Princeton Summer Journalism Program

The Princeton Summer Journalism Program is a year-long college preparation program for high school juniors who are interested in journalism. 

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During the summer of 2025, participants will complete a multi-week, hybrid summer intensive, which will culminate in our annual 10-day residential intensive on the Princeton University campus in New Jersey.

Participants will attend online workshops and lectures with renowned journalists from all over the country throughout the month of July. Students complete weekly reading assignments to stay abreast of current events, begin preparing their own articles, and work with their assigned college counselor to complete components of their college applications. During our residential intensive, students will visit Princeton from their hometown and stay in University undergraduate dorms, attending workshops and lectures taught by renowned educators and journalists.

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Students will have the chance to witness journalists in action as they tour major news organizations, such as The New York Times, Huffington Post and Bloomberg; cover a professional sports event; cover news events in the Princeton area; produce digital content; attend a film or theatre production; conduct an investigative report; author a group blog; and report, write, edit, and design their own newspaper, The Princeton Summer Journal, which will be published on the program's last day. Students also attend seminars on the college admissions process and work one-on-one with a personal college advisor.

• Be a junior in high school at the time of application. No exceptions will be made for students graduating with other grades.
• Live in the United States and intend to attend college here. Students living and attending school abroad, including U.S. citizens, will not be considered under any circumstances.
• Have a minimum unweighted grade point average equivalent to a 3.5* out of 4.0.
• Have an interest in journalism.
• Meet at least one of the socioeconomic conditions below:
• The combined income of your parent(s)/guardian(s) plus child support payments, if any, does not exceed $60,000*.
  • Your family income or circumstances qualify you to receive free or reduced-price lunch in your high school.
  • Your family income or circumstances qualify you to receive an SAT or ACT fee waiver.
• Students who will be first-generation college students are given priority consideration.

• February 24th, 2025

• Round 1: 
  • Completed online application
  • 3 short essays
  • 1 longer essay
  • During this round, applicants must also provide the contact information for one teacher and one high school counselor who will submit a recommendation and school transcript and profile, respectively, on their behalf.
• Round 2:
  • Semi-finalists will be asked to submit additional documents, including federal taxes and family income information. 
  • Detailed instructions will be sent to students invited to this round.
• Round 3: 
  • A select number of students will be chosen as finalists and invited to interview via video conference for the final round of the application process. 
  • More information will be provided to those students when the time comes.