Updated October 2026
TL;DR
This list covers NYC computer science internships and related research, training, community tech, and workplace programs for high school students, with local and virtual options. Across the entries, students may code, analyze datasets, support technology users, conduct research, or contribute to professional placements. Some programs are paid, while others emphasize research, training, or project experience. Ladder Internships offers a fully online eight-week startup internship with real-world projects in fields including machine learning, AI, and software engineering.
How can software learn from data, protect digital systems, or help researchers study complex problems? The National Science Foundation’s CSforAll definition spans algorithms, programming, networking, big data, cybersecurity, AI, and applications across disciplines. Practical experience can help high school students see how those ideas move from classroom concepts into research, software, data analysis, and workplace problem-solving. Internships and related programs can also help students test which parts of computing interest them most.
Selections emphasize opportunities in or accessible from NYC with meaningful computing, research, technical, or professional experience for high school students.
To explore more local options, check out coding internships for high school students in NYC and software internships for high school students in New York. For a broader, subject-focused list, look at computer science internships for high school students.
Why should you do a computer science internship?
Computer science internships can show you how coding, data, algorithms, and technical problem-solving work outside the classroom. They can also help you distinguish between interests such as software engineering, AI, data science, cybersecurity, and computational research. For a remote project-based option, Ladder Internships lets high school students work with startups on real projects.
What skills can you pick up in computer science internships?
Depending on the program, you may practice Python, web development, machine learning, data analysis, research methods, troubleshooting, or communicating technical results. These skills matter because computer science work combines building systems with interpreting information and clearly explaining decisions. Research and workplace settings can also strengthen collaboration, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
How do you choose the right option?
Consider several factors before applying, including your grade level, location, academic background, schedule, and budget. Also check requirements related to citizenship, residency, coursework, or GPA, as these can vary significantly!
|
Program type |
Top programs |
Cost/Stipend |
Best for |
|
Virtual Programs |
Fee-based (financial aid available) |
Students seeking fully remote startup projects in software engineering, machine learning, or AI |
|
|
Biomedical and Neuroscience Research |
Free; stipends $1,200 - $3,500 |
Students interested in applying computing to cancer biology, health datasets, genomics, or neuroscience |
|
|
Engineering, Environmental, and Museum Research |
Free; stipends $17/hr - $2,500 |
Students drawn to university or museum research involving data science, cybersecurity, urban technology, or environmental questions |
|
|
Technology Training and Community Service |
Free; stipends paid |
Students interested in structured technology training, exploring computing careers, or helping community members use digital tools |
|
|
Professional Employer Placements |
Free; stipends $16.50 - $17/hr |
Students seeking professional computing or IT experience with local employers, subject to available placements |
1. Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)
Location: Brooklyn and Manhattan, NYC, NY; first four weeks remote
Stipend: $2,000 upon completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~6% acceptance rate; 75 students
Dates: June 1–August 14; remote workshops June 1–25; in-person lab work July 6–August 13; final colloquium August 14
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors or seniors in the upcoming school year; full-time NYC residents attending NYC schools only
You spend the first four weeks in remote workshops on lab safety, college writing, and research skills. After that, you complete about 150 hours of in-person research in an NYU faculty lab; computing options include the ECE Machine Learning Laboratory, the Responsible Data Science Lab, and Cybersecurity for Democracy at the NYU Center for Cybersecurity. You present your research at a poster symposium at the American Museum of Natural History and at a closing colloquium at NYU, where public speaking workshops with Irondale help you prepare.
Who is it best for: Students who want to contribute to real university research in areas like machine learning, data science, or cybersecurity and practice presenting their findings to an audience.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Virtual; fully online
Cot/Stipend: Cost varies depending on the program type; need-based full and partial financial aid available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10% acceptance rate; 70 spots
Dates: Winter cohort starts December 7 and runs eight weeks; Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts are also offered
Application Deadline: Winter: November 15; Spring: February 8
Eligibility: High school students
You work remotely on a real project with a startup or NGO and can choose fields such as Machine Learning & AI or Software Engineering; past projects include building machine learning models to grow a company's subscriber base and coding SMS and email processing systems connected to medical devices. Over eight weeks, you work with a company coach, present a first deliverable in week four, present your final project in week eight, and receive a letter of completion from the company.
Who is it best for: Students who want to apply coding and machine learning to a real startup project with professional mentorship, working entirely online.
3. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – Summer Student Program (HOPP)
Location: Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York, NY
Stipend: $1,200
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 2% acceptance rate; 20 interns per summer
Dates: June 29–August 21
Application Deadline: February 6
Eligibility: Current high school juniors; age 14 or older by program start; 3.5 GPA in science subjects; residence in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut within 25 miles of MSK's Manhattan Main Campus; legally authorized to work in the U.S.
You spend eight full-time weeks in a Memorial Sloan Kettering research lab on a biomedical or computational internship, and Computer Science/Computational Biology/Genomics is one of the listed research areas. A lab mentor supervises you as you complete a self-directed project that supports the principal investigator's research objectives, and the summer ends with a closing-ceremony poster session. Professional development events on translational medicine and research add to the lab work.
Who is it best for: Students who want to apply computer science, computational biology, or genomics to cancer research through a mentored, full-time project in a major cancer center's lab.
4. America On Tech's Tech Flex Leaders Program
Location: Hybrid, mostly via Zoom; NYC, Los Angeles, Miami, and Atlanta
Stipend: Paid upon completion, amount not disclosed; NYC participants are supported toward paid summer internships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 281 completers
Dates: Fall semester: September 21 – December 7; Spring semester: January 25 – May 3; NYC paid tech internship takes place July–August
Application Deadline: August 17
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; attending a public or charter school in NYC, Los Angeles County, Miami-Dade/Broward County, or Atlanta; resident of the corresponding program region
You learn to code through web development in the fall, working with HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap, and you get an introduction to core AI concepts; the semester ends with a Demo Day competition. In the spring, you choose a specialized track such as Advanced Web Development, Data Science, UX Design, Product Management, or Digital Marketing, with AI tools built into each one to help you develop practical programming and data skills. If you are an NYC participant in good standing, you work with America On Tech's Access Tech team to obtain a paid summer tech internship.
Who is it best for: Students who want to learn web development from scratch, explore tech paths like data science or UX design, and connect with technology professionals.
5. Columbia University Department of Biomedical Informatics – DBMI Summer Research Program
Location: New York, NY
Stipend: Not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not disclosed
Dates: June 29 – August 14
Application Deadline: February 20
Eligibility: Rising or graduating high school seniors, or college/university undergraduates; at least 17 years old by the program start; located in the New York City metropolitan area throughout the program for on-campus faculty meetings
You'll complete a research project led by DBMI faculty and graduate students, and 2025 projects ranged from using deep learning to reduce algorithmic bias in medical imaging to benchmarking ChatGPT-4o for pulling clinical details out of case text. You'll also study the OHDSI framework, a clinical data warehouse of more than 800 million patient records, and propose a study of your own choosing. Mini-course lectures, weekly lab meetings, journal clubs, and cohort visits can help you build computing, AI, and health data science skills.
Who is it best for: Students who want to use computing, AI, and data analysis on large real-world health datasets with university informatics researchers.
6. Brooklyn Public Library – Teen Techies
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~29% estimated acceptance; 115 slots
Dates: Two-week fall technology institute, followed by at least six months of library service
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Ages 14–18; parent/guardian consent; completion of the technology training before volunteering; commitment to at least six months of service; attendance at two Volunteer Forums; work well with diverse patrons
After a two-week technology institute, you use your new skills to help Brooklyn library patrons with computers and to support staff with troubleshooting and public computer training workshops. Training covers everything from basic computer skills to robotics, and you may also help patrons with coding, 3D printing, and graphic design. You receive a stipend for completing training and service hours.
Who is it best for: Students who want hands-on tech-support and teaching experience, helping community members use computers and digital tools while they build practical computing skills.
7. Columbia Engineering – Engineering the Next Generation (ENG)
Location: Morningside Heights, New York City, NY
Stipend: $17 per hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 28 students
Dates: July 6 – August 13
Application Deadline: Foundations of Research: January 16; CS3: March 1
Eligibility: Current 11th graders rising into senior year and attending NYC schools; legally allowed to work in NYC; Foundations of Research applicants should have prior work or volunteer experience; CS3 is geared toward students from Harlem and surrounding areas; admitted students follow Columbia public health protocols, including MMR vaccination
You spend six weeks on real engineering research with Columbia Engineering researchers, alongside research-skills, college-prep, and science communication workshops and mentorship at several levels. In the CS3 track, you do engineering and social science research on urban technology and trust, build AI tools, and build coding, data science, computer vision, and Internet of Things skills. Past cohorts have also worked on NeuroAI projects that fed into New York Hall of Science exhibits.
Who is it best for: Students who want paid, hands-on engineering research experience, especially using AI, coding, and data science on real urban technology questions with university mentors.
8. American Museum of Natural History – Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP)
Location: Manhattan, New York City, NY
Stipend: $2,500 upon completing research and program requirements
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; about 60 students accepted annually
Dates: August–June; four-week Summer Institute in August, followed by research from September–June and an early-June symposium
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Live and attend school in New York City; currently in 10th or 11th grade; passing classes for the last three or more semesters; completed or currently taking an eligible AMNH course, or attend a listed partner school or program
You work in a group of two or three students led by a Museum scientist, and recent projects use Python, R, and Jupyter notebooks to analyze JWST exoplanet and stellar data, run bioinformatic analyses, and apply machine learning and large language models to conservation. You spend a full year on an original research project that has never been done before, and you finish with a scientific poster and an oral presentation at the annual SRMP Symposium. Writing code, analyzing telescope and genomic data, and reading scientific articles can help you earn one CUNY Lehman College credit at no cost.
Who is it best for: Students who want to learn coding and data analysis by doing original scientific research, such as astrophysics or genomics, with a museum scientist over a full year.
9. NYC DYCD (with partners Commonpoint and PENCIL) – NYC Ladders for Leaders
Location: New York City, NY; all five boroughs
Stipend: At least $17 per hour, with higher pay at some employers; pre-employment training is unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10.3% estimated acceptance; >1,200 participants
Dates: Summer internship of at least six weeks, usually beginning in the first week of July and running through August; pre-employment training takes place beforehand in winter and spring
Application Deadline: January 16
Eligibility: Ages 16–24; enrolled in high school or college; New York City residents; legally allowed to work in the U.S.; prior paid or volunteer work experience; accepted participants must attend required pre-employment events to be referred for an internship
You complete pre-employment training on resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and workplace etiquette, including mock interviews, and then interview with corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies for a paid summer internship. Ladders for Leaders is the professional internship part of NYC's Summer Youth Employment Program, which the city calls the nation's largest summer jobs program. Past hosts include Google and Girls Who Code, so a tech placement can help you build professional skills in a computing setting.
Who is it best for: Students who want a paid professional internship in New York City with structured interview preparation, especially those hoping to be placed with a technology employer.
10. CUNY CREST, City College of New York – High School Initiative in Remote Sensing (HIRES)
Location: Manhattan, New York City, NY; City College of New York
Stipend: $1,000 for completing the full program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~25% estimated acceptance; around 25
Dates: June 29 – August 13
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: New York City Department of Education public or charter high school student; NYC residents; reading/writing qualification through the required SAT, ACT, or English Regents score; math qualification through the required SAT, ACT, or math Regents score; Algebra 1 and 2 with a minimum B average and/or pre-calculus completed or in progress
You take a three-credit, college-level course that combines scientific computing, remote sensing, and geographic information systems, including Python lessons on building automated classification algorithms for satellite imagery. You also do a seven-week research project with faculty and graduate mentors on topics such as urban heat islands, air quality, or coastal resilience, then present your findings at an end-of-summer symposium. Working with Mathematica, QGIS, and ArcGIS on real NASA and USGS data can help you develop practical coding, data analysis, and machine learning skills.
Who is it best for: Students who want to apply Python coding and geospatial data analysis to satellite imagery and real environmental research problems.
11. Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation – Brooklyn Navy Yard Internship Program
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Stipend: $17 per hour for Fall; $16.50 per hour for Summer
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 8.1% estimated acceptance; 79 interns
Dates: Fall: 8-week session; Spring: 8-week session; Summer: June 2–July 25 or June 23–August 15
Application Deadline: Fall: August 21; Summer: February 28
Eligibility: Brooklyn residents or attending a Brooklyn-based school; students enrolled for the following summer or fall semester; college-bound high school seniors may be eligible for summer opportunities; first-time or once-returning program participant; working papers required if under 18
The program matches you with a Brooklyn Navy Yard tenant business or BNYDC department for a paid eight-week internship, based on your career interests, skills, and educational background. The placement fields the program lists include computer science/IT, and past summer roles have included web development and data analysis, as well as engineering, graphic design, and marketing. Working with Yard-based companies can help you build professional workplace skills and use your computing interests in a real business setting.
Who is it best for: Students who want paid, hands-on workplace experience using computer science or IT skills inside a working company at Brooklyn's Navy Yard business hub.
12. Columbia University, Zuckerman Institute – BRAINYAC (Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia)
Location: Manhattan, New York City, NY
Stipend: $3,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 20 students
Dates: January–August, with weekend training during winter and spring and a seven-week summer laboratory internship
Application Deadline: Typically, fall
Eligibility: Current 10th or 11th graders; enrolled in S-PREP, Lang Youth Medical, Double Discovery Center, Columbia Secondary School, or BioBus; New York City residents; age 16 or older by the start of the summer session; preference for students from Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx
You are matched with a Columbia neuroscientist who mentors you through a research project in a Columbia laboratory, working full-time over the summer in areas that include neuroscience, computational neuroscience, psychology, and molecular biology. Before the summer, weekend training sessions cover microscope techniques, pipetting, dissection, reading scientific papers, and coding to control experiments and handle data. You end the program by presenting your research as a poster, and the program can help you build lab, coding, and science-communication skills.
Who is it best for: Students who want to see how coding and data handling drive real neuroscience experiments while working alongside a university research mentor.
Can a computer science internship help with your college applications?
Computer science experience gives you concrete material to discuss in applications, such as a problem you investigated, a tool you used, or a responsibility you handled. Research, coding, data analysis, technical support, and project presentations can show how your interest in computing developed through applied work. The value comes from thoughtful reflection, not simply listing an internship title.
How do you apply for a computer science internship?
Start by reading each program’s official instructions for eligibility, deadlines, and required materials, since the process varies. Prepare specific examples that show your interest in computer science, such as coursework, coding projects, research, or technical volunteering when relevant. Give yourself enough time to complete each requested step carefully, and don't assume every program asks for the same materials.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How is computing used in the health research opportunities?
The health-focused entries connect computing with cancer biology, genomics, biomedical informatics, and neuroscience. Depending on the placement, projects may involve biological datasets or health records; past informatics projects have also investigated medical-imaging bias and extracting clinical information from text.
2. Will I investigate my own question or contribute to an existing study?
Both approaches appear, and individual ownership can still sit within a larger research effort. One biomedical entry describes a self-directed project supporting a laboratory’s wider objectives, while other placements involve faculty-led studies or original research conducted with student peers.
3. Will I have an opportunity to demonstrate what I create?
Several entries provide a structured opportunity to share work through a research colloquium, poster symposium, or web-project Demo Day. These formats differ from ongoing technology-support or employer placements, where a formal public showcase is not described as a universal requirement.
4. Can I complete the entire experience online?
A fully virtual option appears alongside programs that combine remote workshops or technical sessions with required in-person activities. Hybrid training therefore does not mean you can also complete the research or internship remotely. For an entirely online company-project experience, explore Ladder Internships.