15 Summer Writing Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
If you are a high school student looking to use your summer well, writing programs are a solid place to start. They expose you to how writing works in professional and academic settings, and they introduce you to mentors, editors, and peers who take the craft seriously. Over time, that exposure can shape both your skills and your confidence, while also strengthening your resume in a meaningful way.
What will I do in a summer writing program?
A strong summer writing program teaches you how ideas are developed, edited, and published. You gain experience working under deadlines, responding to feedback, and refining your voice for real audiences. Just as important, you begin building connections that can support your growth long after the program ends.
Note: You can also check out more creative writing programs for high school students here!
With that, here are 15 summer writing programs for high school students!
15 Summer Writing Programs for High School Students
Location: Hybrid - online & Princeton University campus, Princeton, NJ
Cost: None
Dates: Online workshops throughout July + a 10‑day residential session in early August
Application deadline: January 26
Eligibility: High school juniors with a minimum unweighted grade point average of 3.5 out of 4.0; applicants must meet at least one of the socioeconomic conditions listed here
The Princeton Summer Journalism Program is a tuition-free opportunity for high-achieving high school juniors from limited-income backgrounds who are interested in journalism and college preparation. You begin with virtual workshops in July, where you learn reporting fundamentals from professional journalists and Princeton faculty before transitioning to a 10-day residential institute on Princeton’s campus. During the program, you conduct interviews, report on real issues, and write articles covering topics such as politics, race, economics, and the environment. The curriculum focuses on investigative reporting, ethics, and feature writing, with regular feedback from program counselors who are alumni and working journalists. Your completed stories are edited and published in The Princeton Summer Journal.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program type; Financial aid is available
Dates: Multiple cohorts in a year; The summer cohort runs from June to August
Application deadline: Deadlines vary by cohort
Eligibility: High school students with an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or more
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a 12-week research experience in which you work one-on-one with a PhD mentor to develop an independent academic research project. You can choose from fields such as journalism, literature, or linguistics, or propose a customized topic based on your interests. Throughout the program, you receive structured guidance on research methods, source evaluation, and academic writing. The primary outcome is a full-length research paper that reflects original inquiry and sustained analysis. Writing and revision are central to the experience, particularly for students interested in scholarly communication.
Location: Los Angeles Times, LA
Stipend: $16.90/hour
Dates: June 16 - August 1
Application deadline: February 26
Eligibility: High school students graduating in the next three years, residing in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California
The Los Angeles Times’s HS Insider Summer Internship places you inside a working newsroom for seven weeks. You pitch story ideas, reach out to sources, conduct interviews, and revise drafts with direct feedback from editors and reporters. Alongside reporting, you take part in workshops on ethics, story structure, and multimedia storytelling. Your time is split between newsroom collaboration and remote reporting to publish youth-focused stories on the HS Insider platform. By the end of the program, you will have real experience working through the rhythms and demands of a professional media organization.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Multiple summer cohorts; rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from eminent top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. Participants can explore a wide range of subjects, spanning over 20 options, including Architecture, AI, Business Management, Computer Science, Economics, Medicine, Philosophy, and more. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, participating in a moot court for law, or building creative writing portfolios and business case studies. By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and receive a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Cost: $2,500 (financial aid is available)
Dates: Session 1: June 14 – 27; Session 2: July 12 – 25
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: 10th, 11th and 12th graders who have course-relevant writing samples
The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio Summer Residential Program is a two-week intensive focused on close reading, writing practice, and literary discussion. You enroll in one core course, such as poetry, fiction, playwriting, TV writing, or multi-genre creative writing, and stay with that discipline throughout the session. Students are taught by faculty affiliated with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop or the University of Iowa MFA programs. The summer writing program for high school students combines seminars that analyze published works with workshops where you share drafts and receive peer and instructor critique. Daily writing exercises encourage experimentation and revision across multiple drafts. In addition to the residential program, Iowa also offers separate six-week online writing courses during the summer and winter.
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Cost: None
Dates: June 21 – July 25
Application deadline: Early December (tentative)
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors, aged 15–18 years (preference is given to Black, Indigenous, and underrepresented communities)
The Telluride Association Summer Seminar is a six-week, tuition-free academic program for high school sophomores and juniors, hosted on a U.S. college campus. You participate in one of two academic tracks–Critical Black Studies or Anti-Oppressive Studies–both of which examine power, identity, and social structures through humanities and social science perspectives. Each weekday includes a three-hour, discussion-based seminar involving readings, essays, media analysis, and lectures. Beyond coursework, you help govern a self-directed residential community, making collective decisions and practicing transformative justice. The program also includes public speaking training, community service projects, and guest lectures.
Location: Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, or virtual
Cost: Virtual: $995 | Residential: $2,575
Dates: Online: June 14–19 | Residential: Session One: June 21–July 4 and Session Two: July 12–25
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students ages 16-18
The Kenyon Review’s Young Writers Workshop is a one-week creative writing program offered in both online and residential formats. You work in a small group with an instructor, writing every day, reading published work closely, and sharing drafts in peer workshops across genres like fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The program is ungraded and low-pressure, with the focus on revision, craft, and learning how to talk about writing honestly. You also meet with your instructor to discuss your goals and drafts. Author readings, craft talks, and open mics round out the week, making it feel more like a working writers’ community than a class.
Location: Lakeside School campus
Cost: $980
Dates: July 13 - July 31
Application deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Grades 9–12
Lakeside School’s Summer Institute offers English writing courses for students entering grades 9 through 12 who want to strengthen core writing skills. In the 9th and 10th Grade Writing course, you focus on analytical thinking, clear structure, and using evidence effectively. Short stories, poems, plays, and essays serve as models for your own writing. You revise your work through peer workshops and at one conference, while also building fundamentals in grammar, punctuation, and citation. Other options like College Essay Writing or Literary Explorations are available for upper grades.
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: None (meals and housing covered)
Dates: July 13-19
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school students in the tri-state area (New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey), age 16+
The NYU Urban Journalism Workshop is a ten-day residential program for high school students from the New York metropolitan area who want to study journalism in an urban setting. You live in NYU housing while attending journalism classes taught by NYU faculty and visiting media professionals. Instruction centers on reporting, interviewing, writing, and digital storytelling, with assignments rooted in real-world issues across New York City. You conduct field reporting throughout the city and produce multimedia stories that are published on the program’s website, The Spectrum. The schedule also includes visits to major news organizations such as CNN and The New York Times, giving you insight into professional newsroom operations.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT, or virtual
Cost: On Campus (with housing): $3085; On Campus (without housing): $2660
Dates: June 21 - 27
Application deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors ages 16–18
Yale University’s Young Writers’ Workshop is a one-week program where you work in a small, genre-focused group in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or graphic storytelling. Each day blends close reading, in-class writing, discussion, and guided peer feedback, with an emphasis on craft and revision. You study assigned texts to understand technique and learn how to give and use critique productively. The program also includes experiential writing activities, such as museum-based exercises, that push you to observe closely and generate new work in unfamiliar settings.
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY, and virtual
Cost: Varies
Dates: In-person (Residential and Commuter): June 21–26 and June 28–July 3 | Virtual: July 6–10 | July 13–17 | July 20–24
Application deadline: Varies by format (residential: May 21; commuter: June 1; virtual: June 30)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12 (or rising college freshmen) from U.S./international schools following the American curriculum
Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Annual Summer Journalism Workshop is a one-week program hosted at Columbia University, with both in-person and virtual options. You choose a track that fits your interests, from reporting and writing to editorial leadership, digital media, broadcast journalism, or publication design. Classes are led by Columbia instructors and experienced scholastic journalism professionals, mixing instruction with hands-on, newsroom-style work. If you attend in person, you also use campus facilities and take part in co-curricular activities, including media-related visits, giving you a focused introduction to how student journalism works at a higher level.
Location: Workshops are held across various universities, nonprofits, and media organizations in 24 states and the District of Columbia
Cost: None
Dates: 1–2 weeks between May and August (dates vary by location)
Application deadline: Varies by location; typically between February and May
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
The Dow Jones News Fund High School Summer Journalism Workshops are held at universities and community sites across the country and provide short, intensive training in journalism fundamentals. You learn how to report, write, and edit stories for real audiences while also gaining experience in video, photography, and digital storytelling. Many workshops emphasize health and wellness reporting, supported by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The curriculum combines classroom instruction with field reporting and newsroom simulations led by professional journalists and educators.
Location: Florida International University, North Miami, FL
Cost: None
Dates: June 23 – July 3
Application deadline: June 13
Eligibility: Middle school and high school students of Miami-Dade and Broward counties
Florida International University’s Journalism Jumpstart Program is a free two-week summer experience for middle and high school students from Miami-Dade and Broward counties. You work in a newsroom-style setting where you research stories, interview sources, and report under the guidance of professional journalists and writing coaches. Your reporting centers on health and community issues using themes developed by the Dow Jones News Fund. You produce articles, graphics, and multimedia pieces that are published in the Jumpstart Journal. The program also introduces you to video and data journalism and includes collaboration with college students on live news productions.
Location: Stony Brook University, NY
Cost: Typically $1,500–$2,000/week; limited scholarships available
Dates: One-week sessions in the summer
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students
Stony Brook University’s Robert W. Greene Summer Institute is a one-week residential program centered on multimedia journalism. You learn the basics of reporting, interviewing, and newswriting while also working with photography, video, and broadcast tools. Each day focuses on a different part of the newsroom, from writing and visual storytelling to studio production. You spend time in labs, studios, and the field, using cameras, editing software, and publishing systems to produce real stories. The week ends with a completed text and multimedia work created collaboratively in a simulated newsroom setting.
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost: $50 application fee + $5,000 program fee (tuition, room, board, field trips included; financial aid available)
Dates: June 29–July 25
Application deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors
The Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute, commonly called “Cherubs,” is a four-week residential program for rising high school seniors held on Northwestern University’s campus. You study reporting, writing, and editing across print, digital, audio, and broadcast formats through an intensive schedule of classes, labs, and workshops. You’ll be instructed by Medill faculty and working journalists, with assignments that range from news and opinion writing to feature reporting. You also receive training in photojournalism, video, and audio storytelling, with regular critiques to strengthen accuracy and clarity. Over the course of the program, students complete more than 50 instructional sessions and participate in field trips to Chicago. The experience concludes with a body of published work and a portfolio review, offering preparation for college-level journalism study.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
Image Source - Princeton University logo