14 Free Summer Coding Programs for High School Students
Free summer coding programs allow high schoolers to develop programming skills without the barrier of cost. These programs cover essential topics like Python, Java, data science, and artificial intelligence, and many include structured projects that help you apply theory to practice. Many of these programs are offered by top colleges and tech organizations, giving you exposure to coding languages, project development, and mentorship from industry professionals.
Summer is a great time to explore coding because you can focus more than during the school year. Whether you’re new to computer science or looking to refine your skills, these programs allow you to experiment, problem-solve, and build projects that showcase your abilities. By participating in free coding programs, you can strengthen your technical foundation and connect with peers, instructors, and potential career mentors. To help you choose, here are 14 free summer coding programs for high school students, including a few virtual ones.
14 Free Summer Coding Programs for High School Students
1. Ladder Tech Internships
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: 100% financial aid is available / Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10 – 25%
Dates: 8–12 weeks; summer, fall, winter, and spring cohorts; Summer Cohorts I and II start June 2 and July 14 respectively
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort: Summer Cohort I: May 12; Summer Cohort II: June 23
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and gap year students who can commit 10–20 hours per week for 8–12 weeks
Ladder pairs students with startups and nonprofits for remote internships in tech fields such as software engineering, machine learning, and data science. Ladder’s start-ups are backed by substantial funding, with founders from top accelerators like Y Combinator and companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook. You’ll work on real-world projects like building prototypes, developing scripts, or analyzing datasets. Each student is guided by a startup manager and a Ladder coach, ensuring both technical training and professional development. Interns present their project outcomes at the end of the program, building both technical and workplace skills. Cohorts are small, giving students focused mentorship and team collaboration opportunities.
2. MITES Summer
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~1.5 - 3% / 60 – 80 students
Dates: 6 weeks from late June to early August
Application Deadline: February 1 (tentative)
Eligibility: High school juniors | U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science (MITES) program is a transformative experience that prepares high school students for a future in STEM. The curriculum is rigorous, requiring participation in five demanding academic courses across mathematics, science, and the humanities. You also select an elective, such as one with a machine learning focus, which provides hands-on exposure to practical, real-world STEM applications. This challenging academic immersion is designed to significantly deepen participants' knowledge, clarify potential career paths, and bolster their preparation for the college environment. Beyond the classroom, the program offers valuable networking and experiential learning, including tours and seminars led by STEM professionals.
3. Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation
Location: Remote
Cost: 100% financial aid provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Multiple 12-week cohorts throughout the year (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) Summer (June–August)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; Summer Cohort I Application Deadline is May 11; Summer Cohort II deadline is June 23
Eligibility: High school seniors who are typically from low-income families
The Lumiere Foundation provides fully funded access to Lumiere’s one-on-one research model for students from under-resourced backgrounds. Over 12 weeks, you’ll collaborate with a PhD mentor to produce an independent research paper in a chosen subject area. Options include computer science, machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity. The program mirrors Lumiere’s flagship Scholar Research track but is offered entirely free to selected students. Along the way, you’ll gain training in academic writing, research design, and critical analysis. Detailed feedback and the potential for publication round out the experience. You’ll develop advanced research skills, explore interdisciplinary approaches, and finish with a full research paper that reflects your original work.
4. NASA & UT Austin SEES Internship
Location: Virtual or in-person (Austin, TX)
Cost: None; (NASA certificate awarded)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: May – July (distance learning and remote projects) and July 6 – 19 (on-site internship); July 21 – 22 (symposium)
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: U.S. sophomores and juniors who are at least 16 years old | First-time SEES participants only
The SEES program combines online coursework with team-based projects using NASA Earth science data. You begin with modules on satellite imagery, atmospheric processes, and mission design. You’ll then join mentor-led groups to work on research projects involving climate data, remote sensing, or space systems. You apply coding and data analysis skills to real NASA datasets and present findings at a final symposium. The hybrid format allows both virtual and on-site learning experiences. You also attend a two-week, fully funded residential program at UT Austin, where you collaborate with NASA engineers and scientists on satellite data, mission design, and environmental monitoring.
5. NASA GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS)
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: None / Stipend provided, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not selective
Dates: June 2 – August 29
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: High school students entering 11th or 12th grade | GPA ≥ 3.0 | At least 16 years old | Have taken at least one high school biology course | U.S. Citizens or permanent residents
The GL4HS program (NASA's GeneLab for High Schools) is a free, asynchronous 12-week summer training program offered by NASA’s Ames Research Center for rising high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. You’ll study omics datasets to understand how spaceflight affects biological systems. Coding labs and guided lectures cover genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, giving you technical practice in data analysis. Teams complete a research project and present their findings to NASA scientists, with top groups invited to present at a national conference. Students also meet NASA researchers during virtual field trips and career talks.
6. Stanford SHTEM (Summer Internships for High Schoolers)
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None, but a $50 application fee is required; need-based fee waivers are available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 60 students
Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: Typically March
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who will be at least 14 years old by June 1
The SHTEM program is a prestigious, fully virtual, 8-week summer research internship that offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to engage in hands-on research projects across science, humanities, technology, engineering, and mathematics (SHTEM). You’ll work 30–40 hours weekly on team-based assignments across computer science, linguistics, engineering, biology, or design. Each group is guided by Stanford faculty, graduate students, or staff, combining technical training with collaborative problem-solving. You finish the program by presenting your projects publicly, showcasing both technical and communication skills. The program attracts applicants nationwide and provides exposure to multiple fields in one setting.
7. ASPIRE – Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
Location: Virtual or in-person at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 24 – August 21
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are 15 or older by June 1 | Minimum 2.8 GPA, and live in specific regions of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia | U.S, Citizens
The ASPIRE program at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is a competitive, unpaid summer internship designed for high school juniors and seniors, which places you in STEM research projects at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. The program’s areas of focus include cybersecurity, planetary science, applied physics, and data analysis. You’ll be paired with a mentor and matched to a project aligned with your skills and interests. The program emphasizes professional mentorship and hands-on project work in a real research environment. Students may choose virtual or on-site formats, depending on project availability.
8. Spark Summer Mentorship Program (SparkSMP)
Location: Virtual; some in-person options in Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: None / Some projects provide stipends
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective (~3 – 5%)
Dates: 8–12 weeks, May–August
Application Deadline: April 22
Eligibility: U.S.-based high school students who are citizens or permanent residents
The SPARK Summer Mentorship Program (SPARK SMP) is a volunteer-run initiative primarily serving motivated high school students in the Greater Seattle area, connecting them with industry experts, university professors, and community leaders as mentors. You’ll explore areas such as machine learning, software engineering, or applied data analysis. Projects are designed around real-world problems, from detecting cancer biomarkers to studying extreme weather data. You build skills in coding, statistical modelling, and project presentation. Mentorship is intensive, giving you regular feedback on technical and research progress. This program is highly competitive and places only a small number of students each summer.
9. NASA OSTEM Internships
Location: Remote or in-person at NASA centers
Cost/Stipend: None / Stipends paid based on academic level and session duration
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: Spring: 16 weeks (mid-January – early May); Summer: 10 weeks (late May – August); Fall: 16 weeks (late August – mid-December)
Application Deadline: Varies as per cohort; February 27 (summer session)
Eligibility: Full-time high school students | Over 16 years of age | Cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale | U.S. citizens
NASA OSTEM internships are paid internship opportunities offered by NASA's Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) for high school, undergraduate, graduate students, and educators. They give high school students direct involvement in active NASA missions and research. You can work on robotics, aerospace engineering, space microbiology, or satellite data analysis. Depending on placement, you may write code, support mission design, or analyse large datasets. Interns collaborate in small teams or with individual mentors. The program develops practical research skills while letting you contribute to NASA projects. Internships are paid and can be either remote or on-site.
10. Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: None / $300 needs-based grant available for eligible students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective (~30–35%)
Dates: Typically mid‑June to early August, depending on cohort
Application Deadline: Typically April
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11 (girls and non-binary students)
Over two weeks, this virtual program offers live classes on game design, combining lessons in UX design, coding fundamentals, and the entire game development process. Supported by major sponsors such as Logitech and Bank of America, you gain practical experience in coding with languages like Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript while building web development and game projects. In addition to technical training, Girls Who Code focuses on fostering leadership, self-confidence, and a strong sense of belonging among young women in technology. By creating a community of aspiring female technologists, the program continues to close the gender gap and inspire the innovators of tomorrow.
11. MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Location: Online or in-person at MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: None for families earning less than $150,000; $2,350 for other families
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective (~10–12%)
Dates: July 7 – August 3
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors living and attending high school in the U.S
The MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) is a highly regarded, intensive STEM program for talented high school students who are about to enter their senior year. It offers advanced courses on AI, quantum computing, autonomous systems, and game development. You complete online prerequisites before the summer to prepare for intensive project work. During the program, you’ll design algorithms, write software, and test prototypes in teams. The coursework is fast-paced, blending theory with hands-on application. Each course ends with a capstone project where teams present technical solutions. Instruction is led by MIT Lincoln Lab staff with academic mentors providing guidance.
12. Kode With Klossy Summer Camps
Location: Virtual and in-person across U.S. cities
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive (~15–20%)
Application Deadline: Late March (typical)
Dates: Multiple two-week sessions between June – August
Eligibility: Girls and gender-expansive students, ages 13–18
Kode With Klossy is a nonprofit organization that offers free, two-week coding bootcamps primarily for young women, gender nonconforming, and trans teens ages 13-18. You’ll select a track in web development, mobile apps, data science, or machine learning. You use programming languages such as Python, Swift, HTML, and CSS to build working products. Collaboration and design thinking are emphasised throughout the camp. Projects are designed to be functional and user-focused, giving you real coding experience in just two weeks. Through collaborative projects, design-thinking exercises, and daily coding labs, you will strengthen your problem-solving and data analysis abilities and design functional digital products.
13. HarvardX: CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
Location: Online via edX
Cost: None (Optional certificate at $299)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment (self-paced MOOC)
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Dates: Self-paced, ~7 weeks (10–30 hrs/week)
Eligibility: All high school students
The HarvardX program "CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python" is an online intermediate-level course that dives into the fundamental concepts and algorithms underpinning modern artificial intelligence. You’ll learn to program search algorithms, optimisation routines, and neural networks. Practical projects include handwriting recognition, natural language processing, and game-playing agents. Lectures balance computer science theory with applied coding exercises. By the end, you will have implemented multiple AI systems from scratch using Python. The course is widely used as a bridge between introductory programming and applied machine learning.
14. Coursera: Programming with a Purpose (Princeton University)
Location: Online via Coursera
Cost: None (No certificate)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment (self-paced MOOC)
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Dates: Self-paced (~88 hours total)
Eligibility: All high school students
This course introduces computer science fundamentals through the Java programming language. It begins with basics such as loops, conditionals, and arrays before moving into recursion, modular design, and object-oriented programming. Exercises are drawn from real problem-solving scenarios, building algorithmic thinking alongside coding ability. You also learn how to structure larger programs for clarity and efficiency. By the end, you will be comfortable coding in Java and understanding its role in broader computing systems. The curriculum is based on Princeton’s well-known CS textbook - Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach and includes 10 modules.
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