Social Science programs for high schoolers.

All social science programs

1. AmeriCorps

   AmeriCorps Summer of Service

   Service opportunities for teens through select programs.

   📍 Multiple states⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12

   Selective
2. Ashoka

   Ashoka Young Changemakers

   Global community of young people (10–20) already leading social innovation projects; selected changemakers receive mentorship, storytelling support, and network access.

   📍 Remote (Global)⏱ Ongoing fellowship📅 Rolling · by country🎓 Grades 9–12

   Selective
3. Aspen Institute

   Aspen Challenge

   City-based design challenge for high school teams to solve community problems.

   📍 Multiple cities⏱ Academic year📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12

   Selective
4. Bank of America

   Bank of America Student Leaders

   Paid 8-week summer internship with nonprofits + leadership summit in DC.

   📍 Multiple cities⏱ 8 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 11–12

   Selective
5. Georgetown University

   Bridges to Social Justice Academy

   Three-week academy combining seminars, workshops, dialogue, site visits and project design around social justice, civic engagement and community change.

   📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12

   Moderate
6. Brown University

   Brown Leadership Institute

   Pre-college leadership program at Brown. Need-based scholarships.

   📍 RI⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12

   Moderate
7. Brown University

   Brown Pre-College

   On-campus and online courses across the liberal arts.

   📍 Providence, RI⏱ 1-7 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12

   Moderate
8. George Washington University

   Caminos al Futuro

   Three-week residential program where rising seniors examine social, political and economic issues affecting Hispanic and Latino communities and develop leadership/community-impact projects.

   📍 DC🎓 Grade 12

   Selective
9. Jackson State University Margaret Walker Center

   Catherine Coleman Literary Arts, Food, and Social Justice Summer Program

   Mississippi high-school writers spend a residential week studying poetry, fiction, screenwriting, Southern foodways, and social-justice history with professional writers. Students completing the program receive a $300 stipend.

   📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12

   Selective
10. Stevens Institute of Technology

    Changemaking Through Data: The Science of Human Behavior

    Uses data analysis to study human behavior and societal problems.

    📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12

    Moderate
11. Field Museum / Youth Conservation Action partners

    Chicago Green Ambassadors Program

    Paid youth interns explore environmental issues affecting Chicago communities and connect residents with neighborhood green spaces through conservation and community-engagement work. It particularly serves youth from several South and West Side neighborhoods.

    📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12

    Selective
12. City College of New York / College Now

    City College STEM Research Academy

    Faculty-guided research pathway with projects that have included anthropology and stem-cell science.

    📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11

    Selective
13. Texas Tech University

    Clark Scholars Program

    Intensive research with TTU faculty across STEM and humanities. $750 stipend, room and board covered.

    📍 TX (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 7 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 11–12

    Highly Selective
14. University of Maine Cohen Institute for Leadership & Public Service

    Cohen High School Summer Leadership Program

    Rising seniors nominated by their schools attend a fully funded residential program combining college-level leadership study, public service, team-building, outdoor leadership, and interaction with prominent leaders.

    📍 ME🎓 Grade 12

    Selective
15. University of Pennsylvania

    Communication, Business, & Society

    Explores the intertwined worlds of communication, business, and society.

    📍 Multiple🎓 Eligibility not confirmed

    Selective
16. The Concord Review

    Concord Review (Humanities Publishing)

    The only quarterly journal publishing high school history research worldwide.

    📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12

    Selective
17. Crisis Text Line

    Crisis Text Line Counselor

    Volunteers over 18 (or high school seniors) provide mental health support via text; requires 200 hours of commitment.

    📍 Online⏱ Ongoing📅 Rolling🎓 Grade 12

    Selective
18. Dartmouth College

    Dartmouth Bound (Free)

    Free fly-in program for high-achieving, low-income juniors.

    📍 NH⏱ 1 week (summer)📅 March🎓 Grade 11

    Selective
19. Davis United World College Scholars

    Davis Projects for Peace

    $10,000 grants for undergraduates worldwide to design and implement grassroots peace projects.

    📍 Various📅 January🎓 Grade 12

    Selective
20. New Jersey Department of Children and Families

    DCF Youth Council

    Youth ages 15–23 with current or past DCF involvement serve two-year terms, helping redesign programs, influence policy and present recommendations directly to state leadership. Recruitment for the 2026–27 term is active.

    📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12

    Selective
21. Debate Mate

    Debate Mate

    After-school debate mentoring by university student coaches, delivered to state schools across the UK and now internationally; free for participating schools.

    📍 UK + Global partner schools⏱ School-year program📅 School enrolment: fall🎓 Grades 9–12

    Highly Selective
22. University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Liberal Arts

    Digging into the Past: UNLV Archaeology Summer Camp

    Students act as archaeologists through excavation, artifact analysis, laboratory activities, cultural-heritage preservation and curation. The program returned as part of UNLV's 2026 summer series.

    📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12

    Moderate
23. Johns Hopkins University

    Digital Society: Big Data, Social Media, and Ethical Engagement

    Students examine big data, social media, society, and ethical engagement.

    📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12

    Moderate

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