Eligibility

Each year, Freedom and Citizenship accepts up to 45 New York City high school juniors to its summer and academic year cohort. We are looking for students who are...

  • NEW YORK CITY RESIDENTS

    Students must live in New York City to participate in Freedom and Citizenship.

    If you live outside of New York we recommend checking out Knowledge for Freedom for similar programs in your area. 

  • CURRENT JUNIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL

    We only accept students who will be entering their senior year following the summer seminar. That means we are enrolling students from the class of 2025 now.

  • FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE-BOUND

    We prioritize students who will be the first generation in their families to graduate from a college in the United States. If neither of your parents graduated from an American university that means you! Even if your siblings, step-parents, grandparents, or other family members graduated, you're still a first-generation student. 

  • LOW-INCOME

    We prioritize students who are from low-income families, as defined by federal guidelines. That means less than $47,000 a year of taxable income for a family of four.

  • VACCINATED

    Students must be vaccinated for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) -- these are vaccinations that are already required for NYC schools, so check with your parents or guardians about your vaccination status.

  • READY TO COMMIT TO THE FULL YEAR

    Students must be ready to take part in the full summer and academic year program. During the summer, students are with the program Sunday - Friday July 8 - August 2 and may not be excused except for essential medical appointments.

    During the academic year, students meet 2x a month with their college mentor (about 30 minutes per meeting), and 2x a month with their civic leadership groups on campus (about 2 hours per meeting). Civic meetings are held on weekdays after school. 

    View the summer and academic calendars for 2023-24 here.

Please Note:

Our program was founded by immigrants (and their children) and we love having students of every citizenship and immigration status in our classrooms! Our application asks for students'  English-language abilities, but we will not ask you for your citizenship status.