Cybersecurity Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 57 cybersecurity programs for high school students. Of these, 41 are free to participate in and 28 offer virtual participation. Examples include "Gateway to Cyber" Summer Camp – Assumption University, AFA CyberCamps, and Air Force Association CyberCamp.
- 57
- listed
- 41
- free
- 28
- virtual
- 57
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are cybersecurity programs for high school students?
- Cybersecurity Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in cybersecurity. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- Are any of these programs free?
- Yes — 41 of the 57 programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 28 of the 57 programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are cybersecurity programs good for a college application?
- Yes — cybersecurity programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in cybersecurity on college applications.
Related Categories
57 activities found·Browse by category
"Gateway to Cyber" Summer Camp – Assumption University
A four-day cybersecurity day camp at Assumption University in Worcester, MA for Massachusetts high schoolers entering grades 10-12, covering multi-factor authentication, cryptography, drone hacking, and password cracking through hands-on activities led by faculty and undergraduates.
AFA CyberCamps
Summer cybersecurity camps run by the Air & Space Forces Association at sites nationwide. Standard and Advanced camps introduce networking, operating-system security, and hands-on defense skills, often used as an on-ramp to CyberPatriot.
Air Force Association CyberCamp
A free week-long residential summer camp for high schoolers hosted by the Air Force Association at partner universities nationwide (including the University of Pittsburgh), covering cyber hygiene and systems administration and culminating in a hands-on vulnerability-finding competition; a feeder program into CyberPatriot.
ångstromCTF
A capture-the-flag competition organized entirely by students at Montgomery Blair High School focusing on system/network administration, programming, and reverse engineering. Beginner-to-intermediate friendly and online.
Bay Area Cyber League Competitions
Year-round regional competitions for high school and community college students in the greater Bay Area. Includes fall and spring competitions with Discord community support.
California State University Summer Cybersecurity Academies
Week-long programs at various CSU campuses (San Bernardino, Dominguez Hills, Channel Islands) offering hands-on training in ethical hacking, digital forensics, and network security.
CISA Cybersecurity Career Resources
Government resources for exploring cybersecurity careers including scholarships, internships, and educational pathways.
Cisco Networking Academy - Cybersecurity Courses
Free online courses (Introduction to Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Essentials) with hands-on labs and industry-recognized certifications.
Code@TACC Cybersecurity AI
A free, residential week-long summer camp at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (UT Austin) for rising 11th and 12th graders, exploring online safety, networking, mobile security, cryptography, cloud computing, and cyber ethics.
CS@Mines High School Summer Internship & Programming Project
Colorado School of Mines hosts high school students for summer computer science research internships (scholarship-funded at $20/hour for selected applicants, with topics including AI, robotics, cybersecurity) and a 5-week virtual computer programming project program ($200) where students build a CS project in teams. Priority application deadline April 10.
Cyber Camp (Messiah University)
A day camp for students entering grades 9-12 at Messiah University covering cryptography, ethical hacking, social engineering, digital forensics, and IoT security, taught by cybersecurity faculty and industry experts with a visit to the university's Security Operations Center.
Cyber Immersion Camp (Norwich University)
A weeklong residential summer camp at Norwich University for students in grades 10-12 of all skill levels, teaching command line, Python, Linux, Metasploit, Nmap, and Wireshark through labs covering digital forensics, ethical hacking, and information warfare.
Cyber.org High School Pathways
Comprehensive curriculum with hands-on labs, assessments, and teacher support. Covers cybersecurity fundamentals, ethical hacking, and digital forensics.
CyberDefenders
Blue team focused platform with digital forensics and incident response challenges. Practice defending networks using real-world attack scenarios.
Cyberjutsu Girls Academy
Monthly hands-on STEM/cybersecurity workshops from the Women's Society of Cyberjutsu for middle- and high-school-aged girls, covering web design, mobile app development, and programming, with CyberPatriot and CTF teams.
Cybersecurity Mentorship Programs (CyberAcademy by CyberWarrior Foundation)
Free mentorship connecting high school students with cybersecurity professionals for career guidance and skill development.
CyberStart America
A free national online program delivered by the SANS Institute with 200+ gamified challenges covering cryptography, web exploitation, Python, forensics, and code-breaking, serving as the qualifying platform for the National Cyber Scholarship.
CybHER - Arcade Hack CTF
A cybersecurity outreach initiative based at Dakota State University focused on engaging girls in cyber, including the Arcade Hack capture-the-flag challenge and related events/workshops.
Dakota State University Cyber Camp for High Schoolers
A low-cost, residential summer cybersecurity camp at Dakota State University for students entering grades 10-12, covering digital forensics, cryptography, and C/Python programming with morning core sessions and afternoon electives.
GenCyber Camps
NSA- and NSF-funded free, one-week cybersecurity camps hosted at universities across the country covering internet safety, cryptography, ethics, network scanning, and core security principles. No prior experience required.
GenCyber Forensics Camp – Norwich University
A free week-long GenCyber pre-college program at Norwich University for rising sophomores through seniors, using gaming, modeling, and simulation to teach digital forensics tools while students build and keep a mini computer.
GenCyber Summer Camp – Baylor University
A free five-day cybersecurity summer camp for students completing grades 8-12, hosted by Baylor University and McLennan Community College in Waco, TX, featuring hands-on exercises, industry speakers, and a closing team competition.
GenCyber Summer Camp – Illinois State University
A free, NSA/NSF-funded residential summer camp at Illinois State University where high schoolers entering grades 9-12 learn cybersecurity fundamentals and IoT security through hands-on labs while experiencing college life.
GenCyber Summer Camp – Purdue University Northwest
A free, five-day NSA/NSF-funded GenCyber camp for high schoolers at Purdue University Northwest covering cybersecurity awareness, network security, cryptography, ethical hacking labs, and cyber forensics.
GenCyber Summer Camp – University of West Florida
A free five-day GenCyber camp at the University of West Florida for rising 7th-12th graders (age 13+), introducing cybersecurity first principles, Linux fundamentals, and career pathways through hands-on activities.
GenCyber Summer Camp (Rochester Institute of Technology)
A free, NSA-funded GenCyber day camp at RIT for rising 8th-12th graders covering cyber ethics, online safety, and cybersecurity defense fundamentals, with a dedicated GenCyber for Girls session alongside the co-ed session.
GenCyber Summer Camps (Northern California locations)
NSA/NSF-funded free camps at various NorCal colleges (SJSU, Sacramento State, Cabrillo). Topics: ethical hacking, digital forensics, cryptography, cyber hygiene.
Girls Who Code - Clubs & Pathways
Free, project-based programs including a cybersecurity track alongside web development, game design, and data science. Clubs meet after school/weekends; the self-paced Pathways program is virtual for high schoolers.
HackTheBox Academy
Industry-leading penetration testing platform with comprehensive learning paths. Free tier provides access to retired machines and foundational courses.
Hivestorm
A cyber-defense competition where teams of 2-4 secure virtual machines, remove malware and threats, and harden systems to score points, emphasizing practical security and system-administration skills.
HSCTF (High School Capture the Flag)
An international online hacking competition designed for high schoolers where teams of up to 5 crack codes, reverse engineer, design algorithms, and solve web/crypto challenges. Student-organized and beginner-accessible.
MetaCTF CyberGames
An annual jeopardy-style capture-the-flag hosted by MetaCTF with challenges across binary exploitation, cryptography, web exploitation, forensics, and reverse engineering, open to all skill levels including high schoolers.
MITRE Embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF)
A free, semester-long national cybersecurity competition open to U.S. high school and college students 13 and older, in which teams design and defend a secure embedded system before attacking other teams' designs; MITRE provides free development hardware.
National Cyber Cup by CYBER.ORG
A free, jeopardy-style capture-the-flag competition from CYBER.ORG exploring reverse engineering, decryption, programming, and networking, with a dedicated high school division.
National Cyber League (NCL) High School Division
Biannual competition with real-world challenges: forensic analysis, packet capture analysis, password cracking, and ransomware recovery. Performance-based scouting reports provided.
National Cyber Scholarship Competition (NCSF)
A timed CTF-style competition reached via CyberStart that awards hundreds of college scholarships plus SANS course/GIAC certification vouchers to top-scoring high schoolers.
National Cyber Summit - Cyber Cup Challenge
A capture-the-flag challenge held alongside the National Cyber Summit in Huntsville, Alabama, giving students a chance to compete on real cybersecurity problems at a major industry conference.
NIST NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework
Free resources mapping cybersecurity careers, skills, and learning pathways. Essential for understanding the breadth of cybersecurity roles.
NorCalCyber Mayors Cup
Regional competition for students in Greater Sacramento and Far North California. Features team-based learning and digital forensics challenges.
NSLC Summer Cybersecurity Program
A 9-day residential summer program at Georgetown University run by the National Student Leadership Conference, where students ages 14-18 study cryptography, digital forensics, and network security through simulations, a capture-the-flag exercise, and visits to federal agencies like the FBI and DIA.
OverTheWire Wargames
Free online cybersecurity wargames teaching fundamental to advanced security concepts through hands-on challenges. Self-paced progression through difficulty levels.
picoCTF by Carnegie Mellon University
The largest free cybersecurity hacking competition globally. Solve capture-the-flag challenges in web exploitation, cryptography, forensics, and reverse engineering.
SANS Cyber Foundations
Free online cybersecurity fundamentals course covering networking, operating systems, and security concepts. Self-paced with optional certification exam.
School Cybersecurity Club Formation Resources
Organizations like ISSA, ISC2, and (ISC)² provide free resources, speakers, and curriculum for starting high school cybersecurity clubs.
SJSU Cybersecurity Summer Camp
San José State University week-long camp covering Linux commands, network security, threat detection, and ethical hacking. Collaboration among SJSU engineering and information programs.
Space Grand Challenge (California Cybersecurity Institute)
Gamified satellite cybersecurity competition designed by Cal Poly for middle and high schoolers. Features space-themed challenges in a Unity WebGL platform.
Stanford Applied Cyber Summer Workshops
Stanford's cybersecurity club hosts workshops covering practical skills in analyzing, exploiting, and defending computer systems. Open to Silicon Valley high school students.
TryHackMe
Gamified cybersecurity learning platform with hands-on labs and challenges. Learn penetration testing, web exploitation, and network security through interactive rooms.
UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic Summer Intensive
Advanced program for high school students covering network security, cryptography, ethical hacking, and hands-on labs with Berkeley mentors.
UMBC Cyber 101 Program
A free overnight program at UMBC's Center for Women in Technology introducing high school seniors (and select juniors) of all genders to cybersecurity and computing career pathways through an on-campus residential experience.
UMBC Summer Enrichment Academy – Introduction to Cybersecurity
A week-long summer day camp for high schoolers at UMBC covering ethical hacking, digital forensics, and open-source investigation, including a field trip to Northrop Grumman's Cyber Security Operations Center.
University of Alabama CTF (UACTF)
A free, hybrid Jeopardy-style capture-the-flag competition hosted by the University of Alabama, open to middle and high school teams competing on campus or virtually across novice-to-advanced divisions.
University of Maryland Cyber Camp
A summer cyber camp for high school students run by the University of Maryland's cybersecurity center, offering hands-on introductions to cybersecurity concepts and hacking/defense skills.
US Cyber Challenge Cyber Quests
Online qualifier for virtual Cyber Camps. Challenges include forensic analysis, packet capture analysis, and vulnerability assessment. Pathway to summer camps and scholarships.
USF CyberCamp
A University of South Florida summer cybersecurity camp for high schoolers delivered by USF Innovative Education, introducing core cyber concepts through hands-on activities.
WiCyS (Women in Cybersecurity) Student Chapters
Student chapters that run recruitment, retention, mentorship, and skill-building activities in cybersecurity, giving students community, mentorship, and access to WiCyS resources and events.
WUST Cybersecurity CTF
An annual ethical-hacking capture-the-flag competition hosted by the SOC Lab at Washington University of Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA, open to teams of high school, college, and university students, with a free mandatory training workshop beforehand.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.