§ Philosophy

Philosophy programs for high schoolers.

55 programs indexed in philosophy. 24 are free or pay a stipend. This page updates whenever we add a new philosophy program.

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All philosophy programs

Texas A&M University Philosophy and Humanities
Aggie School of Athens Philosophy Camp
A week-long, non-residential philosophy summer camp at Texas A&M that gives teens early access to college-style humanistic inquiry through interactive discussion.
📍 College Station, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Central Arkansas
AI Robotics & Ethics Camp
Students program and train autonomous robot cars while learning machine learning, robotics, hardware, and the ethical implications of AI.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Arizona Sky School
Astrobiology Summer Camp
Students spend five days at Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter studying extreme-life environments, planetary habitability, exoplanets, the search for extraterrestrial life, and ethical questions surrounding deep-space exploration with university scientists.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Bard College at Simon's Rock Young Writers Workshop
A 3-week residential program where students engage in creative and analytical thinking through literature and history.
📍 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY⏱ 3 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Chapman University
Chapman University Holocaust Art & Writing Contest
A writing contest for high schoolers exploring the impact of the Holocaust through various creative prompts.
📍 Online📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Davidson Institute
Davidson Fellows
Scholarships of USD 10K, 25K, and 50K for students under 18 with significant work in STEM, literature, music, or philosophy.
📍 Online application⏱ Project-based📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National High School Ethics Bowl (NHSEB) / Center for Practical Ethics, University of Mississippi
Deep South Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl hosted at the University of Mississippi, where student teams analyze and defend positions on real-world ethical case studies without being assigned opposing sides.
📍 Oxford, MS📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
West Chester University of Pennsylvania (Philosophy Dept.)
Delaware Valley Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl in which student teams analyze ethical dilemmas and are judged on reasoning quality and collaborative dialogue rather than adversarial debate.
📍 West Chester, PA📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Mississippi Center for Practical Ethics
Ethical U: Choices that Matter
Rising ninth graders analyze real moral dilemmas, develop arguments, practice critical thinking and leadership, and participate in a case-writing challenge centered on practical ethics.
📍 MS🎓 Grade 9
Moderate
UMBC
Ethics Bowl
Students analyze and discuss ethical questions in an Ethics Bowl–style course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Columbia University Center for American Studies
Freedom & Citizenship
Free eleven-month program combining an intensive summer seminar in political philosophy with academic-year civic leadership and college preparation. Successful 2026–27 participants receive a $2,500 stipend.
📍 NY🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Elon University / Teagle Foundation
Freedom Scholars
Alamance-Burlington rising seniors study political philosophy during a residential seminar and continue with monthly civic and college-readiness programming.
📍 NC🎓 Grade 11
Selective
University of New Hampshire
Future Leaders Institute
Selective residential philosophy program centered on politics, ethics and global justice. The 2026 theme was Governing AI, using debates, Ethics Bowl cases and discussion of AI governance; the subsidized fee was $200.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Saint Anselm College Center for Ethics in Society
Goodchild High School Ethics Bowl
High school teams from the Center's Ethics Circle partner schools compete in the National High School Ethics Bowl format, with kickoff and capstone events hosted on the Saint Anselm campus.
📍 Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Samford University, University Fellows Program
Great Ideas Summer Institute (GISI)
A weeklong residential honors program letting selected high school juniors and seniors experience university seminar life, studying the Western intellectual tradition through faculty-led discussions and campus excursions.
📍 Birmingham, AL (Samford University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Clemson University
Harry & Ina Durham High School Ethics Case Competition
Teams analyze and defend ethical positions before judges.
📍 SC🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
Moderate
University of Cambridge
HE+ Cambridge
Free supracurricular resources, subject taster videos, and reading lists from Cambridge academics — designed to stretch Year 12/13 students preparing for competitive applications.
📍 Remote (UK/Global)⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling · anytime🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Tulane University, Center for Ethics / Murphy Institute
High School Ethics Bowl (Louisiana Regional)
A collaborative debate-style competition in which New Orleans-area high school teams analyze real-life ethical dilemmas and respond to a panel of judges, with Tulane undergraduates coaching participating schools through weekly club meetings ahead of two to three tournaments held each semester.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rice University Department of Philosophy
Houston High School Ethics Bowl
A regional National High School Ethics Bowl competition where teams from Houston-area high schools analyze ethical case studies with an emphasis on dialogue and civility. The regional winner is eligible for the national competition.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi State University, College of Arts and Sciences
Humanities Camp
A week-long residential camp at Mississippi State University where nominated scholars explore humanities disciplines such as African American Studies, Communication, History, Literature, and Philosophy through lectures and experiential learning.
📍 Starkville, MS📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Humanities: The Arts of Power and Knowledge in the Renaissance
Students investigate Renaissance history, philosophy, art, art history, and mapmaking through an interdisciplinary college-level humanities course.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
IPO
International Philosophy Olympiad
International philosophical essay competition; students write in a language other than their native tongue.
📍 Rotates by host country📅 National selection Spring🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
International Philosophy Olympiad
International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) - US Qualifiers
An annual philosophy essay competition for pre-university students globally.
📍 Online📅 January 31🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
John Locke Institute
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
Free essay competition in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Open worldwide, ages up to 18.
📍 Global📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
John Locke Institute
John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition
International essay competition across philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law.
📍 Global📅 Late June🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
A2Ethics, with University of Michigan Department of Philosophy Outreach Program
Michigan High School Ethics Bowl
A judged tournament in which student teams study, analyze, and publicly discuss challenging ethical case studies, coached in the fall by University of Michigan philosophy graduate students ahead of a February championship.
📍 Southeast Michigan (hosted at partner high schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Minnesota Department of Philosophy
Minnesota High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl where student teams analyze real-world ethical case studies and compete in respectful, judged discussion rounds emphasizing clarity of reasoning and consideration of alternative viewpoints.
📍 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Morality in Media: Comic Books
Students examine moral questions through comic books and media.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National High School Ethics Bowl / Tufts University
New England Regional Ethics Bowl (Maine teams)
Teams of 4-6 students discuss real-world ethical dilemmas and respond to judges' questions in a collaborative (not adversarial) debate format; Maine high schools compete in this New England regional, which qualifies teams for the national tournament.
📍 Medford, MA (New England regional; Maine teams travel)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tufts University (National High School Ethics Bowl regional)
New England Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A structured team debate competition in which high school students argue considered ethical positions on contemporary and philosophical cases, competing at Tufts as the New England regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Medford, MA (Tufts University)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National High School Ethics Bowl (NJ Regional, hosted by Princeton University)
New Jersey Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier of the National High School Ethics Bowl in which teams of high school students engage in civil, collaborative discussion of real-world ethical cases before a panel of judges, hosted at Princeton University.
📍 Princeton University, Princeton, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UNC Parr Center for Ethics
North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl in which teams of up to 7 students discuss real-life ethical dilemmas collaboratively, aiming for respectful dialogue rather than adversarial debate.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC (UNC-Chapel Hill campus)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Findlay
Ohio Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A collaborative (non-adversarial) ethics competition where Ohio high school teams analyze and discuss contemporary ethical issues, judged by University of Findlay's collegiate ethics bowl team, faculty, and staff, with winners advancing to the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Findlay, OH📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Pacific University Department of Philosophy
Oregon High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl in which teams of 3-5 students collaboratively analyze real-world ethical dilemmas and respond to judges' questions, winning by rigor and respectful engagement rather than adversarial debate.
📍 Portland area, OR (rotating host high schools)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio State University Department of Philosophy
PACT (Philosophy and Critical Thinking) Summer Camp
A week-long day camp where high schoolers form a community of inquiry with philosophy faculty, practicing critical thinking through guest lectures, discussion, media analysis, and debate on major philosophical questions.
📍 Columbus, OH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Catholic College
PEAK Summer Program (Wyoming Catholic College)
Two-week residential summer program in Lander for rising high school juniors and seniors with seminar-style morning classes on philosophical, literary and theological topics from the Great Books tradition, plus afternoon outdoor activities and a four-day Absaroka Wilderness backpacking trip.
📍 Lander, WY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Portland State University
Perelandra Scholars Program
College-credit seminars connecting philosophy, politics, religion and literature.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
Oakland University
Philosophy Camp
Students in grades 9–12 participate in a university-level summer exploration of philosophical questions and reasoning.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Teachers College, Columbia University
Philosophy for Students: Dialogue to Save the World
A pre-college course using the Philosophy for Children method in which students ages 14-17 hold philosophical dialogues on justice, climate change, identity, and truth, expressing ideas through zines, creative writing, and performance.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Portland State University
Philosophy Summer Camp
College-credit philosophy program covering ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of science/art and Indigenous philosophy.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
Brown University Department of Philosophy
Rhode Island High School Ethics Bowl
A collaborative (not adversarial) discussion competition in which teams from Rhode Island public, charter, and private high schools analyze real-world ethical cases, hosted annually at Brown University.
📍 Providence, RI (Brown University)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm Drone Camp
A five-night residential camp teaching high schoolers Python programming, drone building and flying, and the ethics of AI and autonomous systems.
📍 Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
St. John's College
St. John's College Summer Academy
Rigid university-level philosophy and great books program for high school students.
📍 Annapolis, MD / Santa Fe, NM⏱ 2 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Stanford University
Stanford Summer Humanities Institute
Three-week intensive humanities seminars for rising 11th/12th graders.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
American University
Summer Civics Institute on American Principles and Debates
Students participate in college-style seminars on constitutional government, free expression, civil disobedience and political thought, plus Washington field trips and guest lectures.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Tennessee Knoxville, Department of Philosophy
Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl
A discussion-based (not debate) competition, established in 2010, in which high school teams analyze controversial ethical issues using moral reasoning and present their analysis to a panel of judges. The winning team advances to the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Knoxville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Texas Debate Collective
Texas Debate Collective Student Institute
A two-week residential debate institute in San Marcos with Lincoln-Douglas and World Schools labs of 12-14 students, covering debate skills plus politics, philosophy and law. The majority of students receive scholarships.
📍 San Marcos, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arizona State University
The Dialectic: High School Philosophy Summer Camp
Students work with graduate students and professors on ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, civic virtues, open-mindedness, disagreement, polarization, and philosophical argument.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UT Tyler Center for Ethics
UT Tyler Regional High School Ethics Bowl
High school teams discuss real-life ethical problems and moral dilemmas before judges, building critical thinking and collaboration. The winning team advances to the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Tyler, TX📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Vermont Professional and Continuing Education
UVM Pre-College Courses (for-credit)
High school sophomores through seniors take for-credit UVM courses online or on campus in fields including psychology, economics, political science, history, philosophy, art history, film studies, music and English.
📍 Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
VCU Department of Philosophy
VCU Summer Camp in Philosophy
A one-week day camp for high school students led by VCU philosophy faculty, with games, theatrical dialogues, presentations, guest speakers and discussion of big questions around a yearly theme (2026: Justice).
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Collegiate School / VCU Department of Philosophy / National High School Ethics Bowl
Virginia High School Ethics Bowl
Regional Ethics Bowl hosted by Collegiate School in Richmond where high school teams analyze real-world ethical cases; VCU philosophy faculty and students serve as judges and moderators, and the regional qualifies teams toward the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Department of Education
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School for Humanities
A month-long residential academic program for gifted Virginia students covering history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, political science, economics, sociology, psychology and media, hosted at Radford University.
📍 Radford, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
PLATO and University of Washington Department of Philosophy
Washington State High School Ethics Bowl
Teams of high school students analyze ethical dilemmas on topics such as cheating, peer pressure and social media, judged on the quality of their reasoning rather than adversarial debate.
📍 University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wonderworks Houston / Rice University
Wonderworks: Rules of the Game (Democracy and the Humanities)
An interdisciplinary exploration of democracy through history, political science, law, public policy, philosophy, and classics, combining lectures, readings, case studies, films, and field trips. Held at Rice University, Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective

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