Summer program
Freedom and Citizenship
Columbia University - Center for American Studies (in partnership with the Double Discovery Center)
Cost
Free; $2,500 stipend awarded on successful completion of the program
Deadline
~Mar 30, 2027
Estimated; confirm on sponsor site
Freedom and Citizenship is a free, roughly 11-month college-preparatory program for New York City high school juniors, combining a four-week residential summer seminar in political philosophy on Columbia's campus with a year-long after-school civic leadership project and college-application mentoring. It is run by Columbia's Center for American Studies in partnership with the Double Discovery Center, with priority given to first-generation and low-income students.
Eligibility
- Grade levels
- High school junior
- Citizenship
- Any
- Fields of study
- Humanities, Philosophy, Social sciences
- States
- NY
- Essay
- Required
Application requirements
- Confirm eligibility: current NYC high school junior entering senior year, able to commit to the full summer and academic-year program: Students must live in New York City; priority is given to first-generation college-bound and low-income students, but this is a preference, not a strict requirement.
- Obtain signed parental permission for participation and the dormitory residential stay: Parent/guardian must agree to program participation, the Sunday-Friday dormitory stay during the four summer weeks, and the full-year commitment.
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Write three short essays: Submit all three essays as ONE document (PDF, Word, or Pages; Google Docs not accepted). Applicants must affirm the essays are their own work, written without the help of AI. Prompt wording is from the sponsor's Sample Application 2025, still published as its sample for the open cycle; confirm in the portal before writing.
Essay prompts
- In Freedom & Citizenship we ask the big questions about how humans live together in society. We use ancient texts to help us think about the world today and our own place in it. Tell us about yourself and why you're interested in asking big questions about humanity. What specific questions are you interested in? 300 - 500 words per essay
- Former students describe the summer seminar as both exciting and challenging. How are you looking for a challenge? What kind of skills would you like to improve, or what new experiences would you like to have? 300 - 500 words per essay
- During your senior year you'll work with a group of students on a civic leadership project. What topic would you like to work on, why are you interested in that topic, and what kind of changes would you like to make? 300 - 500 words per essay
- Submit a high school transcript: A high school transcript is required as part of the application.
- Submit a letter of recommendation (optional): An optional letter of recommendation; the recommender's email is submitted in-app and the program contacts them directly.
- Submit the online application through the application portal: Application is submitted via the online portal; it cannot be saved across different browsers/computers and must be completed in one session/device.
Verified Jul 8, 2026 · View official source