If you’re a high school student interested in gender studies, now’s a great time to start exploring the subject. One option you could consider is joining a gender studies program designed for high school students. These programs offer a structured way to understand how gender shapes social systems, policies, and cultural narratives through topics like feminist theory, intersectionality, and human rights.
Along the way, you’ll build practical skills like qualitative research, policy evaluation, data interpretation, and analytical writing. These skills are required in fields like sociology, political science, law, education, and media studies.
To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of 10 gender studies programs for high school students!
10 Gender Studies Programs For High School Students
1. UPenn’s Pre-College Online Program—Gender and Society
Location: Virtual
Cost: The cost is $8,248 for one college credit course unit and $13,448 for two college credit course units, plus a non-refundable $100 fee.
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions apply until the fixed deadlines for each session (March 30 and April 27)
Program Dates: Summer Session I: May 27 – July 2; Summer Session II: July 3 – August 8
Eligibility: Current 10th and 11th-grade students with a minimum 3.5 GPA, including international students
UPenn’s Pre-College Online Program allows high school students to take online credit-bearing undergraduate courses in various disciplines alongside Penn undergraduates. If you are interested in gender studies, the Gender and Society course explores how sex, gender, and sexuality shape identities, relationships, and social systems.
You’ll examine how these factors impact opportunities, public policy, media, and workplaces, and how they intersect with race, age, nationality, and ability. By the end of the program, you’ll gain critical research and analytical skills essential for understanding social structures and advocating for equity.
2. Harvard University’s Secondary School Program—Gender Justice
Location: Online or in-person at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $4,050–$14,950 + $75 application fee; financial aid is available
Application Deadline: Early: January 8; Regular: February 12; Late: April 9
Program Dates: 4-week session: July 13 – August 9 (residential); 7-week session: June 21 – August 9 (residential, online, or commuting)
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–19 who will graduate and begin college in the next one to three years.
Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program (SSP) offers high school students the chance to take college courses for credit over 4- or 7-week sessions. The Gender Justice course explores gender justice through storytelling, using novels, films, memoirs, and creative nonfiction.
You’ll study works like Schuyler Bailar’s He/She/They, Joshua Whitehead’s Jonny Appleseed, Cho Nam-joo’s Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, Miriam Toews’s Women Talking, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Ito Shiori’s Black Box: The Memoir that Sparked Japan’s #MeToo Movement, Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals, and This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa. You will also be encouraged to write your stories on gender and justice.
3. Leadership Institute at Brown University—Women and Leadership
Location: The program is offered in person at Brown University in Providence, RI, or online through Canvas, Brown’s Learning Management System.
Cost: $5,788 (residential) | $4,540 (commuter) | $5,528 (online)
Application Deadline: May 9
Program Dates: On-campus session: June 30 – July 11 or July 14 – July 25 | Online session: June 23 – July 18
Eligibility: Students completing grades 9 to 12 who are 14–18 years old by June 15
Brown University’s Leadership Institute offers courses that explore social issues through a leadership lens. If you’re interested in gender studies, the Women and Leadership course focuses on gender, feminism, intersectionality, and inclusive leadership in the U.S. and globally. You’ll explore women’s experiences in leadership, the challenges they face, and the strategies they use to succeed.
The course includes readings, case studies, and guest speakers, with discussions, teamwork, presentations, and writing exercises to strengthen analytical and leadership skills. You will explore questions about the experiences of women in leadership, the challenges they face, and the strategies they use to succeed. You will also apply course concepts to develop a capstone action plan.
4. Sadie Nash Leadership Project’s Summer Institute
Location: The Summer Institute is a six-week program held at locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Newark.
Cost/Stipend: Participation is free, and students may receive a stipend of up to $450 at the end of the summer, depending on their involvement
Application Deadline: Priority: March 24; Final: April 14
Program Dates: July 7 – August 14
Eligibility: High school students who identify as young women or gender-expansive and live in New York City or Newark can apply, with no academic or skill requirements for admission.
The Sadie Nash Leadership Project’s Summer Institute is a six-week program for young women and gender-expansive youth from New York and Newark. It’s designed to help you explore gender studies through leadership development and community building. The Anthropology of Gender course explores how gender roles and relationships have evolved and how they shape societal values, customs, and beliefs. You’ll examine cultural perspectives on gender, study real-world examples, and discuss how gender influences power dynamics and social structures.
5. Penn Arts and Sciences Social Justice Research Academy
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $9,949 + $100 application fee. Scholarships are available for eligible Philadelphia public and charter high school students.
Application Deadline: April 27
Program Dates: July 5 – July 26
Eligibility: Students currently in 9th–11th grade with a minimum GPA of 3.5
The Social Justice Research Academy focuses on understanding social issues through sociology, history, and politics, encouraging you to analyze inequality and forms of resistance. With a liberal arts-style curriculum, the program combines lectures, workshops, and discussions led by Penn faculty, Teaching Fellows, and guest experts. You’ll study topics like gender studies, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, gun control, historical narratives, and the impact of poverty on children.
The program extends learning beyond the classroom with visits to Penn’s Van Pelt Library and cultural landmarks in Philadelphia, like the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church and the National Constitution Center. As part of the program, you’ll develop a capstone project on a social justice-related topic of your choice.
6. Smith College’s Pre-college Program on Women, Gender and Representation
Location: Smith College, Northampton, MA
Cost: Tuition is $4,864, with an application fee of $50 for U.S. students and $75 for international students. Limited financial aid is available.
Application Deadline: May 1
Program Dates: July 20 – August 2
Eligibility: Students who are young women, female-identified, or gender-nonconforming and will be entering 9th–12th grade in fall this year.
Smith College’s Women, Gender, and Representation program gives high school students the chance to explore gender through multiple disciplines. Courses take an interdisciplinary approach, connecting gender studies with science fiction, history, sports, rock music, reproductive justice, and transnationalism. You’ll experience college-level academics while exploring future studies, careers, and personal paths focused on building gender-inclusive and just communities.
Classes are discussion-based, fostering collaborative learning, critical thinking, and meaningful engagement with faculty who model inquiry and community involvement. Course topics change yearly but often cover women’s and queer histories, sexual health and reproductive justice, and the role of gender in spaces like athletics, politics, and education.
7. Summer@Brown—Social Inequality
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: The cost ranges from $2,960 to $10,386, depending on the program length and course format, with some courses requiring additional fees. Scholarships are available.
Application Deadline: May 9
Program Dates: Various on-campus courses, lasting 1 to 3 weeks, will be offered between June 22 and July 25.
Eligibility: Students finishing grades 9–12 and aged 14–18 by June 15, are eligible to apply. Check individual course pages for any additional prerequisites.
Brown University’s Pre-College Programs offer high school students the chance to explore over 230 non-credit courses across a wide range of fields. You’ll engage in college-level academics without the pressure of grades or credits, with courses led by experienced instructors.
For those interested in gender studies, the Social Inequality course is a solid option. It explores issues of race, class, and gender inequality, exploring mechanisms like exploitation, opportunity hoarding, and labor division. The course examines how inequality is reinforced in families, workplaces, and education, with discussions on household labor, child-rearing, hiring processes, emotional labor, and educational disparities.
8. Harvard’s Pre-College Program—Feminist Dreams of Ordinary Life: Studies of Gender, Race, and Sexuality
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $5,800 + $75 application fee. Need-based financial aid is available
Application Deadline: Early: January 8, Regular: February 12, Late: April 9
Program Dates: Session I: June 22 – July 3, Session II: July 6 – July 18, Session III: July 20 – August 1
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors aged 16–19 who will graduate high school in the next one to two years
Harvard’s Pre-College Program is a two-week summer experience where high school students live on campus and take college-level courses alongside peers in the program. You will choose from over 30 non-credit courses taught by Harvard-affiliated instructors, with small class sizes of 12 to 18.
If you’re interested in gender studies, the Feminist Dreams of Ordinary Life: Studies of Gender, Race, and Sexuality course is a great option that explores feminist world-building through everyday practices. The course explores how personal experiences influence systems and envision alternative futures, drawing on Black and queer women of color feminisms through theory, creative texts, and historical sources. The course includes exploring archival materials at the Schlesinger Library, studying feminist art at the Harvard Art Museum, and hosting a workshop with a feminist artist. It concludes with a final creative presentation on envisioning feminist futures.
9. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)
Location: Virtual
Cost: You can find the exact cost by submitting an interest form. Full financial aid is available.
Application Deadline: Spring: February 16; Summer: February 16 (early), March 23 (priority), April 20 (regular-I), May 18 (regular-II)!
Program Dates: Spring: March 3; Summer: June 16! Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance.
Eligibility: High school students with a GPA of at least 3.67 on a 4.0 scale can apply. Most accepted students are in 10th or 11th grade. Some tracks have specific prerequisites, which can be reviewed here.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students in fields such as Physics, Medical Sociology, Data Science, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Political Theory & Philosophy, Neuroscience, History, International Relations, and Psychology. You can choose between qualitative and quantitative research methods.
After selecting a subject and research method, you will be paired with a professor or PhD scholar from a recognized university for mentorship. By the end of the program, you will write a 20-page university-level research paper, which may be submitted to academic journals for publication. The program provides the opportunity to conduct specialized research with expert guidance, along with a letter of recommendation and detailed feedback to support college applications and future research. You can apply here!
10. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Starts at $2,990. Financial aid is available!
Application Deadline: Application deadlines vary by cohort. The upcoming deadline for the summer cohort is March 9.
Program Dates: Summer: June – August, Fall: September – December, Winter: December – February, Spring: March – June.
Eligibility: High school students with an unweighted GPA of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a 12-week opportunity for high school students to conduct independent research with guidance from a Ph.D. mentor. You will receive personalized support throughout the program, including assistance from a writing coach.
With mentor support, you will choose and refine a research topic, participate in workshops on research methods, and complete a detailed independent research paper. If you’re interested in Gender Studies, potential research topics include gender and education from a global perspective and reproductive politics. You can also customize your research topic based on your interests. More information about the application process is available here.
Image source: University of Pennsylvania
