14 Summer Programs for High School Students in Los Angeles, California
If you are a high school student interested in exploring your interests, summer programs help you learn concepts beyond the classroom and build your profile. These programs introduce you to college-level learning, give you access to labs and professional opportunities, and help you build skills for future opportunities. You also have the opportunity to network with mentors and professionals and learn more about future opportunities in your field.
Why should you attend a program in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles has a range of universities, research labs, arts groups, and community organizations that run summer programs for high school students. Many programs take place on college campuses or in professional settings, helping you understand what advanced study and work look like. These programs can be a good fit for students in Los Angeles as well as those visiting from outside the city.
To help you narrow your options, here is a list of 14 summer programs for high school students in Los Angeles, California.
If you are looking for engineering internships in Los Angeles, check out our blog here.
1. TECH360
Location: Downtown LA
Stipend: $500
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Cycle 1: June 16 - July 3 | Cycle 2: July 14 - 31 | DEMO DAY: August 7
Application deadline: January 10
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors attending schools in NYC, LA County, Miami-Dade/Broward County, or Atlanta
TECH360 introduces you to the fundamentals of computer science and artificial intelligence through a blend of coding practice, guided discussions, and collaborative project work. Over the duration of the program, you learn how web tools such as HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap function while also studying machine learning concepts and predictive modeling. The curriculum includes sessions on the social impact of technology, giving you space to examine issues like algorithmic bias and ethical AI use. A significant portion of the experience is team-based, as you work with peers to design an AI-powered tool or website informed by what you’ve learned. You’ll also explore questions about how AI models are built, why the field is expanding so quickly, and what skills matter in an AI-driven world. The program concludes with a group pitch at Demo Day, where teams present their project concepts to judges and receive feedback.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply to the program here.
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, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects. Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, you will get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that you will have access to the in-house publication team to help you secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
3. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Location: All 50 U.S. states + Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands
Stipend: $3,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 3% / 27-33 students making it to the final cohort each year
Dates: 8 weeks from June – August
Application deadline: November 21 – January 25
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors (16+)
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is an eight-week paid internship designed to introduce high school students to fisheries science through direct mentorship and field experience. As a Hutton Scholar, you work alongside a fisheries professional whose research determines your day-to-day activities, which may include fish population surveys, habitat assessments, water quality testing, or electrofishing. Some placements involve multi-day or week-long field trips, giving you a chance to experience the outdoor and data-driven nature of the discipline. Interns receive a $3,000 stipend to support their participation, and the work varies widely depending on the host agency or lab.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
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
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program gives you a structured, 12-week experience in independent academic research under the guidance of a Ph.D.-level mentor. You choose a topic in fields such as engineering, psychology, medicine, economics, or international relations and meet regularly with your mentor to refine your research question and design your study. The program walks you through each stage of the research process, from literature review to methodology development and data analysis. As you work, you also receive support in academic writing to help you produce a full-length research paper by the end of the program. Those who complete all requirements may be eligible to earn academic credit through UC San Diego.
5. Eve and Gene Black Summer Medical Career Program
Location: Various medical centers across California
Stipend: $500 scholarship is awarded upon completion.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: NA
Dates: Online Program 1: July 7–17 | Online Program 2: July 21–31 | In-person Program: Varies by facility
Application deadline: February 14
Eligibility: Open to high school juniors and seniors.
The Eve and Gene Black Summer Medical Career Program gives high school students insight into pediatric healthcare through structured shadowing and presentations from medical professionals. In this program, you observe practitioners such as pediatricians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, and therapists as they explain their roles and demonstrate aspects of clinical practice. Daily sessions may be held either in person or virtually, and often include Q&A segments, case discussions, and interactive demonstrations. The curriculum highlights how interdisciplinary teams work together to provide patient care. At the end of the program, each student receives a certificate of completion noting their participation in the clinical learning experience.
6. CLA High School Internship Program
Location: Multiple locations around the U.S.
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate: Competitive; About 13.8%
Dates: June 17 – July 19 (tentative)
Application deadline: January (tentative)
Eligibility: High school students aged 16-18
The CLA High School Internship Program is a paid summer experience where you spend time inside a professional services firm learning how accounting and business teams actually work. You rotate through activities like case studies, team projects, and job shadowing, while helping with tasks such as documentation, observing planning meetings, or supporting tax or audit workflow, depending on your team. Mentors explain how financial information is reviewed and used in real client work, giving you a clear picture of how different service areas fit together.
7. The Intern Project Program
Location: Various companies in Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts in the fall, spring, and summer
Application deadline: Opens January 6
Eligibility: LA County 10th-12th graders
The Intern Project matches high school students with paid internships across Los Angeles in fields such as technology, healthcare, business, government, entertainment, and the arts. Over an eight-week placement, you contribute to real workplace projects while attending workshops that focus on communication, planning, and other professional skills. Your internship may be remote or on-site, depending on the organization hosting you. Throughout the summer, mentors guide you through workplace expectations and introduce you to professionals through informational interviews. The program also covers career exploration, and participants earn both a stipend and college credit.
8. LA Times HS Insider Summer Internship
Location: Los Angeles Times
Stipend: $16.90/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 16 - August 1
Application deadline: February 26
Eligibility: High school students graduating in the next three years, residing in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California
The LA Times HS Insider Summer Internship places you inside a working newsroom for seven weeks, where you spend your time reporting, writing, and producing stories. You pitch ideas, interview sources, and draft articles while editors and reporters walk you through revisions and offer direct feedback. The program includes training on ethical reporting, digital storytelling, and feature writing, along with time set aside for pursuing your own story leads. Many interns publish their work on the HS Insider platform, giving you a clear sense of how professional journalism moves from idea to publication.
9. Warner Bros. Reach Honorship Program – Business Track
Location: Warner Bros. Discovery, Los Angeles, CA
Stipend: $5,000 scholarship towards college
Cohort size: Up to 5 students annually
Dates: June 2 – August 15; June 9 – August 22
Application deadline: January 27 – February 28
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors from Burbank or Los Angeles County with a cumulative GPA of 3.0+
The Warner Bros. Reach Honorship Program combines a scholarship with a multi-year paid internship that introduces you to how the entertainment industry actually runs behind the scenes. As a graduating senior, you are selected to intern each summer during college in different Warner Bros. departments such as marketing, finance, publicity, operations, social media, or media research. You work on real film and television projects and see how decisions move from idea to execution inside a major studio. Each year, you are paired with a new executive mentor, which helps you understand how different teams shape the business.
10. Samuels Family Latino and African American High School Internship Program (LA-HIP)
Location: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 16 – August 1
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current junior in high school from an underrepresented minority in medicine and science with a Social Security Number or DACA Number and a keen interest in STEM
The Samuels Family LA-HIP is a year-long program that begins with a full-time, seven-week summer research internship in a biomedical lab at The Saban Research Institute. During the summer, you learn how labs actually work by keeping a lab notebook, helping design experiments, and supporting research tied to pediatric health areas like neuroscience, oncology, diabetes, and regenerative medicine. You present your work at a Science Symposium at the end of the internship. During the school year, the program continues with SAT prep, college advising, financial aid guidance, and practical workshops on skills like time management and self-advocacy, along with campus visits and application support led by Mosaic College Prep and The Princeton Review.
11. Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Project Stride
Location: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 10 weeks in the summer
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: 11th-grade high school students with 3.0+ GPA (overall and in math/science); US citizen/permanent resident; priority given to students from King/Drew Magnet High School, Alliance Health Sciences Academy, and other Watts community schools in South LA
Project STRIDE at Charles R. Drew University is a ten-week internship designed to introduce students to the full process of clinical research while also strengthening academic preparation. Under the supervision of research mentors, you design and carry out a translational research project, learning core practices such as data collection, scientific writing, and ethical research methods. The program includes training in leadership, abstract preparation, and poster development, all of which feed into the final Research Day presentation. By the end, you produce a research poster and gain experience in communicating findings in a professional setting.
12. BrainSport Summer High School Research Internship at UCLA
Location: University of California, Los Angeles
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 9 – August 1
Application Deadline: April
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors intending to mentor interns in the next year
UCLA’s BrainSport Summer High School Research Internship places you inside a clinical research setting focused on concussions and pediatric brain injuries. You spend much of your time supporting the CARE4Kids project, helping with tasks like data entry, patient coordination, neurocognitive testing, and study organization. You sit in on weekly lab meetings with clinicians and researchers, learn how medical studies are planned and carried out, and see how tools like neuroimaging and physiological testing are used to study brain health. By the end of the program, you developed and presented a project connected to the research you worked on.
13. UCLA Neuroscience High School Scholars Program
Location: Virtual or in-person at the UCLA campus
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 15 – July 23
Application deadline: February 9
Eligibility: Rising Juniors and seniors can apply
The UCLA Neuroscience High School Scholars Program is a six-week academic program focused on Alzheimer’s disease and related neurological disorders. You take part in live seminars, journal clubs, neurology grand rounds, and sessions with clinicians and researchers that explore how memory, cognition, and brain disease are studied. The in-person track includes activities like brain dissections and community outreach, while the virtual option covers the same material through online lectures and lab modules. Throughout the program, you read scientific papers, learn basic research tools used in neuroscience, and complete a final project where you investigate a topic and present your findings.
14. Political Science Summer Institute at UCLA
Location: In-person program at the Department of Political Science at UCLA
Cost: Program fee: $1,995, registration fee: $350, IEI fee: $61, and document fee (for first-time Summer Sessions students): $50. Scholarship available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: June 22–July 10
Application deadline: June 13
Eligibility: You must be a California high school student (grades 9–11 in Spring) and at least 15 years old
UCLA’s Political Science Summer Institute is a three-week academic program that introduces students to the foundations of American politics while allowing them to earn five units of college credit. Through lectures, readings, and assignments, you examine why people engage in collective action, how political institutions form, and how these institutions influence policymaking. The course integrates historical cases and current political debates to help students connect theory with real-world events. Along with classroom instruction, the program includes career panels featuring guest speakers who discuss professional pathways in areas such as law, government, research, and advocacy.
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