Computer science opportunities for high school students.
Summer programs, competitions and research for students who code, or want to start. Free options first.
41 opportunities, 26 free · Links and programs checked October 18, 2026 · By Lokesh Pampatti, founder of Clarity Prep
Your school might offer only one or two computer science classes, and that’s fine. Most of what colleges notice in computer science happens outside class: a contest result like USACO, a selective program, or something you built that people use.
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ProgramFreePittsburgh, PA
Carnegie Mellon University AI Scholars
Carnegie Mellon University
Intro to AI and machine learning for rising seniors from underrepresented backgrounds, at no cost.
Our take: The free, selective CMU program. Not to be confused with the paid CMU Pre-College tracks.
ScholarshipFreeOnline
Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship
Amazon
Scholarship and internship for students pursuing computer science.
Our take: $40,000 over four years plus a guaranteed paid Amazon internship after freshman year. For low-income seniors planning to major in CS or engineering.
Research & internshipsFreeBrooklyn, NY
NYU Tandon School of Engineering ARISE
NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Ten-week research program with a stipend for NYC students.
Our take: Free, paid research in NYU labs for New York City public and charter school students.
Research & internshipsFreeLaurel, MD
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory ASPIRE
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Mentored STEM internship at APL for juniors and seniors.
Our take: Unpaid mentorship in a national lab, during the school year or summer. Commuting distance to Laurel, MD is the real requirement.
ProgramFreeCambridge, MA (some tracks online)
Beaver Works Summer Institute
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Project-based engineering program for rising seniors. Admission runs through an online course you complete in spring.
Our take: Free and hands-on: autonomous cars, drones, cybersecurity. You have to finish an online prerequisite course first, so start in winter.
Research & internshipsFreeCambridge, MA
Broad Summer Scholars Program
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Six weeks of research at the Broad with a stipend.
Our take: Paid genomics research for Massachusetts rising seniors. If you live near Boston, this is a top-tier free option.
CompetitionFreeOnline
Congressional App Challenge
U.S. House of Representatives
Build an app, submit a demo video, compete within your district.
Our take: One winner per congressional district, so your odds are far better than a national contest. Winners are recognized by their representative and shown in the Capitol.
ScholarshipFreeOnline
Davidson Fellows Scholarship
Davidson Institute
Scholarships for students 18 and under who have completed a significant piece of work in their field.
Our take: $10,000 to $50,000 for a significant completed project. Only worth it if you have graduate-level work; if you do, few things read better.
Research & internshipsFreeUniversity and Army labs nationwide
High School Apprenticeships
Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP)
Stipend-paid summer apprenticeships in Army-sponsored labs.
Our take: Paid research placements funded by the Army, many at universities near you. Less famous than NIH or NASA, which helps your odds.
CompetitionFreeRegional symposia → national
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
JSHS / Department of Defense
Research presentation competition with regional symposia in every state and a national finale.
Our take: Present original research as a talk, not a poster. Fewer entrants than the science fair circuit, real scholarship money.
Research & internshipsFreePrinceton, NJ
Laboratory Learning Program
Princeton University
Unpaid research placement with Princeton faculty in engineering and natural sciences.
Our take: Free, full-time research in a Princeton lab. No housing, so it is realistic only if you can commute. Age 16 and up.
CompetitionFreeOnline
MathWorks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge
SIAM
Teams of 3–5 juniors and seniors solve an open modeling problem in 14 hours.
Our take: Free, team-based, and the finalists win real scholarship money. Applied math, not olympiad math; good for engineers.
ProgramFreeCambridge, MA
MITES Summer
MIT
Rigorous STEM coursework and projects at MIT for rising seniors. MITES Semester (online) and MITES Saturdays (Boston area) are the sibling tracks.
Our take: One of the few free MIT-run programs. For students from underrepresented or under-resourced backgrounds; if that is you, apply.
Research & internshipsFreeNASA centers + virtual
OSTEM Internships
NASA
Paid internships at NASA centers for high school and college students.
Our take: Paid, and NASA on a résumé speaks for itself. Age 16 and up; apply to several projects, not one.
Research & internshipsFreeBoston area (PRIMES) or remote nationwide (PRIMES-USA)
PRIMES and PRIMES-USA
MIT Department of Mathematics
Free year-long math and CS research program for high school students.
Our take: Year-long research with an MIT mentor. PRIMES-USA is the remote track for juniors anywhere in the country; the entrance problem set is the application.
CompetitionFreeOnline
Regeneron Science Talent Search
Society for Science
Nationwide competition for original research by high school seniors; 300 scholars, 40 finalists.
Our take: The oldest and most prestigious research competition for seniors. You need completed original research by November of senior year, which means starting as a sophomore or junior.
Research & internshipsFreeCambridge, MA
Center for Excellence in Education / MIT Research Science Institute (RSI)
Center for Excellence in Education / MIT
Six weeks of original STEM research with MIT and Broad Institute mentors, entirely free.
Our take: The most selective summer program in the country, about 100 students worldwide. If you have research already, apply; if not, this is not the place to start.
Research & internshipsFreeNavy laboratories nationwide
Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
U.S. Navy / Office of Naval Research
Navy research apprenticeship for students who have finished at least 9th grade.
Our take: Paid eight weeks in a Navy lab. Deadline is November 1, far earlier than most; U.S. citizenship required.
Research & internshipsFreeAustin, TX + remote work
SEES High School Summer Intern Program
NASA / UT Austin Center for Space Research
Earth and space research internship for rising juniors and seniors.
Our take: Free NASA-funded earth and space science research. Most of the work is remote; the two weeks in Austin are covered.
Research & internshipsFreeStony Brook, NY
Simons Summer Research Program
Stony Brook University
Hands-on research with Stony Brook faculty for rising seniors, with a stipend.
Our take: Real lab, real stipend, a poster at the end. You need a teacher nomination; ask in December.
ProgramFreePittsburgh, PA
Carnegie Mellon University Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)
Carnegie Mellon University
College-level math and science coursework with CMU faculty, plus a project. Fully funded.
Our take: Free and genuinely rigorous. Built for students without easy access to advanced STEM; the application asks you to show that.
Research & internshipsFreeOnline
THINK Scholars
MIT THINK
Student-run program that funds and mentors high school STEM projects.
Our take: You propose a project; MIT students mentor it and fund up to $1,000. The proposal is a real piece of writing; give it weeks.
CompetitionFreeOnline
USA Computing Olympiad
USACO
Algorithmic programming contests in four divisions, open to anyone.
Our take: Free, online, self-paced, and Gold or Platinum division is one of the clearest CS signals there is. Start in Bronze as a freshman.
CompetitionUnder $1kRegional → state → international
Regeneron ISEF (via your regional fair)
Society for Science
The world's largest pre-college science competition, fed by affiliated fairs.
Our take: You get there by winning your regional and state fair. Even a state-level award is a real line; ISEF itself is a big one.
ProgramFreeOnline + select cities
Kode With Klossy
Kode With Klossy
Two-week coding camps (web, mobile, data science, machine learning) for young women and gender-expansive students ages 13–18.
Our take: Free, beginner-friendly, well-run. Same note as Girls Who Code: an entry point, not a finish line.
ProgramFreeOnline
Pathways (summer program)
Girls Who Code
Free virtual summer program (it replaced the Summer Immersion Program) with tracks like web development, data science and AI, game design and cybersecurity, for high school girls and nonbinary students.
Our take: A good free start if you have not coded before. Common enough that the value is what you build next, not the line itself.
CompetitionFreeOnline
Technovation Girls
Technovation
Technology entrepreneurship program and competition for girls ages 8–18.
Our take: Build an app and a business plan around a community problem, in a team of girls with a mentor. Free, well-structured, global.
CompetitionUnder $1kOnline
Air & Space Forces Association CyberPatriot
Air & Space Forces Association
National youth cyber defense competition.
Our take: Cybersecurity in teams, online rounds through the fall and winter. Platinum tier and national finals are the lines that count.
CompetitionUnder $1kChapter → state → national
FBLA Competitive Events → National Leadership Conference
Future Business Leaders of America
Business competitive events through school chapters.
Our take: Same as DECA. Top-ten at nationals is a line; attending is not.
CompetitionUnder $1kSchool or community team
FIRST Tech Challenge
FIRST
Smaller-scale robotics competition for grades 7–12.
Our take: Smaller and cheaper than FRC, so it is realistic to start a team yourself. Founding one is a stronger story than joining one.
CompetitionUnder $1kAthens, GA
Georgia Science and Engineering Fair
University of Georgia
Georgia's state science fair, an ISEF-affiliated competition.
Our take: Georgia's path to ISEF. You qualify through your regional fair first; ask your science teacher in the fall which one your school uses.
CompetitionUnder $1kOnline
COMAP HiMCM
COMAP
Teams write a modeling paper on a real-world problem over several days.
Our take: The high school version of the college modeling contest. Outstanding designations are rare and mean something.
CompetitionUnder $1kSchool or community team
VEX Robotics Competition
Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
Robotics competition with a world championship each spring.
Our take: Same story as FIRST: role and results, not membership. Worlds qualification is the line.
ProgramCost variesPartner campuses + online
AI4ALL Summer Programs
AI4ALL (university partners)
AI education programs for underrepresented students, hosted by universities around the country.
Our take: Quality depends on the host campus; several are free. Read the specific site before assuming.
CompetitionCost variesSchool or community team
FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST
Build a 120-pound robot in six weeks and compete regionally and at the championship.
Our take: The team exists at your school or it does not. If it does, what matters is your role: lead a subsystem, run outreach, mentor rookies. Dean's List is the individual honor.
Program$1k–5kAnn Arbor, MI
Michigan Math and Science Scholars
University of Michigan
Intensive courses in math and science taught by university faculty.
Our take: Two-week deep dives taught by Michigan faculty. Reasonable cost for the category; scholarships exist.
ProgramOver $5kPittsburgh, PA
Carnegie Mellon University Pre-College Programs
Carnegie Mellon University
Six-week pre-college programs, several of which produce portfolio work for arts applications.
Our take: The portfolio tracks (architecture, design, drama, art, music) are worth it for the work you leave with. The academic tracks are expensive classes.
ProgramOver $5kBoston, MA
RISE — Research in Science & Engineering
Boston University
Six weeks of university lab research (Internship track) or a research-methods course (Practicum track).
Our take: Real lab placement and a poster session. You pay for it, which readers know, but the work can stand on its own.
ProgramUnder $1kAtlanta, GA
Georgia Tech CEISMC Summer P.E.A.K.S.
Georgia Tech CEISMC
Georgia Tech's K-12 outreach center runs week-long summer STEM programs for metro Atlanta students.
Our take: Week-long STEM camps on the Georgia Tech campus, priced for local families. Good exposure for younger students, not a résumé item.
Program$1k–5kOnline
Inspirit AI AI Scholars
Inspirit AI
Online AI courses and project mentorship for high school students.
Our take: A paid class taught by graduate students, not a selective program. Fine for learning; do not expect it to read as an achievement.
Research & internships$1k–5kOnline
Ladder Internships
Ladder
Paid placement into remote startup internships.
Our take: You pay to intern at a startup. Cold-emailing twenty local companies costs nothing and reads better.
“Helps an application” is our read on how much an admissions reader is likely to weigh it: Strong means getting in or placing is a real achievement, Solid means it shows real interest and effort, and Light usually means most students who apply and pay can attend. It’s our opinion, not a ranking from any college, and a light one can still be a great summer.
Want a list picked for you?
Clarity Prep members get opportunities matched to their grade, interests and state in the app, plus a mentor who helps them decide what’s worth applying to and checks in every week until the applications are in.
Free tools: GPA calculator · chances calculator · college acceptance rates · essay grader
Every program here is real and links to its own official site. Dates, costs and rules change every year, so check the official page before you apply. Deadlines are shown as the months they usually close. Spot something out of date? Email sessions@joinclarityprep.com.