Imagine building software that solves real problems while still in high school. Computer science internships in New York empower students to do that. These programs are an excellent way to get real-world experience, gain technical skills, and explore a career in technology. You get the opportunity to do the practical aspects such as programming and data analysis.
Besides practical learning, computer science internships for high schoolers give you a platform to network with industry leaders. You also engage in big projects and prepare yourself for further studies in the computer field. We've outlined some of the best internships for high school students in NYC. Take a look at them to figure out which one is the best for you.
Here are some of the best computer science internships for high school students in New York:
CS4CS is one of the best cyber security internships in NYC. This program teaches high school students the basics of cybersecurity and computer science, so it's an excellent choice for beginners. Students learn white-hat hacking, cryptography, steganography, digital forensics, privacy, and data analytics. These lessons prepare them with the necessary skills to advance in cyberspace.
CS4CS offers hands-on learning with detection and analysis tools for cyber attacks, such as network encryption keys, and basic programming. Students also learn behavioural science which helps them to prevent scams such as phishing and identity theft. To further enrich the experience, students attend an Irondale program, where they learn communication and public speaking in an improvisational theater.
NYC Residential Summer is one of the most prestigious New York City computer science internships. This program engages high school students with an academically rigorous, but fully immersive college experience. Participants can choose from 70+ courses including blockchain, cryptocurrencies, AI, data science, and Python programming.
Students study for four hours daily on weekdays. They are trained to think critically and collaborate with teammates. When they finish, they are given a Columbia University Certification of Participation and a letter of review for their accomplishments. These accolades make NYC Residential Summer a worthwhile academic experience, especially when preparing for college applications.
ARISE is one of the most comprehensive summer 2025 computer science internships in NYC. It's a 10-week research, mentorship, and college preparation program for high school students who are interested in STEM fields. Students get four weeks of workshops and college counseling, followed by a six-week research placement in NYU faculty labs.
Under the guidance of graduate and postdoc mentors, students do real projects in engineering, life sciences, and computer sciences. Some key research areas in computer science include ethical data science and privacy machine learning. Interns do these research at the Responsible Data Science Lab and Privacy and Security Automation Lab respectively.
The Tech Scholars program is one of the most creative computer science internships in New York. It blends creativity and technical knowledge, helping students to explore history and technology in real-world scenarios. They build and create podcasts, websites, 2D games and more while studying the historical figures, events, and themes that motivate today’s young people.
Two of the most notable yearly offerings in the Tech Scholars internship are game design and web design. In the game design course, students are taught how to make historical games. In web design, they learn how to use HTML and CSS to create websites telling the powerful stories of women in history.
While internships offer hands-on industry experience, research programs present another excellent pathway to advance your computer science knowledge. These programs enable high school students to explore cutting-edge topics like artificial intelligence and machine learning while developing critical problem-solving skills under expert guidance.
The Junior Academy is a project-based online program where students work in international teams to solve real-world problems. Under the mentorship of STEM professionals, students build innovative solutions to address the challenges of large businesses. The program kicks off with a one-week intro. During this period, students learn about the basics of research methods, design thinking, and data analysis.
Challenges are held twice a year; September and February. This period marks the essence of teamwork as students have to build teams either by starting their own project or joining other groups. All this work takes place on Launchpad, the Academy’s online learning environment.
The Simons Summer Research Program matches high school students with Stony Brook faculty mentors for a month-long research journey. They become members of research teams, have projects of their own, and conclude by publishing a research paper. Applicants can choose three mentors or research themes when applying.
Some of the prominent computer science mentors in this program are:
CSIRE gives high school students a real-world introduction to computer science by teaching Machine Learning & Self-driving and Robotics Engineering. The Machine Learning & Self-Driving course teaches machine learning algorithms, self-driving basics and neural networks. Students experiment with their own RC cars and learn about deep neural networks like CNN and ResNet in PyTorch.
The Robotics Engineering course introduces students to practical electronics, mechanical design, and microcontroller programming. The students get to design robot movements, prototypes, and embed them in autonomous systems. The course content covers electronic circuits, linkages, sensors, motors, motion control with Bluetooth, and Arduino programming.
Although not an internship, the Indigo Research Intensive Seasonal (IRIS) Program is one of the most prestigious computer science programs for high school students in NYC and beyond. For six weeks students engage in online group research with professors and researchers from the largest universities. Some of our mentors are professors at Stanford, UCLA, Cornell, and Oxford.
The computer science course offered at IRIS will introduce students to machine learning, AI, and data science. Even students with no previous programming knowledge work with sample code blocks in projects on deep learning and NLP. The Artificial Intelligence course covers generative AI, AI ethics, computer vision, and more.
Participating in computer science internships as a high schooler gives you the opportunity to gain some practical experience and valuable mentorship. These internships not only increase your knowledge and skills but also help you excel as you further your studies and career in the computer field.
If you want to enrich your computer science experience, consider doing cutting-edge research in AI and machine learning. The IRIS Intensive Program can be a great starting point. You get close mentorship from world-class researchers and finally publish a research paper. The best part is that you don’t need to be a seasoned programmer or tech wiz to apply and you can join the program from any part of the world.
Yes, here's how to get an internship with no experience in computer science: check the eligibility of each program and select internships that don't require prior experience. Also, consider programs that offer close one-on-one mentorships or peer mentorship instead of group mentorship alone.
You can find a software internship in NYC on LinkedIn, Handshake, and Indeed. These platforms have location filters that help you narrow your search to the closest opportunities. You may also approach software companies directly through their support lines to find out if they have an opening.
Yes, some companies in NYC offer part-time computer science internships especially if it's a virtual program. These internships though may be harder to find. Use the “Job Type” filter on job boards to make your search easier.
Yes, a good example is the Cyber Security for Computer Science (CS4CS) internship. You can also find more opportunities with job boards.
Take your computer science journey beyond internships with our IRIS Summer Program where you'll conduct cutting-edge research under Cornell University professors. Through this 6-week intensive program, you'll develop advanced technical skills and gain hands-on research experience that sets you apart in your college applications.