The Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) is the only program of its kind offering a free, year-long college preparation and journalism program for high school juniors from limited-income backgrounds.
The program's mission is to diversify the fields that impact our democracy through the exploration of the important connection between journalism and critical social and political events. Every summer, up to 40 students from across the country explore current events and world affairs through workshops and lectures led by Princeton professors, professional journalists, and alumni on campus.
The summer program culminates in a 10-day residential experience on Princeton's campus, during which students publish our annual newspaper, the Princeton Summer Journal. During their senior year, students are matched with a personal college adviser, who will work with them on their college admissions process.
Key Program Elements
Day 1: Students arrive and move into rooms (Sneak Peek)
3:30 - 5:30 PM [Depart from Yoseloff]: Person on the street reporting: Who are Princeton residents voting for in 2020?
5:30 - 7:00 PM [Wilcox PDR]: Dinner (Speaker: Michele Minter, Princeton University Vice Provost)
7:00 - 9:30 PM [Friend 008]: Introduction to SJP; discussion of why this program exists; go over schedule for the rest of the week
9:30 - 11:00 PM [Friend 005 & 007]: Write 2020 stories
11:20 PM: Lights out
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.
The Princeton Summer Journalism Program will run a multi-week, hybrid summer intensive beginning with online workshops in July and culminating in a 10-day residential experience on Princeton's campus in early August.
The application for the 2024 summer program is due February 15, 2024.
The application for the 2024 Princeton Summer Journalism Program is now open and due on February 15, 2024.
Click the words "Create an account" on the application landing page to create an account.
Students complete an online application, which asks for details about academics and family finances, contact information for guidance counselors, and an unofficial high school transcript. Students must also write three short responses and one longer article. Online applications are typically due in late February.
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.
PSJP will notify semi-finalists of their decisions by late March. Semi-finalists will be asked to submit additional documents, including federal taxes and family income information and samples from a high school newspaper or publication, if available. Detailed instructions will be sent to students invited to this round.
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.
All participants will be notified of their final decisions by late-May.
For more information about the application process, visit Frequently Asked Questions section.
In 2023, PSJP ran their first-ever hybrid summer intensive. Students began virtual workshops and remote reporting during the month of July, which culminated in their traditional 10-day residential journalism institute on the Princeton University campus.
During both components of the program, students explored complex ideas and learned reporting skills from renowned journalists and Princeton professors.
Princeton professors and journalists serve as guest instructors, leading interactive sessions on specific themes or skills related to the field of journalism. Past sessions have included:
Reporting 101
Food Journalism
Feature Writing
Using Social Media to Inform Reporting
Students and counselors meet in small groups to discuss everything from program content and current events to life in college and applications. Students and their discussion group leaders form close bonds that last throughout the program and beyond.
PSJP journalists learn how to interview, write features and news pieces, and cover topics such as race, politics, social class, business and economics, the environment, and much more as they write their own articles. At the end of each summer, these stories are published in the annual Princeton Summer Journal.
PSJP counselors are program alumni and professional journalists who provide written and verbal feedback to students on their articles, edit the student newspaper, and share their wisdom about the field of journalism and the journey to it.
Participants meet more than 50 different professors and journalists during workshops, lectures, and trips to news outlets and also network with community members, local businesses, and other professionals for interviews as they report their stories.
The most enduring part of the PSJP journey is the community students build with their peers, program alumni, counselors, and professional journalists.