13 Writing Camps for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 1 hour ago
- 9 min read
If you’re a high school student who enjoys expressing ideas through words, summer writing camps can be a great way to grow as a writer. These programs help you strengthen your voice, experiment with different genres, and learn from experienced mentors. You’ll get to practice key writing skills like drafting, revising, and editing, while exploring forms such as fiction, poetry, journalism, and personal essays.
What makes a camp different from other academic programs?
Camps tend to be shorter and more focused, offering an intensive space to develop your skills. Through workshops, feedback sessions, and close mentorship, you’ll learn to communicate ideas clearly and thoughtfully. Whether you’re preparing for college essays or exploring creative writing, these camps give you the time and guidance to improve your work and connect with others who share your passion.
Below are 13 writing camps for high school students, selected for their emphasis on skill-building, mentorship, and opportunities to explore writing across genres and formats.
If you are interested in summer camps, check out our blog here.
13 Writing Camps for High School Students
Location: Varies each year
Cost: Free (airfare, campus housing, and meals are all covered)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 30 (may vary each year)
Program Dates: June 20 – 26
Application Deadline: January 11
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors (not restricted only to Asian American students)
Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA)'s JCamp is an all-expenses-paid learning experience for high school students with training in reporting and production. Participants will contribute to the program's news site, JCamp Live, by creating news packages on various subjects. The experience is enhanced by guest lectures from media professionals, including speakers from television and print media. Past guests have included CBS News correspondents, The New York Times journalists, and war photographers. You will engage in interactive workshops that offer valuable insight into pursuing journalism in higher education and as a career path. The program also features group discussions, multimedia reporting, field trips, and networking opportunities.
Location: Remote, you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer (June - August), Fall (September - December), Winter (December - February), and Spring (March - June)
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students, offering extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project and focuses on critical thinking, academic writing, and research skills. You will have individual sessions with a writing coach, and at the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as writing, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Varies each year
Cost/Stipend: Free with all expenses covered + additional financial aid to help replace earnings from a summer job
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Program Dates: June 21 – July 25
Application Deadline: December 3
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors; must be at least age 15 at the start of the program and no older than 17 by the end of the program
The Telluride Association Summer Seminars (TASS) are all-expenses-paid seminar-style classes for high school students. You can opt for TASS-CBS (Critical Black Studies) or TASS-AOS (Anti-Oppressive Studies) in a given year to explore topics across the humanities and social studies while strengthening your essay writing skills. You will learn and express your views within history, politics, literature, art, and other disciplines. There are also writing workshops led by resident advisors and teaching assistants. You will also gain experience with community living and democratic decision-making, participating in small-group discussions and a public speaking program with peers.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost/Stipend: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 4 – 10
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students aged 13 – 18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program provides school students with an opportunity to take undergraduate-level classes at universities around the world. Participants work with academics from universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard in classes of 4-10 students. They attend university-style lectures and 1:1 weekly sessions with their tutor. The program includes practical experiences such as dissections in medicine, robotic arm building in engineering, or moot courts for law. Students can choose from over 20 subjects, including architecture, artificial intelligence, business management, computer science, economics, medicine, philosophy, and more. By the end of the program, they complete a personal project and receive written feedback and a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free; with transportation scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: ~26 participants
Program Dates: June 16 – July 3
Application Deadline: April 14
Eligibility: Students residing and attending high school in LA County
The University of Southern California's Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement is a three-week summer academy for high-achieving high school students to explore college-level classes in media communications and enhance skills in writing and multimedia production. You will get access to USC Annenberg's state-of-the-art media center and interact with academy faculty, scholars, and industry experts. The program provides hands-on learning experiences to write articles, interview people, and create podcasts while gaining insight into media and journalism careers. You can develop key competency skills in writing, public speech and debate, interviewing, and ethnography.
Location: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (online option available)
Cost: $650
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Program Dates: June 23 – July 3 (residential) | July 14 – 25 (online)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students entering Grades 9 – 12
The UCLA Writing Project Summer Camp offers high school students opportunities to develop writing skills while engaging in relevant social issues through group classes, small-group sharing sessions with peers, and individual writing time. You will learn to write in various genres, including crafting a narrative essay and how to develop a logical argument to present your views. You will refine your ideas and expression in reading sessions, debates, and focused writing sessions, benefiting from feedback from instructors and peers. The camp concludes with the creation of an anthology of selected work and the awarding of a certificate of participation.
Location: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Cost:Â $300 + $25 book fee
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 2 – 13 (Session A) | June 16 – 27 (Session B)
Application Deadline: May 23 (Session A) | June 6 (Session B)
Eligibility: Grades 9 – 12, may vary based on the type of camp
Arizona State University's Young Adult Writing Program (YAWP), a unit of the Central Arizona Writing Project, provides opportunities for students in grades 2 – 12 to develop writing skills in theme-based camps. In the Writing for Social Change and Connection camp for high school students (grades 9 – 12), you will learn to write a journalistic feature story and an editorial opinion piece. You will gain insight into conducting interviews and drafting write-ups for a collaborative e-newsletter to convey the happenings and experiences of your community. The College Admissions Essay camp for high schoolers in grades 11 – 12 provides hands-on guidance to write a structured personal statement that showcases your potential. Beneficial to the college application process, the camp helps you effectively communicate your expertise, skills, and the steps you've taken to overcome challenges.
Location: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (online option available)
Cost: $425
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Program Dates: June 23 – 27 (residential) | July 14 – 18 (online)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students entering Grade 12
Rising 12th graders keen to write a personal statement for college applications could consider UCLA's Writing the College Application Personal Essay Workshop. Over five days, you will get guidance on diverse application topics, going through the process of writing multiple drafts, revising after input, and editing. You will gain insight into the structure of college admission essays and how to express yourself through the style of your personal statement, as well as analyze sample personal statements. You will have a final revised draft of a personal statement at the end of the workshop.
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: $695
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 80
Program Dates: June 23 – 26
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Grades 10 – 12, ages 15 – 18Â
The University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media offers the Austin Verne Lundquist Sports Media Camp. This camp provides high school students with an immersive learning opportunity focused on writing and creating sports-related content. In the 4-day camp, you will interact with professionals in sports media and gain foundational skills to craft multi-format sports pieces with words, sound, and images. You will be matched with a faculty member to get one-on-one coaching for an independent project. You will also participate with peers in activities and field trips such as visiting a stadium, conducting a mock press conference, and more.
10. Camp Cronkite
Location: Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix campus, Phoenix, AZ
Cost/Stipend: $699 (tentative); need-based scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 23 – 25
Application Deadline: Typically early April, with applications open in January
Eligibility: Grades 9 – 12
Students attending ASU's summer enrichment Camp Cronkite will receive hands-on learning in various media fields, including writing. The program offers real-world reporting experience, teaching students how to conduct interviews and acquire key skills for journalism and mass communication. Participants will also explore a variety of media formats and techniques, such as digital journalism, social media, and broadcasting.
Location: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Cost $3,200 + $50 application fee; need-based scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Program Dates: 5 days in summer; check upcoming dates here
Application Deadline: Rolling until full (applications typically open November 1)
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9 – 12 in good academic standing without any school suspensions
Wake Forest University's Writing for Life Institute provides high school students with opportunities to explore the writing process from drafting to revising to final proofreading. You will participate with peers in small-group writing workshops and gain hands-on practice to enhance rhetorical and writing skills. Some of the topics covered include personal essays, writing for the public, and audience analysis. You will also get opportunities to interact with journalists, poets, and authors.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Program Dates: August 5, 12, and 19
Application Deadline: August 1 (tentative)
Eligibility: High school and college students
The Daily Free Press Summer Journalism Bootcamp is a fully virtual, free workshop offering high school students guidance on writing a journalistic piece and exploring a career in journalism. Across three sessions, you will gain basic skills in news writing, sports writing, photojournalism, and more with guidance from editors. You will also complete an assignment between each session. At the end of the workshop, you will submit an individual reporting piece, which you can use in your portfolio. It may be published in The Daily Free Press.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $825 (required books to be purchased as well)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 10 – 16
Program Dates: TBA (summer camp) with 2- and 4-week options
Application Deadline: TBA (applications typically open in spring)
Eligibility: Grades 8 – 10, ages 14–16
AoPS Academy is an enrichment virtual camp for high school students to gain writing skills for academic essays. You will get guidance to draft a strong academic essay and receive frequent verbal and written feedback from the instructor. You will learn the basics of composing an essay and how to frame an argument, write a paragraph, blend academic and colloquial language, and more. You will also gain insight into the importance of an essay by participating with peers in online discussions and critiquing each other's final essays.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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