15 Data Science Summer Programs for High School Students in Florida
If you're interested in coding, artificial intelligence, statistics, or using data to solve practical problems, data science summer programs can be a strong way to deepen your skills. These programs give you exposure to tools like Python, machine learning models, and data visualization while helping you understand how data is used across industries like healthcare, business, and technology. Many of these experiences are hosted by universities and research institutions, which means you’re learning from faculty, researchers, and professionals actively working in the field. Beyond technical skills, you can gain mentorship, collaborate on team projects, and even present your findings at the end of the program.
Why should you attend a program in Florida?
Florida is home to several universities and organizations that offer summer programs in data science, artificial intelligence, computer science, and related STEM fields. Depending on the program, you might work on data-driven research projects, build machine learning models, analyze real datasets, collaborate with peers in team-based challenges, or present your findings to faculty and industry professionals. These programs are accessible to both local and out-of-state students interested in studying in Florida.
To help you compare your options, we’ve narrowed down our list to 15 data science summer programs for high school students in Florida.
If you’re looking for free programs in Florida, check out our blog here.
1. Florida State University – Young Scholars Program (YSP)
Location: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Cost/Stipend: None; supplemental stipends provided for students with financial needAcceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 17 – July 18
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Students who have completed 11th grade (highly qualified 10th graders may be accepted); minimum 3.0 GPA, 90th percentile in math SAT/PSAT/ACT/PLAN; enrolled or completed pre-calculus; Florida residents only
The Young Scholars Program (YSP) is a six-week residential STEM program designed for academically advanced Florida high school students with strong potential in science, mathematics, and related fields. YSP combines structured coursework with faculty-mentored research. If you choose a programming track, such as Computer Science with R or Computer Science with Python, you’ll spend the first half of the program building technical skills in data extraction, analysis, statistical testing, and visualization, then move on to project-based work. During the final weeks, you’ll complete a substantial programming project that integrates algorithms, data analysis, and applied problem-solving. A major component of YSP is the Independent Research Project (IRP), where you’ll spend two days per week working directly with university faculty, postdoctoral researchers, or graduate students on ongoing research. Your research experience will culminate in a formal poster session and final research paper. The program is academically intensive, and evening seminars, labs, and weekend trips are required components.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Depends on the program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple 12-15 week cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling applications
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 structured AI and data science programs designed for high school students seeking guided exposure to artificial intelligence and machine learning. If you’re new to the field, the AI Scholars program is a 10-session boot camp that teaches core concepts such as supervised learning, neural networks, and data modeling while completing applied projects. Lessons emphasize practical implementation, so you’ll work with real datasets and build small-scale AI systems rather than only studying theory. For a more advanced experience, the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase pairs you one-on-one with mentors from top universities to develop an original AI-driven research project. A notable component of the fellowship is access to an in-house publication team that supports you in preparing work for submission to high school research journals. If you’re comparing data science summer programs for high school students in Florida and are open to virtual options, this program stands out for its combination of structured coursework and individualized research mentorship.
3. Max Planck High School Internships
Location: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL
Cost/Stipend: $14/hour stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 22 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 8
Eligibility: Palm Beach or Martin County high school students entering their junior or senior years; at least 16 years old by the start of the internship, legally authorized to work in the U.S.
The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) Summer Research Internship is a six-week, full-time laboratory experience for high school students entering their junior or senior year. While the institute focuses on neuroscience, the program includes specialized tracks in scientific programming, machine learning, and software development, making it one of the more research-intensive data science summer programs for high school students in Florida. If selected, you’ll work alongside MPFI scientists on active research projects, contributing to data analysis, imaging workflows, or computational tool development. Students in the scientific programming track may develop software to analyze complex brain-imaging datasets using Python, C/C++, MATLAB, or Java. A newer public engagement coding track allows you to build web-based STEM tools using WordPress, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The internship concludes with a written scientific abstract and a formal research presentation, giving you experience communicating technical findings in a professional setting.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program – Data Science Track
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Depends on the program, financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Various 12-week to 1-year cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year. You can apply here
Eligibility: Current high school students with a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a 12-week virtual research experience where you work with a Ph.D. mentor on an independent project in your chosen field. If you’re exploring data science summer programs for high school students in Florida but want a research-focused option, this program allows you to design and complete an original data-driven study in areas such as machine learning, software systems, or computational analysis. Over the course of the program, you’ll refine a research question, conduct literature reviews, analyze data, and develop a formal academic paper under individualized guidance. The structure emphasizes sustained mentorship over classroom-style instruction, making it more like a pre-college research apprenticeship. By the end, you’ll produce a polished independent research paper that can potentially be submitted to journals or competitions. The defining feature of this program is its 1-on-1 Ph.D.-level mentorship model, which differs from cohort-based summer camps.
5. Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internships
Location: The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, Jupiter, FL
Cost/Stipend: $4,480 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 5 – July 31
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: U.S. citizens or permanent residents entering junior or senior year at a Palm Beach or Martin County high school with a minimum 3.0 GPA; must be 14+ and available for the full length of the internship
The Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internship at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute is an eight-week, full-time research experience in biomedical science. If you’re selected, you’ll work directly in a laboratory alongside scientists conducting research in areas such as cancer biology, drug discovery, and infectious disease. Although the program focuses on biological and chemical research, you’ll engage in experimental design and data analysis – skills that are central to data science and quantitative research. The internship emphasizes the full scientific process, from research planning and benchwork to interpreting results and presenting findings. In addition to daily lab work, you’ll attend weekly scientific seminars and complete both a written abstract and a formal oral and poster presentation at the end of the program. If you’re seeking research-intensive data science summer programs for high school students in Florida with a life sciences focus, this internship offers sustained, hands-on laboratory immersion.
6. University of Miami Summer Scholars Program
Location: University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 27 – July 17
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students completing grades 10 or 11
The Summer Scholars Program at the University of Miami is a three-week, residential credit program in which you earn six college credits while exploring a focused academic specialty. If you choose the AI, Cybersecurity & Computing track, you’ll study emerging technologies that intersect closely with data science, including artificial intelligence, digital systems, and signal processing. Courses combine classroom instruction with lab work, guest lectures, field trips, and hands-on engineering projects, giving you exposure to how data is processed, secured, and applied in real systems. You’ll build and test devices such as a stereo power amplifier and digital voting machine, while also learning how modern engineering tools support computing and data-driven decision-making. While this is not a traditional statistics-based data science program, the emphasis on AI, computing fundamentals, and digital systems makes it relevant if you’re exploring data science summer programs for high school students in Florida that lean toward applied technology.
7. Gator Artificial Intelligence Camp – University of Florida
Location: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Cost/Stipend: $25 application fee + $1,800 program fee. Need-based scholarships and application fee waivers are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 19 – 31
Application Deadline: February 25
Eligibility: Rising 10th and 11th-grade students residing in Florida
The Gator Artificial Intelligence (AI) Camp is a two-week residential program designed to enhance your understanding of AI through hands-on experience. During the program, you’ll learn the basics of Python and explore how AI tools can be used to analyze datasets, solve real-world problems, and create digital projects. Instruction is led by UF faculty across social and physical science disciplines, as well as by university staff who specialize in emerging technologies. A notable component of the camp is access to campus research spaces, including tours of the UF Data Center, home to HiPerGator, one of the country’s leading supercomputing and AI facilities. Your days combine structured computer lab sessions with faculty talks, lab tours, and discussions about AI in both research and industry. Evening activities, such as observatory visits and campus events, help ensure a well-rounded and enjoyable experience.
8. University of South Florida AI & Machine Learning Summer Intensive
Location: University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Cost/Stipend: $795 ( $1,395 for residential add-on)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 30 students/cohort
Dates: July 13 – 17
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising 10-12th-grade students
The AI & Machine Learning Summer Intensive at the University of South Florida is a five-day program designed to introduce you to practical artificial intelligence and data analysis skills. You begin with Python fundamentals, progressing from basic syntax to structuring and analyzing datasets using tools like Pandas. As the week continues, you’ll apply Scikit-Learn to build machine learning models that analyze real Tampa-area datasets, such as predicting bike-share usage or classifying hurricane warnings. The program also introduces APIs and large language models (LLMs), where you’ll experiment with prompt engineering and discuss ethical issues like AI hallucinations and deepfakes. Site visits to the robotics and human-computer interaction labs connect coding concepts to physical systems and virtual reality research. The week concludes with a structured Innovation Fair, where you present your AI prototype to faculty, families, and local tech professionals – an experience that mirrors professional tech showcases and distinguishes this option among data science summer programs for high school students in Florida.
9. University of Central Florida Summer Institute – Computer Science
Location: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
Cost: $1250
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 35 students/cohort
Dates: June 1 – 19
Application Deadline: Early bird deadline is March 28; rolling admissions after that
Eligibility: Open to students currently enrolled in grades 7–11 and at least 13 years old by the start of the institute. Placement level is based on prior programming experience and math background
The Computer Science Summer Institute at Florida Atlantic University is a three-week intensive program designed to build foundational and advanced programming skills. While the curriculum centers on computer science, the emphasis on Python, object-oriented design, and algorithmic thinking makes it relevant if you’re exploring data science summer programs for high school students in Florida with a strong coding component. You can be placed into one of three levels based on your experience, ranging from beginner programming and game design in Python to object-oriented programming with PyGame and an introduction to competitive programming. Instruction is interactive and individualized, and the program includes a distinguished lecture series featuring researchers discussing the practical and academic applications of computing. Over the three weeks, you’ll spend full weekdays coding, debugging, and developing projects that reinforce structured problem-solving. The environment is academically focused but also designed to connect you with peers who share similar technical interests.
10. Phoenix STEM Academy – Florida Phoenix STEM Academy
Location: Florida Polytechnic University, Lakeland, FL
Cost/Stipend: $550
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not very selective
Dates: June 8 – 12; June 22 – 26; July 13 – 17; July 20 – 24
Application Deadline: Registration remains open until sessions fill
Eligibility: Open to rising 9th–12th graders for the high school track. No prior STEM experience is required
Phoenix STEM Academy is a week-long summer camp hosted on the Florida Polytechnic University campus, offering hands-on STEM experiences. You will participate in faculty-led workshops and multi-day projects that mirror collegiate-style inquiry and problem-solving. While the program covers broad STEM topics rather than focusing exclusively on data science, you’ll engage in programming, applied technology activities, and project-based learning that build foundational skills relevant to computing and analytics. The structure emphasizes immersive, on-campus learning, with university faculty, certified educators, and trained student counselors guiding daily sessions. High school campers complete a larger capstone-style project over the week and gain exposure to STEM career pathways. If you’re looking for data science summer programs for high school students in Florida at an accessible entry level, this program offers a structured introduction to technical problem-solving without requiring prior experience.
11. Florida State University – TallyRobotics Summer Camp - Tech Challenge Intro
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Cost/Stipend: $400
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 22 – 26
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 8-12th grade students
This program is centered on building and programming a FIRST Tech Challenge robot. Over five days, you’ll assemble a basic competition-style robot and strengthen your coding skills, transitioning from block-based programming to Java. The curriculum emphasizes the more advanced programming concepts used in FIRST Tech Challenge competitions, including structured logic, control systems, and debugging. While robotics-focused, the camp develops computational thinking and applied coding skills that align with pathways into artificial intelligence and data science. You’ll work in a collaborative, team-based setting that mirrors real robotics competitions, making it a practical option if you’re exploring data science summer programs for high school students in Florida with a hardware and engineering angle. The experience is especially relevant if you’re interested in how code interacts with physical systems.
12. Stanford AI4ALL
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $4,120; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 15 – 26
Application Deadline: February 6
Eligibility: 9th graders
Stanford AI4ALL is a two-week program hosted in collaboration with the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, designed to expand access to artificial intelligence education. If you’re interested in how AI connects to data science and its practical impact, this program focuses on the societal applications of machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, medical AI, and robotics. You’ll attend lectures led by Stanford faculty, participate in live demos with AI companies, and work in small-group research teams mentored by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Research projects center on applying AI to pressing global issues. At the end of the program, you present your team’s research findings, gaining experience explaining technical work to a broader audience.
13. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes – Introduction To Data Science
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $3,200; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Session 1: June 15 – 26 | Session 2: July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: 9–11th-grade students
This structured academic course explores how data informs decision-making across disciplines. In this program, you examine computer algorithms and compare different modeling approaches, discussing the strengths and limitations of each. Using datasets drawn from the natural and social sciences, you’ll investigate real-world questions and learn how to design analyses that are both technically sound and ethically responsible. A central component of the course is applied machine learning in R, where programming exercises are integrated directly into the curriculum rather than treated as add-ons. By the end of the program, you’ll be able to approach new datasets methodically, write functional code in R, and interpret results through a scientific lens. If you’re considering virtual data science summer programs for high school students in Florida, this course provides a theory-grounded foundation in statistical modeling and machine learning.
14. NASA GeneLab for High Schools
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 1,000 applicants, capstone has 45 teams with 4 students/team
Dates: June 1 – August 28
Application Deadline: Rolling till capacity is filled
Eligibility: U.S. citizens or permanent residents attending U.S.-based high schools; rising juniors or seniors, or college freshmen with a minimum 3.0 GPA, having completed at least one high school biology course
GeneLabs is a 12-week asynchronous summer program that introduces you to NASA’s space biology research through hands-on bioinformatics training. The course focuses on omics-based research methods, in which you analyze complex biological datasets, such as gene expression profiles and protein interactions. Using JupyterLab notebooks and pre-recorded lectures, you’ll learn computational biology techniques that allow you to process and interpret large-scale datasets. Weekly optional office hours offer live instruction and Q&A, though most coursework is self-paced. If you complete all required modules, you earn a digital certificate and can apply for an optional capstone project in which teams analyze open-source NASA datasets and present a hypothesis-driven research proposal.
15. George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program
Location: Virtual (hybrid and in-person options at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA)
Cost/Stipend: : $25 application fee + $1,299 tuition for 3 college credits; financial aid and waivers available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application Deadline: February 2 (based on previous deadlines)
Eligibility: 15+ for remote or computer-lab internships, 16+ for wet-lab internships
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program is an eight-week, full-time research internship where you work one-on-one with a faculty mentor on an original research project. Research areas include machine learning, data mining, cybersecurity, computer modeling, epidemiology, mathematical modeling, and data science for social good, among many others. Over the summer, you will gain hands-on experience with advanced research tools, develop scientific writing skills, and earn three college credits. The program concludes with a formal poster session, where you present your research findings. In some cases, interns contribute to conference presentations or journal publications, depending on the scope of their projects.
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