Application Process

How to Apply to PSJP

Students apply in the winter-spring of their junior year and attend the program during the summer between junior and senior year. No exceptions will be made for students in any other grades.

If you are a junior (class of 2021), please check back in December 2019 for the application for summer 2020 or sign-up for our contact list here.

2020 Program Dates: Coming Soon

To be considered, students must complete three rounds. Details for each round are below.

Application Rounds 1, 2, and 3

Round 1: December - March

The application for the 2020 Princeton Summer Journalism Program will open this winter, in late November or early December. To be contacted when the 2020 application goes live, please sign-up here.

The application asks for the following information, so please have it handy as you complete the application:

Academic information, including GPA and unofficial transcript. You will need to upload an unofficial copy of your transcript as part of your application to be considered. If you do not have a full transcript, there is guidance on the application to tell you what to do.

You will be asked to submit detailed information about your family's finances. We recommend having your family's 2018 or 2019 tax forms available, if applicable, to complete that section. You do not need to submit tax information for this round. If you do not have it available, make your best estimate. We will verify information in Round 2.

You will also have to write three short essays. The topics are listed below:

  1. In about 150 words, tell us about a news, feature or opinion article you’ve read recently that impacted you deeply, and why it had an effect on you.

  2. In about 150 words, tell us about your interest in pursuing a career in journalism.

  3. Take an issue, a trend, a phenomenon, a group or an important person in your local community, and write an article about it, her or him. This is a chance for you to show off your skills as a journalist. Your article may take the form of a news piece, a feature piece or an opinion piece. Please indicate which type of article it is in the box beneath your article. It should be about 400 words in length.

If your question is not answered in this section or in the sections below, please review our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Round 2: March - April

After we receive the first round of applications, we will select a group to proceed to Round 2. If you are selected for the second round, we will ask you to send us copies of the following documents within two weeks of being notified:

  1. Your official high school transcript

  2. Your parent/guardian's income-tax return (the 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ form) for the calendar year 2018 or 2019 taxes of your custodial parent(s)/guardian(s); or a signed statement by your parent(s)/guardian(s) saying that they do not file income tax returns and why. Everyone whose family files taxes will be required to submit 2019 taxes before decisions are finalized in May.

  3. A recommendation letter from a teacher in a core academic subject.

  4. A high school profile from your guidance or college counselor. If your school does not have a profile, we will provide a form they can fill out to the best of their ability.

  5. Clips from your high school newspaper or other publication (if you have them)

Round 3: May

A select number of students will be invited to interview via phone conference for the final round of the application process. More information will be provided to those students when the time comes.

All participants will be notified of their final decisions by mid-May.

For more information about the application process, visit our Frequently Asked Questions section.