Political Science Research Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 48 political science research programs for high school students. Of these, 43 are free to participate in and 32 offer virtual participation. Examples include Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) Action Fellowship, Amnesty International USA High School Student Group, and BBYO.
- 48
- listed
- 43
- free
- 32
- virtual
- 48
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are political science research programs for high school students?
- Political Science Research Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in political science. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- Are any of these research programs free?
- Yes — 43 of the 48 research programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 32 of the 48 research programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are political science research programs good for a college application?
- Yes — political science research programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in political science on college applications.
Related Categories
48 activities found·Browse by category
Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) Action Fellowship
Year-long climate advocacy training fellowship, run by Action for the Climate Emergency (formerly Alliance for Climate Education), for students ages 14-18 to build organizing and leadership skills and run carbon-cutting campaigns at their schools.
Amnesty International USA High School Student Group
Students start or join an official Amnesty International USA youth group at their high school to research human rights issues and take collective action through campaigns, petitions, letter-writing, and educational events.
BBYO
A national Jewish teen movement (AZA for boys, BBG for girls) with active Bay Area/Northern California chapters. Teens explore leadership, civic engagement, Jewish identity, and service through local chapter meetings, summer programs, and international conventions.
Beloved Arise Youth Alliance
A free national community for LGBTQ+ youth of faith and allies ages 14-24 to connect through a private Discord, share personal narratives, apply to become Youth Ambassadors, and lead micro-grant-funded community projects.
Berkeley Youth Commission
An 18-member city commission (nine appointed by the Berkeley School Board, one by each City Council member) requiring at least half of its members to be middle or high school students; commissioners review and recommend youth services and programs and meet monthly at the MLK Jr. Youth Center.
BORP Youth Sports Program
Berkeley-based Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP) offers year-round competitive and recreational adaptive sports for children and teens with physical disabilities, including wheelchair basketball, power soccer, sled hockey, and goalball, with travel to regional and national tournaments.
California Association of Student Councils (CASC) – Region Conferences
CASC is California's student‑run leadership and advocacy organization that trains student leaders and gives them direct experience in democratic decision‑making and lobbying for student issues. Region Conferences are one‑day or multi‑day local leadership conferences where high school students get training in advocacy, running student government, and civic engagement.
California Department of Education Superintendent's Youth Advisory Council
A statewide council through which California public high school students (grades 9-12) advise the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and CDE staff on education policy affecting students, families, and schools; selected members receive a $500 stipend upon successful completion of the roughly four-month program.
California High School Democrats
The official high school wing of the California Young Democrats; members join or start local chapters to work on grassroots Democratic political activism at the state and local level, with access to an opportunities database and training resources.
California High School Republicans
A chartered branch of the California College Republicans/California Republican Party that recruits and trains high school students to campaign for Republican candidates and start school chapters, receiving a tabling kit and campaign-activism resources.
California Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program (CYCP)
Sierra Club, Ten Strands, and UndauntedK12 program for California 9th-12th graders combining a summer retreat and monthly workshops with a mentored campaign to pass climate policy at their own school or district, plus a $500 stipend.
Carnegie Young Leaders for Civic Preparedness
A funded, year-long civic action program in which teams of five teens and young adults design and carry out a community-impact project, receiving stipends, coaching, and networking support.
Center for Independent Living Youth Programs (Berkeley)
Berkeley's Center for Independent Living, birthplace of the disability rights movement, offers disabled youth ages 14-30 workshops on self-advocacy, adult mentorship, and a twice-monthly Youth Social Club (one in-person, one online session) for peer connection.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Student Leadership Program
Year-round leadership program for 9th-12th graders living in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (MD, PA, VA, DC) combining field experiences, hands-on restoration service events, and legislative advocacy to protect the Bay.
Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship
$20,000 college scholarship for graduating high school seniors based on leadership, service, and impact. 150 Coke Scholars chosen annually from a national applicant pool. Application opens August 1 and closes September 30 of senior year.
Coleman Advocates Youth Making a Change (YMAC)
A San Francisco youth-organizing program for middle and high schoolers who meet weekly at local schools to build leadership skills and campaign for policy change, including past wins like school Wellness Centers and SF Youth Vote.
Coro District Youth Leadership Academies (DYC) – District Youth Fellows
Coro's District Youth Leadership Academies are neighborhood‑based civic‑engagement programs serving youth in San Francisco. Fellows receive leadership and public‑speaking training, conduct informational interviews with local civic leaders, and design a community action project; completing fellows receive a 500 USD stipend.
Danville Youth Council (DYC)
Official youth advisory body to the Danville Town Council where high school representatives attend Town Council meetings, advise on youth‑related policies, organize community events, and gain hands‑on experience in local government and civic engagement.
DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Scholarships
28+ national scholarships across majors including history, political science, education, and nursing, available to HS seniors planning college study.
Denver Mayor's Youth Commission
Civic leadership board for Denver high school residents (or Denver Public Schools high schoolers) who advise the director of the Office of Children's Affairs on issues impacting Denver youth. Meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesday evenings each month, September through May.
DoSomething.org Human Rights & Social Justice Campaigns
A free national platform where teens join ongoing social-action campaigns on causes such as racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and community wellbeing, completing self-directed "actions" that build a record of civic engagement.
GENup – Student-Led Education Advocacy
California-based, student-led education advocacy organization that forms school- and district-level chapters to push for policy change at school boards, in Sacramento, and nationally. Chapters work on campaigns like student bills of rights, funding, and equity legislation.
GSA Network TRUTH Collective
A storytelling and media-advocacy program run by GSA Network (Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network) for trans and gender-nonconforming teens to build public understanding of trans experiences and organize for safer schools.
GSA Network Youth Freedom Fund
A mini-grant program from GSA Network that awards $500 to registered GSA clubs for youth-led events, campaigns, and projects. A club's student officers apply and, if selected, complete a Zoom interview to describe their project.
iCivics Carnegie Youth Fellowship
A paid, year-long national civic leadership fellowship where high schoolers from across the country attend a Washington, D.C. symposium and then meet virtually to explore civic issues and lead community projects.
IGNITE National – High School Chapters
IGNITE is a nonpartisan nonprofit, founded via a 2010 Bay Area pilot, that builds young women's political ambition through student-led High School Chapters and Clubs where members learn to run voter registration drives, advocate on bills, and consider running for office. Chapters are hosted at school sites and must re-enroll with IGNITE annually.
Junior NAD
A national youth-led organization for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in grades 7-12 that runs school-based chapters and a national conference to build leadership, self-advocacy, and citizenship skills.
LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Youth Programs
San Francisco-based LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired offers year-round social, recreational, and educational programming for blind and low-vision children and teens to build skills and peer connections.
March For Our Lives Membership
The gun-violence-prevention movement founded by high school students. Members join campus and community chapters (or organize virtually via 'On Your Couch' toolkits) to run voter-registration drives, advocacy campaigns, and school-based organizing.
Marin County Youth Commission (MCYC)
Founded in 1969, one of the oldest youth commissions in the U.S.; 25 youth members aged 12-23 advocate for young people's interests before the Marin County Board of Supervisors, working in subcommittees on issues like immigrant justice, mental health, and racial equity, and drafting public policy proposals.
NAACP Youth Council
Local NAACP unit-affiliated councils providing civil-rights training and leadership development for members under 25; high school students can check whether a chapter exists at their school or work with a local adult NAACP unit to start one, engaging in advocacy and community activism.
National Teen Age Republicans (TARS)
The official teenage auxiliary of the Republican Party, open to students ages 13-18, operating for over 60 years through school- and community-based chapters led by students with an adult advisor; members do leadership development, voter education, campaign volunteering, and public speaking, and can attend the annual TAR Leadership Conference.
National Youth Rights Association (NYRA)
A youth-led civil and political rights organization (roughly 10,000 members) that challenges age-discriminatory laws, drafts and testifies on youth-rights legislation, and organizes through local chapters ("nodes"); students can volunteer, become members, or start a node in their community.
NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth)
The Reform Judaism movement's national teen network, with Bay Area synagogue chapters. Teens build leadership skills and Jewish identity through local chapter events, regional conventions, social-justice projects, and national gatherings.
Outlet Youth Advisory Board (Adolescent Counseling Services)
A free leadership and community-service board for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 14-25 in the Peninsula/Bay Area, run by Outlet (a program of Adolescent Counseling Services). Members plan events, outreach, and peer-support programming, meeting virtually every other week with optional in-person meetups.
San Francisco Youth Commission (SFYC)
Official SF city commission that advises the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on policies affecting youth; commissioners draft recommendations, hold hearings, and work with city departments.
San Mateo County Youth Commission
Up to 25 members ages 13-21 who reside in San Mateo County serve as advisors to the Board of Supervisors, working through subcommittees on civic engagement, educational equity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness; recruitment occurs annually from April to June.
Santa Clara Sister Cities Youth Commission
Open to all high school students living in or attending school in Santa Clara, this youth commission meets monthly to plan cultural-exchange and fundraising events with the city's sister cities in Japan, Portugal, and Ireland while gaining local government and international-relations experience.
Stanford's unBox Project
Student-run initiative based at Stanford that supports student food and housing security organizers nationwide; HS/college students join campaigns, events, and storytelling projects around basic needs and anti-poverty policy.
Students Demand Action - California
The student wing of Everytown for Gun Safety. California high schoolers join or start a Students Demand Action group at their school to organize around gun-violence prevention through advocacy campaigns, voter registration, and community organizing, in person and virtually.
Sunrise Movement Student Hubs
A national youth climate movement organized into local Student Hubs, defined as groups of at least five students at the same school. High schoolers can join an existing hub or start a new one to organize for climate action policy.
U.S. Senate Youth Program – California (USSYP)
Elite national program sending two California high school student leaders to a week in Washington, D.C. to meet federal officials; each delegate receives a 10,000 USD undergraduate scholarship.
UCSB Yardi Scholarship for Environmental Justice
Scholarship for students committed to environmental justice and sustainability.
UNICEF USA High School Club
A youth-led club, chartered through UNICEF USA, where high schoolers advocate for children's rights worldwide, fundraise for UNICEF programs, and run monthly awareness campaigns tied to global human rights themes.
United We Dream
The largest immigrant-youth-led network in the United States, where members, including high schoolers, advocate for immigrant rights through petitions, calls, texts, and local organizing chapters.
Urban Peace Movement - Leaders In Training (L.I.T.)
An Oakland youth leadership program (Leaders In Training) for high schoolers from neighborhoods affected by violence and mass incarceration, who organize for public-policy change to build a culture of peace in their communities.
YIP Institute Public Policy Fellowship
A two-month virtual fellowship for teens and young adults who collaborate on capstone projects addressing social, political, economic, or environmental problems while attending policy workshops and speaker sessions.
Young Americans Center Youth Advisory Board
Leadership board that advises Young Americans Bank and the Young Americans Center for Financial Education's nonprofit programs. Members (rising 8th-12th graders from any Colorado school) gain hands-on knowledge of banking, business, philanthropy, and PR; volunteer at Young Americans events; and develop presentation, networking, and leadership skills. Monthly meetings on the second Saturday of each month, August through May. Application + interview process; applications open April 1 - June 26.
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