Whether you’re considering a future career in history or are simply curious about the past, a free online history summer program offers an ideal way to start as a high schooler. You can uncover stories, examine sources like letters and maps, and connect events that shaped the world. With these programs, you step into the shoes of historians, piecing together political shifts and social movements with your own hands.
These programs let you explore the past hands-on, teaching you how historians piece together evidence and interpret diverse perspectives. Research methods like archival exploration and digital humanities will help you develop the skills needed to analyze historical events.
To make your search easier, we have put together a list of 15 free and online history summer programs for high school students!
15 Free + Online History Summer Programs for High School Students
1. Smithsonian Institution Youth Ambassador Program
Location: Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Cost: A stipend will be provided. For more details, click here.
Application Deadline: April 11
Program dates: June – August
Eligibility: Students must be a high school senior, a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident with a valid Social Security Number at the time of application, and have a minimum weighted cumulative GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale.
The Young Ambassadors Program (YAP) is a national initiative for high school seniors aimed at developing future leaders in the Latino community. It starts with a weeklong seminar at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., where you’ll explore Latino contributions to the arts, sciences, and humanities. You’ll participate in discussions on cultural and social issues and collaborate with students from across the country.
After the seminar, you’ll take part in a four-week internship at museums and cultural institutions in 18 U.S. cities and Puerto Rico. Through this hands-on experience, you’ll learn about different career paths and connect with established Latino leaders, building your professional network.
2. Library of Congress High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Hybrid
Cost: None
Application Deadline: February 28
Program Dates: June 24-July 19 (tentative, based on previous year dates)
Eligibility: Applicants must be current high school students or class of 2025 graduates aged 16 or older at the time of the internship.
The Library of Congress High School Summer Internship Program gives you hands-on experience with historical research and archival work. Over four weeks, you’ll work with Library staff to explore collections, exhibitions, and educational projects. A key part of the program is contributing to The Source: Creative Research Studio for Kids, a new learning space opening this year.
You’ll analyze historical archives, like letters, photographs, and official documents, and help shape educational content for young visitors. This experience helps you understand historical research and the importance of preserving cultural heritage while making programs more engaging for diverse audiences.
3. Holocaust Museum LA: Share Our Stories Program
Location: Hybrid
Cost: None
Application Deadline: Varies based on the academic calendar of the partnering school and the museum schedule.
Program Dates: Program dates vary based on the academic calendar of the partnering school and the museum schedule.
Eligibility: High school students
The Holocaust Museum LA: Share Our Stories Program gives you a chance to learn about Holocaust history by working directly with survivors and historical artifacts. You’ll take a docent-led tour of the museum’s collection, which includes survivor testimonies, personal belongings, and rare photographs from the Holocaust.
You’ll also join a live speaking engagement where a Holocaust survivor shares their experiences and answers your questions. In the program’s art workshops, you’ll use creative projects to respond to what you’ve learned. Through mediums like painting, drawing, and writing, you’ll reflect on survivor stories and historical events, developing a deeper understanding of how personal experiences shape historical memory.
4. Horizon Academic Research Program – History Track
Location: Remote!
Cost: $5,950. Financial aid is available.
Application Deadline: March 23 for the summer cohort.
Program Dates: The summer cohort starts on June 16.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students in fields like data science, machine learning, history, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and psychology.
In history, you can choose between two tracks. Critical History focuses on concepts like objectivity, causality, and identity, helping you analyze how historians interpret events and processes. Ancient Greco-Roman History examines themes like slavery, autonomy, and love in Greek and Roman civilizations, with a focus on the lives of laborers, artisans, and slaves.
Once you select a track and type of research, you’ll be paired with a professor or PhD scholar who will mentor you throughout your research journey to create a 20-page research paper. Apply here!
5. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Online
Cost: $2,990
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. The Summer Cohort I regular admission deadline is April 13!
Program Dates: Summer: June – August, fall: September – December, winter: December – February, spring: March – June.
Eligibility: Students must be a high school senior, a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident with a valid Social Security Number at the time of application, and have a minimum weighted cumulative GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program allows you to dive into advanced research across the humanities, social sciences, and STEM disciplines. Founded by scholars from Harvard and Oxford, the program is designed to help you explore challenging topics while building a strong foundation in research methods.
This highly selective online program, which recently admitted about 500 participants from a pool of over 4,000 applicants, pairs you with a PhD mentor who will guide you through producing a university-level research paper in history. If you’re considering applying, you can find the application form here.
6. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History- History School Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: Interns are paid based on the New York City minimum wage of $16.50 per hour. Should an intern live in an area that has a higher minimum wage, the rate will be adjusted.
Application Deadline: March 28
Program Dates: June 16 – August 22
Eligibility: High school students are eligible.
The History School Internship at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History provides hands-on experience in historical research and online education. You will moderate live Zoom sessions, troubleshoot technical issues, and track attendance using the TalentLMS system. Your role includes managing emails, verifying primary source citations on presentation slides for historical accuracy, and archiving recorded lectures on digital platforms.
As an intern, you will engage with key themes in American history, working with primary documents such as speeches, letters, and legislative texts. You will refine your research skills by fact-checking historical claims, analyzing sources for bias, and ensuring an accurate representation of historical events. You will also gain technical proficiency in tools like Google Suite, Zoom, and Excel while developing expertise in digital archiving, citation management, and educational content delivery.
7. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History – History School
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: This information will be out in April.
Program Dates: More information about the courses will be available in April here.
Eligibility: High school students are eligible.
The Gilder Lehrman History School is a live, online program where you study key historical topics with expert instructors. Courses cover subjects like AP US Government and Politics, AP US History, Black Lives in the Founding Era, The Cold War, and Immigration and the American Story. You will analyze foundational documents, Supreme Court cases, and the evolution of the U.S. Constitution, gaining skills in historical interpretation and critical analysis.
Sessions take place on Zoom, combining lectures, discussions, and interactive activities. Upon completion, you earn a certificate. Originally launched as Pop-Up History School in 2020, the program now offers over 15 courses designed to deepen your understanding of American history.
8. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History – History U
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Rolling
Program Dates: None (self-paced)
Eligibility: Students must be 13 or older to register for a course.
History U, offered by the Gilder Lehrman Institute, provides free, self-paced American history courses for high school students. The program includes new courses like “The Vietnam War” with historian Fredrik Logevall, “Map of Yellowstone National Park: American Environmental History” with Catherine McNeur, and “LGBTQ+ History of the United States: 1800 to the Present” with Stephen Vider.
Each course includes video lectures from leading historians, primary source analysis, structured readings, and quizzes to assess comprehension. Upon completion, you receive a certificate, making these courses a useful supplement to high school history classes and a way to strengthen your college applications.
9. National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) – Landmarks of American History and Culture
Location: Online (Self-paced modules available)
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Rolling access to online resources; specific summer workshop deadlines vary (typically March for live sessions, but archived content is free year-round)
Program Dates: Flexible (Self-paced access to recorded sessions); live summer sessions typically run June-August (e.g., 1-2 weeks, 3-5 hours/week)
Eligibility: Open to high school students with educator sponsorship (teachers often share access with students)
The NEH’s “Landmarks of American History and Culture” program traditionally offers in-person workshops for educators, but many of its resources have been adapted into free, online modules accessible to high school students through teacher facilitation or public archives.
These workshops explore pivotal moments in U.S. history, such as the Civil Rights Movement, the American Revolution, or Indigenous histories, using primary sources like documents, photographs, and oral histories from landmarks like Gettysburg or the Mississippi Delta. In the online format, you’ll engage with video lectures from historians, virtual tours of historic sites, and interactive assignments like analyzing the Declaration of Independence or mapping the Underground Railroad.
10. Harvard University- PredictionX: Lost Without Longitude
Location: Online (Self-paced)
Cost: Free to audit (optional certificate available for $99)
Application Deadline: None (Self-paced)
Program Dates: Flexible (Self-paced); 1 week with 2 – 5 hours of work per day
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
PredictionX: Lost Without Longitude explores the history and science of navigation, focusing on how people determined position, direction, speed, and time before modern technology. You’ll study 18th-century tools and methods, including the use of celestial bodies to measure longitude. The course highlights technical breakthroughs made by figures like John Harrison and their impact on exploration and global trade.
Through video lectures, infographics, and interactive tools like Worldwide Telescope Tours, you’ll learn how navigators solved practical challenges without GPS. The curriculum draws from astronomy, physics, and history, providing a detailed look at the evolution of navigation techniques and their influence on scientific advancement.
11. Harvard University- Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature
Location: Online (Self-paced)
Cost: Free to audit (optional certificate available for $209)
Application Deadline: None (Self-paced)
Program Dates: Flexible (Self-paced);3-6 hours/week over 6 weeks.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature looks at some of the oldest stories from around the world and how they shaped different cultures. You’ll read famous works like The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, and The 1001 Nights and learn how these stories were passed down over time.
The course also explores how early civilizations used stories to share their beliefs, history, and ideas. You’ll study how ancient texts were preserved and rediscovered, and how advances in writing changed the way stories were told. Through discussions and analysis, you’ll also learn to interpret these works and understand their influence on modern literature and culture.
12. Harvard University: 18th-Century Opera: Handel & Mozart
Location: Online (Self-paced)
Cost: Free to audit (optional certificate available for $209)
Application Deadline: None (Self-paced)
Program Dates: Flexible (Self-paced); 3-4 hours/week over 3 weeks (9-12 hours total)
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
“18th-Century Opera: Handel & Mozart” explores the music and history behind two famous operas, Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Mozart’s Don Giovanni. You’ll learn how opera developed in the 1700s and how singers and orchestras worked together to bring stories to life on stage.
The course looks at the unique styles of Baroque and Classical music and how Mozart created memorable characters through music. You’ll also study the premieres of these operas in London in 1724 and Prague in 1787 and the social and cultural influences of their time.
13. Harvard University- Christianity Through Its Scriptures
Location: Online (Self-paced)
Cost: Free to audit (optional certificate available for $149)
Application Deadline: None (Self-paced)
Program Dates: Flexible (Self-paced); 5-10 hours/week over 4 weeks.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Harvard University’s “Christianity Through Its Scriptures” course examines the Bible’s historical development, linguistic structure, and influence on law, politics, and culture. You will analyze primary sources such as the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Apocryphal texts to understand how different communities have interpreted scripture over time.
Key topics include the Bible’s role in shaping medieval legal codes, its use in justifying and opposing slavery, and its influence on the Protestant Reformation. You will develop skills in historical source analysis, theological comparison, and textual criticism by evaluating translations, tracing doctrinal shifts, and studying scriptural debates.
14. Harvard University- Women Making History: Ten Objects, Many Stories
Location: Online (Self-paced)
Cost: Free to audit (optional certificate available for $209)
Application Deadline: None (Self-paced)
Program Dates: Flexible (Self-paced); 2-3 hours/week over 8 weeks
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
“Women Making History: Ten Objects, Many Stories” is a Harvard course that explores American history through ten artifacts from the Schlesinger Library. You will analyze primary sources such as suffragist banners, abolitionist pamphlets, and labor union documents to trace how women have shaped political and social movements. Professors Laurel Ulrich and Jane Kamensky lead discussions on how objects reflect changing gender roles, legal rights, and resistance strategies. You will develop archival research skills, learning to assess provenance, historical context, and material significance.
15. Harvard University- The Jewish Bible: Its History As A Physical Artifact
Location: Online (Self-paced)
Cost: Free to audit (optional certificate available for $149)
Application Deadline: None (Self-paced)
Program Dates: Flexible (Self-paced); 2 – 4 hours of work per day
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
“The Jewish Bible: Its History as a Physical Artifact” examines the Torah Scroll and ancient Hebrew Bibles as material objects shaped by historical change. You will analyze how shifts from scroll to codex influenced Jewish scholarship and religious practice. The course covers paleographic techniques to date manuscripts, the impact of printing on biblical transmission, and how script variations reflect regional traditions.
You will also study parchment preparation, ink composition, and marginal annotations to understand the Bible’s evolution. Through hands-on engagement with historical texts, you will gain skills in textual analysis, manuscript studies, and the historical interpretation of religious artifacts.
Image source: Harvard University
