If you are a high school student and want to get better at writing, there are online programs and internships that let you do that without committing to an in-person program or camp. These writing programs and internships cover fiction, poetry, journalism, and academic writing. You’ll learn how to write clearly, develop your own voice, and structure ideas in a way that keeps readers interested.
Most of them teach you practical skills that are useful beyond high school. You’ll get comfortable using tools like Google Docs with tracked changes for editing, Zotero for managing sources, and online platforms for giving and receiving feedback. You’ll leave with real experience and writing you can show to teachers, editors, or college admissions officers.
Here are 20 online writing programs and internships for high school students that can help you get started!
20 Online Writing Programs & Internships for High School Students
1. Horizon Academic Research Program – Literature Track
Location: Online
Cost: $5950 onwards; financial aid options available
Application Deadlines: Summer – Priority: March 23; Regular I: April 20; Regular II: May 18
Program Dates: The summer cohort starts June 16. Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply at least four weeks in advance.
Eligibility: Open to high school students (grades 10–12) with a GPA of 3.67 or higher.
The Horizon Academic Research Program offers a Literature Track where you work on a university-level research project with support from professors or PhD researchers. The program is fully online and runs for a trimester. It focuses on helping you build research, analysis, and academic writing skills in literature.
You choose your own topic, read academic texts, and develop a research question. You then write a research proposal and use the rest of the program to complete a 20 to 25 page paper. You practice skills like close reading, building arguments, organizing ideas, and editing your work clearly.
Throughout the program, you receive one-on-one feedback and can ask for a letter of recommendation. You also get help with submitting your research to journals.
2. Lumiere Research Scholar Program- Writing Track
Location: Online
Cost: $2,990 onwards; financial aid is available for eligible students
Program Dates: Summer: June – August, fall: September – December, winter: December – February, spring: March – June.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. The regular admissions deadline for the Summer Cohort I is May 11.
Eligibility: Open to high school students
The Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program offers a Writing Track where you work one-on-one with a PhD-level mentor to complete an independent research project. The program is fully online and runs for 12 weeks.
You start by selecting a writing-related topic with your mentor, then move through research, outlining, drafting, and revising. You write a 15-page research paper by the end of the program. You also attend workshops that focus on how to structure arguments, analyze sources, and improve your writing.
At the end of the program, you present your work at the Lumiere Research Symposium. You also get feedback on your project and support if you want to submit your paper to a journal.
3. Yale Young Writers’ Workshop (Online)
Cost: $1,320
Program Dates: June 21 – 27
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Ages 16–18; rising seniors
The Yale Young Writers’ Workshop is an online program where you choose one type of writing to focus on, such as fiction, poetry, or nonfiction. You join a small group on Zoom for live sessions and complete writing tasks on your own. You use Google Docs to share your drafts and give feedback by adding comments and edits.
Instructors show how editing works by going through examples and giving clear steps for revision. By the end of the week, you finish a group of revised pieces. You also learn how to use writing tools and how writers improve their work by working with others.
4. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Creative Writing
Cost: $3,080
Program Dates: Session 1: June 16 – 27; Session 2: July 7 – 18
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Grades 8–11
The Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes offer a two-week online Creative Writing course for students in grades 8 to 11. You join live Zoom classes on how stories are built and complete writing tasks on your own time. You use tools like Markdown to plan your stories and Google Docs to share your drafts. Instructors read your work and give feedback on how to make it better.
You revise your writing based on those notes. At the end of the program, you put together a portfolio of your strongest pieces. This collection shows what you have learned about fiction, nonfiction, or poetry writing.
5. Iowa Young Writers’ Studio: 6-Week Online Courses
Cost: $475
Program Dates: June 15 – July 22
Application Deadline: April 18
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Taught by Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumni, these workshops combine weekly writing prompts with Canvas-based peer critiques. You’ll receive instructor feedback on craft elements like imagery and voice, then revise drafts through multiple cycles. Culminating in a polished manuscript, the course also covers portfolio assembly and submission guidelines for literary journals.
6. Harvard Pre-College: Speech, Writing, & Literature
Cost: $5,800
Program Dates: Session 1: June 22 – July 3; Session 2: July 6 – 18; Session 3: July 20 – Aug 1
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: Rising juniors/seniors
The Harvard Pre-College Program offers a two-week online course where you choose between Expository Writing, Journalism, or Creative Writing. You join daily live classes that cover how to build arguments, use different writing styles, and shape your voice.
You take part in peer workshops through Canvas, where you read each other’s work and give comments. You also revise your writing based on feedback from your group and your instructor. At the end of the program, you submit a final essay or story.
7. Columbia Writing Academy: College Admissions Essay
Cost: $3,960
Program Dates: July 21 – 31
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Grades 11–12
The Columbia Writing Academy offers a two-week online course for students in grades 11 and 12 focused on the college admissions essay. You start by brainstorming ideas and move step by step toward a final draft of your personal statement. Live Zoom classes cover how to structure your essay and use your own voice.
You share drafts through Google Docs and get feedback that reflects how admissions readers respond to essays. By the end of the program, you finish a full personal statement that meets Common App guidelines. You also learn how to plan and write responses to supplemental essay questions.
8. Johns Hopkins CTY: Art Meets Science—Literature
Cost: $550
Program Dates: June 16 – July 26
Application Deadline: May 20
Eligibility: Rising grades 8–10
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth offers an online course called Art Meets Science: Literature. You read and study texts that connect science with storytelling through recorded lessons and live office hours with instructors.
You write your own pieces, give and receive feedback using Canvas, and look at how science topics can be explained through fiction or nonfiction writing. You also take part in peer review to revise your drafts. The course ends with a final workshop where you edit your work and build a writing portfolio.
9. 826 Digital Virtual Writing Club
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Ongoing (spring–summer)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Grades 6–12
The 826 Digital Virtual Writing Club is a free online program for students in grades 6 to 12. Weekly Zoom sessions focus on different types of writing, including creative stories, slam poetry, and graphic storytelling.
You work with writing prompts, get feedback from instructors, and revise your drafts in small groups using digital whiteboards. You learn how to give and receive comments to help improve your writing. At the end of the program, there is a showcase session where students share selected pieces and talk about what worked during peer review.
10. FutureLearn: Writing for Purpose and Persuasion
Cost: Free audit; $39 certificate
Program Dates: Self-paced; enroll by July 15
Application Deadline: July 15
Eligibility: Ages 13+
FutureLearn’s Writing for Purpose and Persuasion is a short online course that teaches the basics of argumentative writing. You learn how to make a clear claim, build strong paragraphs, and use evidence to support your points.
You complete short writing tasks and post them to discussion forums. You get feedback from both peers and instructors to help you improve your work. The course ends with a peer-review exchange where you revise your writing for clarity and impact.
11. MIT OpenCourseWare: Expository Writing
Cost: Free
Program Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: N/A
Eligibility: Self-motivated students
MIT OpenCourseWare offers a self-paced course in Expository Writing based on its undergraduate syllabus. You study lecture notes, read sample essays, and complete weekly writing assignments focused on building clear arguments and analysis.
You write drafts of academic papers and compare them with example responses to see how ideas are developed and structured. This helps you understand how to improve your own writing.
12. Emory Pre-College Online: English Composition
Cost: $1,575
Program Dates: June 1 – July 12
Application Deadline: May 20
Eligibility: Grades 9–1
Emory Pre-College Online offers an English Composition course for students in grades 9 to 11. The program runs from June to July and includes weekly live sessions that focus on building a thesis, organizing paragraphs, and adding research.
You join peer workshops to exchange feedback and revise your writing. Instructors also give comments on your drafts to help you improve your structure and clarity. At the end of the course, you submit a completed expository essay.
13. Southampton Writers’ Centre: Virtual Teen Workshop
Cost: £299
Program Dates: July 8 – July 12
Application Deadline: June 15
Eligibility: Ages 14–17
The Southampton Writers’ Centre Virtual Teen Workshop is an online program for students aged 14 to 17. It runs for one week in July and includes daily live sessions focused on writing poetry and prose.
You study elements like rhythm, word choice, plot, and pacing. During Zoom breakout sessions, you share your drafts with peers, give feedback, and revise your work together. At the end of the program, you present a finished short story or poem.
14. StoryStudio Chicago: Online Summer Camps
Cost: $450
Program Dates: June 10 – July 12 (weekly options)
Application Deadline: June 10
Eligibility: Grades 6–12
StoryStudio Chicago offers online summer camps for students in grades 6 to 12. You choose a focus area such as fiction, journalism, or poetry and join a week-long live workshop. Each day, you complete writing exercises and receive written feedback from instructors. You also join peer critique forums to read others’ work and offer suggestions.
15. ICE Cambridge: Digital Diploma in Creative Writing
Cost: £1,200
Program Dates: July 7 – Aug 15
Application Deadline: June 30
Eligibility: Ages 16+
The ICE Cambridge Digital Diploma in Creative Writing is an online program for students aged 16 and older. It runs from July to August and includes weekly live tutorials on narrative theory, genre conventions, and revision techniques.
You participate in online peer forums where you can share chapters and poems, give feedback, and refine your work. One-on-one tutor sessions focus on improving your writing portfolio. By the end of the program, you graduate with a personalized collection of polished pieces that showcase your development as a writer.
16. University of Cambridge Summer School: Creative Writing (Online)
Cost: £995
Program Dates: July 14 – July 21
Application Deadline: June 30
Eligibility: Ages 16–18
The University of Cambridge Summer School offers an online Creative Writing program for students aged 16 to 18. It runs from July 14 to July 21 and includes live seminars with Cambridge tutors on topics like character development, world-building, and poetic forms.
You’ll write short stories and poems, then share them in virtual breakout rooms where you receive feedback from peers and instructors. Throughout the program, you revise your work and prepare a creative portfolio. At the end, you finalize your portfolio, ready to submit for publication.
17. Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program
Location: Online
Duration: June 16—July 28
Cost: $575; financial aid available
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students, including graduating seniors and gap year students
The Adroit Journal, a respected literary magazine known for publishing Pulitzer Prize winners and U.S. Poets Laureate, offers a 6-week mentorship program where you’ll work one-on-one with experienced writers in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
During the program, you’ll have weekly or biweekly sessions to share your writing and receive detailed feedback. You’ll focus on key skills like drafting, revising, and editing, learning to improve story structure, character development, and dialogue. The program also covers techniques for overcoming writer’s block and strengthening your unique voice.
18. LMU School of Film and Television Beginning Screenwriting Online Program
Location: Online
Duration: June 22—July 3
Cost: $2,425 (includes tuition and access to faculty); $65 application fee
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Loyola Marymount University offers a 2-week online screenwriting workshop for high school students. You will work with professional screenwriters to improve skills like story structure, character development, dialogue writing, and proper formatting. The program includes watching and analyzing classic and modern films, giving you a deeper understanding of screenwriting.
You’ll also learn how to write compelling characters, build strong plots, and create engaging dialogue. The workshop is designed to help you develop practical screenwriting skills and prepare for the industry.
19. Iowa Young Writers’ Studio Online Courses
Location: Online
Duration: June 15—July 22 (Summer session); mid-January—late February (Winter Session)
Cost: $475 per course
Application Deadline: April 18
Eligibility: High school students
Hosted by the University of Iowa, home to the famous Iowa Writers’ Workshop, these 6-week online courses focus on creative writing in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and speculative fiction. Taught by graduates of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the courses offer detailed instruction, writing exercises, and personalized feedback.
You’ll learn skills such as character development, plot structure, dialogue writing, and crafting compelling narratives. The courses are asynchronous, allowing you to study from anywhere and at your own pace.
20. Sarah Lawrence Writers’ Week (Virtual Option)
Sarah Lawrence Writers’ Week is a virtual creative writing program for high school students. You will take part in daily workshops focused on fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and speculative fiction. Instructors from the college’s writing programs lead the sessions.
You will practice skills like developing characters, building scenes, structuring plots, writing dialogue, and revising drafts. The program includes peer feedback, instructor comments, and writing exercises to help you finish and improve your work. You will also explore other formats such as screenwriting and playwriting.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,095 (includes $250 deposit). Scholarships are available
Dates: July 7 to July 11
Application Deadline: Not specified. Check here for more updates.
Eligibility: High school students.
Image source – Emory University