About

The Gator Artificial Intelligence Camp is a two-week residential program at the University of Florida for rising 10th and 11th grade students interested in AI and programming. Offered through UF's Center for Precollegiate Education and Training (CPET), the 2026 program runs July 19–31 and is open exclusively to students who reside and attend high school in Florida.

The program is deliberately designed for students with a strong interest in AI and programming who have little to no hands-on experience — making it genuinely accessible rather than a credential-stacking exercise for students who already know Python. Over two weeks, campers learn the fundamentals of Python programming and apply AI tools to solve problems, analyze datasets, and create digital objects. Instruction comes from UF faculty across a range of social and physical science disciplines, alongside university staff with expertise in emerging technologies. Morning sessions include campus facility tours, UF faculty lab tours, AI-in-industry presentations, panel discussions with UF STEM undergraduates, and a UF admissions overview.

The signature experience is a tour of HiPerGator — UF's flagship AI supercomputer and one of the most powerful academic computing systems in the United States — giving students a close-up view of the infrastructure behind real-world AI research. This is one of the few high school programs offering direct access to a facility of this scale. The residential format places students in the UF campus environment for the full two weeks. Need-based scholarships are available for Florida students; all interested and eligible students are encouraged to apply regardless of ability to pay.

For a Florida high school student in grades 9–10 who wants a structured, accessible first step into artificial intelligence and programming — taught at an R1 research university with genuine supercomputing infrastructure — the Gator AI Camp is one of the strongest options in the state.