Topics We Cover:
Why do internships in high school?
How to Find Computer Science Internships for High School Students
25 Coding Internships for High School Students
Cold Outreach Strategy for Computer Science High School Internships
Email Template for Finding a High School Internship
Why do internships in high school?
Before we jump into a long list of Computer Science internships for high school students, it is important to understand why these opportunities could matter for your future. According to PRISM, a consultancy, 70% of students attending a US News top 50 University have completed at least one internship while in high school. These opportunities serve as a way to distinguish yourself in the admissions process by showing that you have gone out and verified your future goals through experience. Doing internships will help you enter college with a clearer idea of the professional environments you enjoy or don’t enjoy, which will make it easier for you to recruit into a job you love after graduation.
How to Find Computer Science Internships for High School Students
The best way to find official programs to apply to is through online search tools and lists. The StandOutSearch database provides the largest free resource that lists almost every internship program for the high school age group and allows you to search by interest area. MIT Admissions also provides a helpful list of Computer Science High School Internships, as does the Collegevine blog.
However, official programs tend to be very competitive, so if you are serious about finding a coding internship in high school, you should also prepare a cold-outreach strategy. You can read more about how to form a cold outreach strategy to find a high school internship in computer science at the end of this article. We also include email templates to make finding an internship or research position through cold outreach less daunting.
25 Coding Internships for High School Students
Most of the high school internship opportunities below have an acceptance rate of 20% or lower given that there are many more high school students looking for internships relative to official programs that provide them. We recommend choosing at least five opportunities to apply to. If you see an opportunity that excites you, take a moment to write the deadline on your calendar!
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer or School Year
Deadline: Various Deadlines
NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) paid internships allow high school and college-level students to contribute to agency projects under the guidance of a NASA mentor. Applicants for this internship must be U.S. Citizens and meet a minimum 3.0 GPA requirement. There is also a program for international students.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
StandOut Connect is a program created thanks to investment from The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Innovation that matches high school students with internships. Students interview with potential mentors who are leaders and innovators within their area of interest until they are hired for a two-month internship. Many students then receive optional return offers to continue with their internship for as long as they would like.
Ages: 15-16
Location: California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 1st 2024
Externs of Meta Summer Academy (formerly known as Facebook Summer Academy) will have the opportunity to learn about the day-to-day operations of one of the world’s leading social media networks by being part of a dynamic workforce. Applicants must be sophomores in high school and full-year residents of either: East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, or Redwood City.
Ages: 14-17
Location: Illinois
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 15th 2024
The Fermilab TARGET Program is a six-week summer internship for high school sophomores and juniors in Illinois who have a strong interest and demonstrated aptitude for physics, mathematics, computer science, and engineering. The program is designed to encourage high school students to undertake college study and pursue careers in STEM disciplines. The program combines work and experiential learning at Fermilab, working alongside scientists and engineers. The program aims to increase the representation of underrepresented minorities (Black, Hispanic/Latino, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Alaska Native/American Indian) and women in the sciences and engineering at the college level and the workforce. The program is highly competitive and annually hosts approximately 15-25 interns.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 10th 2024
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program offers stipend-paid summer internship opportunities to upper-level high school students. The selected interns gain valuable hands-on experiences working with full-time AFRL scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research and technology and are able to contribute to unique, research-based projects.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: School Year or Summer
Deadline: Various Deadlines
What do cutting edge research, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and unparalleled access to professional scientists and engineers have in common? The AEOP High School Apprenticeship. Spend your summer in a university research lab or in one of the U.S. Army Research Laboratories and Centers through this unique apprenticeship opportunity. All participants must be current high school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents. Additional eligibility requirements vary by location.
Ages: 17-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: April 1st 2024
Whether you’re interested in being a producer, a journalist, a web developer, an engineer, a business executive, a PR agent, a sales representative, or any other career in media or tech, the EBF Internship is here to help you get your start. If selected, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in these organizations so you can learn, grow and put yourself on the fast-track to career success.
Ages: 17-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: School Year
Deadline: October 31st 2024
This program allows you to learn more about NSA, deepen your career field knowledge, and collect a paycheck or scholarship money. This program is for students who plan to participate in a school-sponsored work experience program during their senior year. Positions are available based on requirements at each site.
Ages: 15-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 2024
The TECH360 Summer Bootcamp is an intensive, 3-week program where students learn how to code through web design and web development. Throughout the program, students will learn industry-aligned technical and professional skills, gaining knowledge of key coding languages and frameworks, including HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: November 1st 2024
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) places high school students in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories where they take part in real Naval research for eight weeks during the summer. SEAP gives academically talented sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in STEM the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers.
Ages: 16-18
Location: New York
Timeline: School Year
Deadline: January 11th 2024
The Biorocket Research Internship Program is a 6-month science research internship experience for New York City public and charter high school students aged 16 and up. The program provides students with the opportunity to learn the latest advances in genetic engineering and biology laboratory skills, along with the science communication skills necessary to communicate about these topics with a variety of audiences.
Ages: 15-18
Location: New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 29th 2024
The Hk Maker Lab is an intensive six-week summer program to learn the foundations of design. Focusing on addressing a health problem, participants will design, prototype and test a biomedical device and develop an associated business plan. The program will culminate in a presentation to leading executives from the biomedical community. The Hk Maker Lab projects might then be incubated using the state-of-the-art facilities at Harlem Biospace.
Ages: 16-18
Location: New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Summer
The Laboratory Learning Program is a full-time, free research experience in the sciences or engineering for high school students. Students are included in ongoing research programs where they are closely supervised by Princeton faculty and research staff. The participation dates are customized according to the schedules of the research personnel and the specifics of the project.
Ages: 16-19
Location: California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Various Deadlines
Sandia applies science to help detect, repel, defeat, or mitigate national threats. Sandia welcomes student interns – from those in their final years of high school, to undergraduates, to researchers obtaining PhDs. As an intern, you will work on real-world, challenging projects that contribute to Sandia’s mission.
Ages: 16-17
Location: Massachusetts
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 1st 2024
The MITES Summer Program is a six-week, on-campus program that immerses US high school juniors in rigorous and rewarding mathematics, science, and humanities courses. Scholars will also have access to lab tours, social events, and college admissions counseling while developing the academic and personal skills essential for success. Students will engage with STEM professionals in seminars and tours of MIT labs and local companies employing MITES alumni.
Ages: 14-18
Location: Remote
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 2024
Students gain the computer science skills they need to make an impact and prepare for tech careers through this free, virtual summer program. Summer program participants get exposure to tech jobs, meet leaders in tech careers, and find community in a supportive sisterhood.
Ages: 15-17
Location: New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 2024
This seven-week program includes: a high level, 5-week authentic research experience in participating NYU faculty labs, mentoring in that placement by a graduate or postdoctoral student, a stipend of at least $750 for completing the program, as well as two weeks of workshops, college advisement and other activities geared to preparing ARISE students for the college application process.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Massachusetts
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 2024
The Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers program (LLRISE) is a two-week summer workshop for rising high school seniors. It is a free, project-based enrichment program for exceptional students currently in their junior year of high school. LLRISE offers students an in-depth experience in building small radar systems by using creative problem-solving strategies. Participants will work with highly talented scientists and engineers to develop the skills needed to build a Doppler and range radar. The program is held on both the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA and Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, MA.
Ages: 16-17
Location: Massachusetts
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 15th 2024
The MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) is a rigorous four-week summer academic experience to introduce high school students to engineering through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade. WTP is designed for students who are excited about learning, have demonstrated their ability to excel at math and science in their high school classes, and who have no prior background (or very little) in engineering, with few opportunities to explore these fields. WTP is a women-focused, collaborative community aimed at empowering students from groups historically underrepresented and underserved in engineering.
Ages: 15-17
Location: Illinois
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 2024
The Data Science Institute Summer Lab program (launched in 2018 as the Data & Computing Summer Lab) is an immersive 10-week paid summer research program at the University of Chicago. In the program, high school and undergraduate students are paired with a data science mentor in various domains, including: computer science, data science, social science, climate and energy policy, public policy, materials science, and biomedical research.
Ages: 14-18
Location: New Hampshire
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 2024
The Institute for Security, Technology, and Society (ISTS) at Dartmouth College is offering an advanced cybersecurity summer program that aims to equip students with knowledge of interdisciplinary research in cybersecurity and privacy, including understanding system vulnerabilities, defending against cyber-attacks, digital forensics, and security awareness. The program is funded by Dartmouth College and the GenCyber program, a partnership between the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation. Students who apply must demonstrate familiarity with cybersecurity concepts and technological prowess.
Ages: 14-17
Location: New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: April 14th 2024
Learn the fundamentals of computer science and cybersecurity this summer at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Cybersecurity is a fast-growing, high-demand professional field that requires specialized computer science skills. CS4CS is a three-week summer program designed to empower a new, diverse generation of engineers to take on the cybersecurity challenges of today and tomorrow.
Ages: 14-18
Location: New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 2024
The process of collecting and storing health-related data – including genetics and genomics – has advanced by leaps and bounds during the past decade. This reality demands a new generation of scientists, data engineers, and medical professionals to work together on finding new solutions to new challenges that the fast-changing environment imposes on the healthcare system. This online course is designed to teach high school students the basic concepts of cellular and molecular biology, genomic science, and computer programming. Students finish the course by completing projects on bioinformatics using open-access genomic data.
Ages: 16-18
Location: New Jersey
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 2024
The Governor’s School of New Jersey was established in 1983. It is a tuition-free, summer, residential program for high-achieving high school juniors who have an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. Currently, there are two programs: the Governor’s School in the Sciences at Drew University and the Governor’s School of Engineering & Technology at Rutgers.
Ages: 14-18
Location: New York
Timeline: School Year, Summer
Deadline: April 2024
Learn to code in a supportive, all-girl environment! Explore how women across the spectrum of race, class, and sexuality exercised power and effected change. Be a digital changemaker and create your own websites to share powerful stories about women in history.
Cold Outreach Strategy for Computer Science High School Internships
If the opportunities listed above don’t turn out to be a fit, the next step to finding a coding internship for high school students is to launch a cold outreach strategy. This may seem intimidating at first, but the guide below should make it much more simple. As an added note, please exercise caution when reaching out to professionals you don’t know. It is always safest to interview or meet virtually.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School Internship
Use LinkedIn to find small technology companies that interest you. Smaller companies that need more hands on deck will be the most likely to hire high-school-aged students to code for them. Try to find personal connections with the professionals you reach out to, such as being from the same state originally or liking the same sports team.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research Position
You can use online university staff directories to find professors to reach out to for research positions. These professors will likely have you help with computational research for a coding internship, which generally requires introductory knowledge of Python or R to parse large datasets. You should be able to learn Python or R on your own for free within a few months using resources such as Coursera’s R Programming Course or Python for Everybody.
How to Structure and Send Outreach Emails
For a successful cold-outreach strategy, aim to send at least 50 emails to potential internship providers. Be sure to include a link to your resume, which should be no more than one page while you are in high school. UChicago provides a helpful free resume template and guide. If you are looking for a coding role, then we highly recommend linking previous samples of your coding skills to your resume–the easiest way to do this is by including a GitHub profile. We recommend including your resume as a Google Drive link because including it as a PDF will sometimes negatively impact the deliverability of your email. However, be sure to check that the sharing settings on the document allow anyone with the link to view its contents. It can also be a good idea to include work samples in your resume, such as the link to a website you designed or your GitHub profile.
Email Template for Finding a High School Internship
If you are unsure how to structure your outreach emails to potential internship providers, here are some basic templates you can customize to your needs.
Template for Finding a Coding Internship
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Mr./Ms.____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I read about your company on LinkedIn and found the concept quite interesting. For context, [briefly state how the company relates to your interests or experience].
I was wondering if you might be looking for technical interns. I know I would have a great deal to learn from working with you, and I would love to contribute in any way I can. I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Template for Finding a Computational Research Position
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Professor/Dr. ____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I recently read your paper on [restate the abstract] in [name of publication] and was quite intrigued by [part you found interesting]. I was wondering if I might be able to intern for you over this summer in a technical role. [Elaborate on your relevant skills and experience and why you are passionate about the field].
I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
Whether you are applying to established programs or launching a cold outreach strategy, the name of the game when looking for a high school internship or research position is perseverance. These opportunities can be extremely difficult to secure, but most high school students find it worth it in the end to get a head start on building their careers. If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to save it for later or share it with a friend. Good luck on your internship search journey!
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