster session.
3. Summer Shakespeare
Location: 65 Broadway, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 22 students are accepted
Dates: July 7 – August 8
Application Deadline: June 20
Eligibility: Students must be enrolled in a New York City high school and have demonstrated financial need (students who qualify for SNAP benefits will receive priority), as well as demonstrated need or lack of access to arts programming
Summer Shakespeare is a free five-week program in New York City for high school students who want to learn classical theater. You get about 50 hours of focused training in acting, voice, movement, and improvisation, all taught in a conservatory-style setting. You’ll work closely with your group to rehearse and perform a shortened Shakespeare play. The schedule is designed like a professional rehearsal, helping you build discipline, teamwork, and stage experience.
4. Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP)
Location: Rockefeller University, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20–25 students per cohort
Dates: August 4 – 15
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Students enrolled in a New York City public school who are at least 16 years old by the start of the program. Students from underrepresented communities are highly encouraged to apply.
The Summer Neuroscience Program is a free two-week experience for high school students in New York City who want to explore how the brain works. You learn neuroscience through lectures, group discussions, and hands-on labs—including dissecting a brain. You’ll design your experiment, read and present a research paper, and practice thinking and communicating like a scientist. You also spend time in Rockefeller University labs and learn directly from neuroscience researchers.
5. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: 100% financial aid available. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: High school students. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI offers two programs for high school students who want to learn and apply artificial intelligence. The AI Scholars program is a 10-session boot camp where you learn Python and key AI and machine learning concepts through live classes and coding projects.
If you want to go deeper, the AI Fellowship gives you 12–15 weeks to work one-on-one with a PhD mentor on a personalized AI research project. Your project can be in areas like finance, medicine, gaming, or sports, and you’ll build something you can publish or present in a final showcase.
6. Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program
Location: New York, NY
Stipend: $16/hour to $22/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 45 students per year
Dates: 6–8 weeks following the student’s last day of school
Application Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: Students attending New York City public schools
The Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program (TMSLIP) is a free summer program in New York City that helps high school students explore careers in law. You’re matched with law firms, nonprofits, government offices, or corporations, where you help with tasks like filing, organizing documents, and supporting legal teams.
Before the internship starts, you join a series of workshops in March that prepare you for job interviews and teach workplace skills. Once placed, you’ll get a close-up look at how legal offices run and learn about different roles in the legal field. Throughout the summer, you can also attend extra events like career panels and speaker sessions offered by your host organization.
7. Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation
Cost: The program is fully funded!
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Vary based on yearly cohort. Multiple 12-week cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility:You must be enrolled in high school or plan to enroll as a freshman in college in the fall and must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
The Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program is the equivalent of the Individual Research Scholar Program at Lumiere Education. In the flagship program, talented high-school students are paired with world-class Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll develop an independent research paper. You can choose topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. This program is a solid option if you are interested in interdisciplinary research and want to create an individual research paper. You can apply here!
8. Summer Arts Institute
Location: Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, Astoria, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Students entering grades 8 to 12 who are currently enrolled in or will enroll in a New York City Department of Education public high school.
The Summer Arts Institute (SAI) is a free program in New York City for high school students with experience in dance, theater, visual arts, film, vocal music, band, or strings. It’s designed for students who want focused training to grow as both artists and performers. You’ll train each day with NYC arts teachers and professionals from groups like the New York Philharmonic and American Ballet Theatre. You also attend live performances, visit cultural spaces, and learn about careers in the arts. The program ends with a final showcase where you present your original work to the public.
9. BossGirls Summer Program
Location: The City College of New York, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 40 students
Dates: June 30 – July 31
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions due March 31
Eligibility: High schoolers (including students graduating in the summer) who identify as girls or non-binary, and reside in the tri-state region
Bossgirls is a free five-week summer program in New York City for high school students who want to learn about entrepreneurship through real-world problem-solving. You’ll work in teams to identify a social issue, develop a solution, research the market, build a prototype, and pitch your final idea.
The program uses human-centered design to show how businesses can help solve community challenges. Along the way, you get mentorship from professionals at Standard Chartered and connect with entrepreneurs working in the field. Past projects have tackled issues like immigration, mental health, and education access.
10. Met High School Internship Program
Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Stipend: $1,100
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 45 students
Dates: July 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: March 7
Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders who either live or attend a high school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut
The Met High School Internship Program is a paid summer opportunity in New York City for students who want to explore careers in art, culture, and museums. You’re placed in a department like education, marketing, conservation, or scientific research, where you help out and learn how the museum operates day to day. You take part in career labs, team meetings, and workshops to build communication, organization, and critical thinking skills. You also join museum-wide events where you share your experience and reflect on what you’ve learned.
11. The Wooster Group Summer Institute
Location: The Performing Garage, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12 to 16 students are accepted
Dates: July 7 – 26
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Students attending a New York City public school who are at least 12 years old
The Summer Institute is a free, three-week program for NYC public middle and high school students who want to perform and create theater. You learn acting, movement, voice, writing, and how to design lighting, sound, costumes, and sets. You work in a small group with professional artists who help you grow through collaboration and creativity. In the end, you perform your work in three public shows. You can come back each summer through high school, and even return as a paid intern after you graduate.
12. All Star Code Summer Intensive
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 50 students for the 6-Week Tech Marathon
Dates: 3-Week Tech Sprint: July 7 – 25 (Session 1), July 28 – August 15 (Session 2) | 6-Week Tech Marathon: July 7 – August 15
Application Deadline: May 2
Eligibility: High school students. Applicants not currently attending high school and are 15–17 years old are also considered.
All-Star Code’s Summer Intensive is a free virtual coding program for high school students, offering both three-week and six-week tracks. You’ll learn web development using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more while building your problem-solving and collaboration skills through workshops and projects.
You’ll also connect with tech professionals through mentorship and networking. The six-week track dives into topics like APIs, databases, and software engineering, and ends with a capstone project you present on Demo Day. Both versions include guest speakers and professional development sessions to help you grow.
13. NYU Computer Science for Cyber Security (CS4CS)
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 14 – August 8
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: 10th or 11th graders who live in NYC or Nassau County
CS4CS is a free summer program in New York City for high school students interested in cybersecurity and computer science. You don’t need any prior experience, just curiosity and a willingness to learn. You’ll explore topics like ethical hacking, cryptography, digital forensics, and online privacy through hands-on projects. The program also helps you build public speaking and teamwork skills through theater-based workshops.
14. NYU Democracy Scholars
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 6 – 26
Application Deadline: March 31 (tentative)
Eligibility: Current high school juniors who reside in New York City
NYU Democracy Scholars is a free summer program for NYC high school students interested in political philosophy, social justice, and civic life. You’ll take part in small, seminar-style classes led by NYU faculty, where you read important texts, join discussions, and strengthen your college-level thinking and writing.
You also get help with your college applications, including personal writing support and a recommendation letter from an NYU professor. After the summer, you stay involved with a nine-month civic engagement project, where you design and launch a community initiative of your own.
15. Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC)
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 7 – August 8
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: High school students who are 15 years or older and reside in New York City
ieSoSC is a free five-week summer program for high school students interested in using technology and entrepreneurship to improve cities. You’ll learn to code, use microcontrollers and sensors, and build working prototypes to solve real urban problems. Alongside the tech training, you’ll explore business skills like product development, economics, and intellectual property. The program also includes communication workshops to help you build confidence in public speaking and pitch your ideas effectively.
Image source - NYU Logo