Online Law Programs for High School Students
Updated: 7 days ago
Updated November 2026
TL;DR
This guide compares 9 online law programs for high school students: five self-paced university courses, a live Stanford course, a credit-bearing Harvard option, and two mentored research programs. Prices run from $1,595 to $8,160, and the self-paced courses accept students ages 13 and up. Stanford has not posted 2027 dates (previous cohort: June 15 to July 17, 2026), and Harvard's early deadline is January 13, 2027. If you'd like to write your own research paper on a law question with a PhD mentor, you can apply to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program.
If law is on your list of possible careers, an online program is worth considering before college starts. You can explore the subject from home, and online courses often come with lower costs because there’s no housing or travel to pay for. This guide compares nine online law programs for high school students, including what they cost, when they run, and who can apply. For more choices, including in-person programs, see our list of law programs for high school students.
What kinds of online law programs can you take in high school?
There are four kinds.
Self-paced courses from William & Mary, Notre Dame, Rice, Northwestern, and Georgetown use recorded video lessons, a mentor who answers questions, and a final project, and you can start them year-round.
A live class like Stanford's Legal Studies course meets on a set schedule and ends with a mock trial. Harvard's Secondary School Program lets you take a real Harvard Summer School course for college credit. And mentored research programs like the Lumiere Research Scholar Program and the Horizon Academic Research Program have you write a paper of your own.
Which online law program fits your goal?
If you want | Look at |
A research paper of your own, with a PhD mentor | |
A live class that ends in a mock trial | |
College credit and a transcript | Harvard Secondary School Program, Georgetown (college credit course) |
A self-paced course you can start any month | |
Constitutional law | |
Law and civil rights | |
Legal writing, from client interview to oral argument | |
A tour of several areas of law |
When should you apply to online law programs?
The self-paced courses from Georgetown, Rice, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and William & Mary start throughout the year, so you can apply in any month. The mentored programs run on cohorts. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program has a Winter Cohort priority deadline of November 8, 2026 and a regular deadline of November 22, and the Horizon Academic Research Program lists a Winter cohort deadline of November 22, 2026. Harvard's Secondary School Program opens applications on December 1, 2026, with an early deadline of January 13, 2027. Stanford has not posted 2027 dates, so you'll see TBA below with last cycle's dates for planning.
Location: Online
Cost: Varies by program; need-based financial aid is available, and the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation offers the program at no cost to talented low-income students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: Winter Cohort starts December 7, 2026, and Winter Cohort II starts January 18, 2027; summer 2027 dates are TBA (previous Summer Cohort I started June 1, 2026)
Application Deadline: Winter Cohort: November 8, 2026 (priority) and November 22, 2026 (regular); Winter Cohort II: December 27, 2026
Eligibility: Currently enrolled high school students with a strong academic record
You pick a law question, or a nearby one in international relations, economics, or environmental studies, and turn it into a research paper with a PhD fellow or postdoc. In the 12-week Individual Research Program, you meet your mentor nine times and a writing coach twice, and you finish with a college-level academic paper. Law is on the list of research areas, and you can also propose a topic of your own. Completing any Lumiere program makes you eligible for 3 post-baccalaureate credits through UC San Diego Extended Studies.
Who is it right for? You, if you want a finished paper on a legal or policy question you chose yourself, and you need a program you can do from home.
Location: Online (recorded video lessons you can watch on your own schedule)
Cost: $1,895 for the enrichment course or $3,995 for the college credit course; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: Courses start throughout the year; enrichment lasts 1, 2, or 4 weeks, and credit lasts 6, 8, or 12 weeks
Application Deadline: Not posted; the application page shows the next available course
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up; no transcripts or recommendation letters are required
The law course, Analyze, Argue, and Advocate Like a Lawyer, has you read judicial opinions and statutes, build arguments with the IRAC framework, and practice direct and cross-examination. You also study how the Fourth Amendment balances personal privacy against government interests. Lessons from Georgetown faculty come with a mentor or TA for questions, and you finish with a capstone project. The credit version takes about 128 hours and comes with a letter grade, college credit, and a Georgetown transcript.
Who is it right for? You, if you're 13 or older, want to start when it suits your schedule, and would like the option of college credit.
Location: Online
Cost: Not listed on Horizon's homepage
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Horizon reports accepting 26% of 6,539 total applications (self-reported, all cohorts combined); seminar groups have 3 to 6 students
Program Dates: Labs run year-round and Professor Seminars run in the summer cohort only; 2027 dates are TBA
Application Deadline: Winter cohort: November 22, 2026; other 2027 deadlines are TBA
Eligibility: High school students; Horizon reports a 3.93 average GPA among admitted students
Horizon, founded by Columbia researchers, has two formats. In the 1-1 PhD Labs, you work with a PhD or postdoc scholar through 15 one-on-one mentor sessions, four publication-focused sessions, and four writing-coach sessions. In the summer-only Professor Seminars, a professor leads a small group through 20 professor or TA sessions and four writing-coach sessions. To compare other mentored options, see our guide to online research mentorship programs for high school students.
Who is it right for? You, if you have a strong academic record and want a research paper in a law-adjacent field like international relations or political theory.
Location: Online (asynchronous, with no live classes)
Cost: $1,595; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: Courses start throughout the year; about 20 to 30 hours of work in total
Application Deadline: Not posted; the application page shows the next available course
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up; no transcripts or recommendation letters are required
Constitutional Law: We the People covers the fundamentals of the Constitution and how the judicial system interprets it. You study the debate over constitutional meaning and the methods judges use to decide a case. Lectures are recorded videos, so you can work whenever you have time, and a mentor helps with questions and your final project. You can present that project in any medium, including text, video, photography, or PowerPoint, and you earn a Certificate of Completion from William & Mary.
Who is it right for? You, if the Constitution and the Supreme Court interest you more than trial work.
Location: Online (live classes on Pacific time)
Cost: $3,200, plus a $65 application fee (waivers available); need-based financial aid is offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published (Stanford calls admission selective)
Program Dates: TBA (previous cohort: June 15 to 26 and July 6 to 17, 2026)
Application Deadline: TBA (previous cohort: March 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m. PT)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 11 at the time of applying
Legal Studies: Critical Thinking for Courtroom Success meets for two live hours every weekday, with a third hour set aside for office hours, and Stanford says to plan on two to three hours of homework a day. You learn to analyze a complex set of facts, weigh evidence, and anticipate the other side's points through debates, role-playing, and group work. At the end, you play an attorney or witness in a mock trial and wait for the judge's verdict. The course also looks at international human rights issues, and it is not for credit or a grade.
Who is it right for? You, if you're in grades 9 to 11, learn best in live discussion, and want to try a mock trial.
Location: Online (recorded video lessons)
Cost: $1,795; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: Courses start throughout the year; about 20 to 30 hours of work in total
Application Deadline: Not posted; the application page shows the next available course
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up; no transcripts or recommendation letters are required
Law: Shaping a Just and Equitable World looks at how law shapes property ownership, employment rights, and education, including the right to free public education. You trace the civil rights movement and study the conflict between equality and equity of outcomes. In the capstone, you act as a member of a legal task force and propose legal fixes for three linked problems: access to education, labor rights, and property ownership. You finish with a Certificate of Completion from Rice.
Who is it right for? You, if you care more about civil rights and fairness than courtroom drama.
Location: Online (recorded video lessons)
Cost: $1,895; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: Courses start throughout the year; the next available start is November 22; about 20 to 30 hours of work in total
Application Deadline: Not posted; the application page shows the next available course
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up; no transcripts or recommendation letters are required
Law: From Interview to Argument follows a hypothetical client from the first interview through the court process to an oral argument. You research statutes and case law, write a legal memo, craft a persuasive brief, and then prepare an oral argument for a court of appeals. Yes, you build a case for a client who doesn't exist, but you hear from a real judge and from lawyers in areas like corporate litigation, government, and finance.
Who is it right for? You, if you want to practice the workflow of a lawyer, from client meeting to appeal.
Location: Online (recorded video lessons)
Cost: $1,795
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: Courses start throughout the year, in 2-week and 4-week sessions
Application Deadline: Not posted; the application page shows the next available course
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up
Law: Thinking Like a Lawyer teaches the IRAC method (issue, rule, application, conclusion), which lawyers use to apply rules to facts. You work through criminal law, constitutional law, sports law, and intellectual property, and you compare the U.S. legal system with those of other countries. The course ends with a brief for a hypothetical client that argues your position.
Who is it right for? You, if you want a broad tour of different areas of law before picking a direction.
Location: Online (also offered as residential or commuting)
Cost: $4,180 for 4 credits or $8,160 for 8 credits online, plus a $75 non-refundable application fee; financial aid is available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published (Harvard describes the program as selective)
Program Dates: 7-week session: June 21 to August 6, 2027; 4-week sessions: June 14 to July 8 and July 12 to August 5, 2027 (a limited set of 4-week courses is online)
Application Deadline: January 13, 2027 (early and priority financial aid), February 10, 2027 (regular), and March 31, 2027 (late); applications open December 1, 2026
Eligibility: You will graduate high school and enter college in 2027, 2028, or 2029; you must be 16 by June 13, 2027, and not turn 19 before July 31, 2027
You take real Harvard Summer School courses alongside college students and adults, and you earn a letter grade, college credit, and a Harvard transcript. The 4-week option is one course, and the 7-week option lets you take one or two. The last catalog had a Legal Studies subject area with courses like Introduction to the Philosophy of Law and Creative Law: Ethics and AI. Harvard says to expect about 8 to 12 hours of work outside class each week for every four-credit course. If you'd like a shorter, non-credit stay on campus, see our guide to the Harvard Pre-College Program acceptance rate.
Who is it right for? You, if you're 16 or older, can handle a college workload, and want credit and a transcript.
How do these online law programs compare on cost, format, and credit?
Program | Format and length | Cost | What you finish with | Deadline or next start |
Online, 12 weeks | Varies; aid available | College-level research paper | November 8, 2026 (priority) | |
Online, self-paced; 1 to 12 weeks | $1,895 or $3,995 | Certificate, or college credit | Not posted; starts year-round | |
Online; Labs year-round, Seminars in summer | Not listed | Research paper | November 22, 2026 (Winter) | |
Online, self-paced; about 20 to 30 hours | $1,595 | Certificate | Not posted; starts year-round | |
Online, live; two weeks | $3,200 (2026) | Mock trial; no credit or grade | TBA (previous cohort: March 13, 2026) | |
Online, self-paced; about 20 to 30 hours | $1,795 | Certificate | Not posted; starts year-round | |
Online, self-paced; about 20 to 30 hours | $1,895 | Certificate | Next start November 22, 2026 | |
Online, self-paced; 2 or 4 weeks | $1,795 | Certificate | Not posted; starts year-round | |
Online, 4 or 7 weeks | $4,180 to $8,160, plus $75 fee | College credit and letter grade | January 13, 2027 (early) |
If you're 15 or younger, the self-paced courses and Stanford's grades 9 to 11 course are your clearest options, since Harvard asks you to be 16 by June 13, 2027.
Do online law programs help with college applications?
Harvard says its Secondary School Program doesn't guarantee admission to Harvard College, but it also says completing the program can make your application stronger wherever you apply. That's a fair way to think about every program here. A certificate shows you finished a course, while a brief, an oral argument, or a research paper gives you something specific to talk about in an essay or interview. For more choices, see our guide to online law pre-college programs for high school students.
5 Tips to Pick and Apply to the Right Online Law Program
1. Decide how much live time you want
The self-paced courses have no live classes, so you can watch lectures whenever you like. Stanford's course meets two hours every weekday for two weeks, which works best if your summer is otherwise open.
2. Look at what you finish with
A capstone project, a brief, an oral argument, and a research paper are four different pieces of work. Pick the one you'd enjoy explaining in an interview, whether that's Notre Dame's client brief, Northwestern's appeal argument, or a paper from Lumiere.
3. Tell a specific story in your application note
Georgetown and Rice both ask why you want to take the course, and they let you answer in writing, video, or photos. Maybe a school rule made you ask who decided that, or a Supreme Court case in your history class stuck with you. A specific moment tells a reader more than saying you love law.
4. Ask for aid when you apply
Georgetown, Rice, Northwestern, and William & Mary let you request a need-based scholarship on the confirmation page right after you apply. Stanford uses a separate aid application, which was due a week after the admissions deadline in 2026, and Harvard's aid deadlines match its application deadlines, with aid open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. If cost is your main worry, our list of free law programs for high school students covers options with no tuition.
5. Try a shorter course first
Georgetown's enrichment course can run one week, and Notre Dame's runs two weeks, so you can find out whether you like legal reasoning before you commit to a 7-week Harvard course or a 12-week research project.
Want to research your own law or policy question?
These courses teach you how lawyers think. If you'd like to go deeper on a question you choose, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you one-on-one with a PhD fellow or postdoc.
In the 12-week Individual Research Program, you meet your mentor nine times and a writing coach twice, then finish with a college-level research paper. The program is fully online, need-based financial aid is available, and the Winter Cohort priority deadline is November 8, 2026, with a regular deadline of November 22.
What you might still be wondering about these online law programs
Do I need to know which area of law I want before applying?
No. Several of the courses are broad surveys that touch criminal, constitutional, and intellectual property law, which helps you figure out what pulls you in. The mentored research program lets you settle on a topic with your mentor in the first week.
Will I actually argue a case, or mostly watch lectures?
It depends on the program. Most of the self-paced courses use recorded lectures and end in a capstone such as a brief or an oral argument. One live course ends with a mock trial, so that's the closest you'll get to a courtroom.
Can I do one of these alongside school?
Yes, for most of them. The self-paced enrichment courses take about 20 to 30 hours in total, and the live course meets two hours each weekday for two weeks. For something that stretches across a school term, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program runs 12 weeks, fully online, with nine mentor sessions.
How competitive are these programs?
It varies a lot. Most don't publish an acceptance rate; the self-paced courses ask for basic information and a short note on why you want to join, while the live course and the research programs look at your academic record. To see how other mentored online options compare, check out our list of online research programs for high school students.