15 Online Law Programs for High School Students
If you're interested in law, pre-college programs can introduce you to legal thinking, case analysis, and argumentation before you start college. These are one of the most practical options available to high school students looking to explore their interests, build real skills, and connect with professionals, often at little to no cost. Top universities and organizations offer these programs specifically for high schoolers, making them a legitimate and accessible way to get exposure to fields you're considering pursuing in college.
If you’re open to physical internships, you can check out a list of in-person law internships here!
Why should I participate in an online law program in high school?
Online law programs give you direct exposure to how the legal field actually works, covering everything from constitutional law to courtroom procedure. Completing one demonstrates to college admissions officers that you've pursued your interests, which strengthens your application concretely. Some programs are affiliated with well-known universities and provide certificates you can reference in your college essays or resume. You'll also have the chance to interact with peers who share your interests and, in some cases, legal professionals who can offer guidance on pursuing law. Because these programs are online, they fit into your existing schedule without requiring travel or significant financial investment.
To make your search easier, we have listed the top 15 online law programs for high school students below.
Quick Look
15 programs total, the majority being structured online university courses hosted by Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Rice, William & Mary, Wake Forest, and USC
Most courses run one to four weeks and conclude with a capstone project, mock trial, or final deliverable rather than ongoing project work with a team
Cornell's International Human Rights course, Harvard's Secondary School Program, and Georgetown's college credit track are the only options that offer actual transferable undergraduate credit; most other programs offer a certificate of completion.
The USC Center for the Political Future internship stands out as the only genuine internship on this list, involving real policy research and legislative analysis rather than a structured course
Costs range from free (USC Political Future, Lumiere, Ladder) to over $8,000 for two Harvard credit courses, with need-based financial aid available at most programs
1. Harvard Secondary School Program (Online Law Courses)
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,180 (4-credits) or $8,160 (8-credits) + $75 non-refundable application fee; financial aid available to U.S citizens and permanent residents
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies by course
Dates: June 20 – August 8
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: High school students who will graduate high school and enter college in the current year, the next year, or the year after who are at least 16 years old
Harvard's Secondary School Program Online is a seven-week program in which high school students take college-level courses for credit, taught by Harvard faculty, entirely remotely. You can choose one or two courses from a catalog of over 200 options, filtered by online availability, spanning areas like law, government, ethics, computer science, psychology, and more. You will also have access to Harvard's online library resources and virtual program activities like college prep events and social meetups. Coursework is the same as what Harvard undergraduates and adult learners take, so the academic expectations are significant. At the end of the program, you will receive an official Harvard transcript reflecting your grade.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Cost varies depending on the program type; financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 25%; around 100 students per cohort
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is an eight-week online internship program that places high school students with early-stage startups to work on defined projects. Founded by Harvard entrepreneurs, the program matches you to a company based on your interests, with fields ranging from machine learning and software engineering to finance, consulting, and nonprofit work. Each week, you can meet with a company coach to work toward two deliverables, with a final project presentation at the end of the program. The expected time commitment is five to ten hours per week. You will work directly with founders and company leadership, some of whom come from firms like Google, McKinsey, and Microsoft. At the end of the program, you will receive a letter of completion from the host company. Apply now!
3. Georgetown University – International Law: Protecting the World’s Interests
Location: Virtual
Cost: Enrichment course: $1,895, college credit course: $3,995; need based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; cohort size not specified
Dates: Multiple two week slots throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the session start date
Eligibility: Students 13 and above
Georgetown University's International Law course is a fully online, self-paced pre-college program designed for high school students interested in how law functions across borders. The course covers topics like treaty negotiation, jurisdiction across land, sea, and air, the legality of military force, and international law enforcement. Throughout the course, you will receive guidance from a mentor who provides feedback on assignments and supports you through the final project. The program concludes in a capstone project where you take on the role of legal advisor in a simulation involving the use of military force.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on the program type; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically 1:1 mentor-student ratio
Dates: Multiple cohorts in spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in high school with a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is an online, one-on-one mentorship program that pairs high school students with PhD researchers to produce an independent research project. Founded by Harvard and Oxford researchers, the program matches you with a mentor based on your area of interest, and you will work with them over the course of the program to develop and complete an original piece of research. Topics span a wide range of fields, and students interested in law can pursue projects related to legal theory, policy, or related disciplines. At the end of the program, you will produce a research paper. Students who finish the program are also eligible to receive post-baccalaureate credit through UC San Diego Extended Studies. Apply now!
5. Rice University – Pre-College Law: Shaping a Just and Equitable World
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,795; need based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not specified
Dates: Multiple 1-week intensive, 2-week, or 4-week cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the session start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and above
In the Rice Pre-College Law program, you explore the legal system's mechanics, property ownership, employment law, educational access, civil rights, and legal careers. You will watch dynamic video lectures, analyze real-world case studies, join mentor-led discussions, and develop a capstone proposal tackling societal challenges. The program features a fully flexible online format, personalized mentor guidance, and the chance to earn a Certificate of Completion. You will learn to define fundamental legal principles, solve complex legal challenges, and evaluate the ethical dimensions of justice. Ultimately, this equips you to understand how the law shapes a more equal society.
6. Stanford University – Legal Studies: Critical Thinking for Courtroom Success
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,200; need based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited spots
Dates: Session 1: June 15–26; Session 2: July 6–17
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 8 to 11, and who will be older than 13 and younger than 19 during the program dates
Legal Studies: Critical Thinking for Courtroom Success is a two-week, live online course that teaches students how to analyze evidence, build arguments, and counter opposing positions using frameworks drawn from law, business, and education. Offered through Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, the course is taught by Stanford faculty across those three departments. The program's coursework includes debates, role-playing exercises, group work, and an exploration of international human rights issues. The program concludes with a mock trial where you argue a case as either an attorney or a witness before a judge.
7. William & Mary Pre-College Online – Constitutional Law: We The People
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,595; need based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; cohort size not specified
Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the course start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and up
William & Mary's Constitutional Law course examines how the U.S. Constitution is interpreted and applied, covering the origins of the document, the judiciary's role, federalism, the Bill of Rights, and the ongoing debates between competing schools of constitutional thought. You will examine the document's origins and structure, the judiciary's role in shaping constitutional meaning, federalism, and the Bill of Rights. The course moves through competing schools of constitutional thought from originalism to living constitutionalism and explores how these frameworks produce different outcomes in contested cases. The program concludes in a final project where you take on the role of a Supreme Court justice, analyze a case involving religious liberties, and apply a constitutional interpretation to explain the outcome.
8. Northwestern's Pre-College Online Program – Law: From Interview to Argument
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,895; need based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small groups
Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the course start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and up
From Interview to Argument is a fully online pre-college course from Northwestern University in which you work through a simulated legal case from initial client consultation to oral argument. You can begin by conducting a hypothetical client interview, identifying applicable areas of law, and researching relevant statutes and case law. From there, you are required to write a legal memo analyzing the facts of your case and predicting how a court might rule. After this, you should draft a persuasive legal brief and prepare an oral argument using the CRAC method. Throughout the course, you will hear from legal professionals across fields including corporate litigation, government, and employee rights.
9. University of Notre Dame Pre College Online Program – Law: Thinking Like a Lawyer
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,795; need based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not disclosed
Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the course start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and up
Law: Thinking Like a Lawyer is a fully online pre-college course from the University of Notre Dame in which you study legal reasoning across multiple areas of law, including criminal, constitutional, international, intellectual property, and sports law. You will learn to apply the IRAC method, which is issue, rule, application, conclusion, to analyze legal problems and construct arguments. Across the modules, you can compare constitutional frameworks from different countries, examine how international law and the United Nations handle human rights claims, and analyze intellectual property scenarios to determine whether infringement has occurred. You will also get to explore how sports lawyers handle contracts, league compliance, and gender equity issues.
10. Wake Forest Pre-College Online – Law: From Crime Scene to Conviction
Location: Online
Cost: $1,595; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; cohort size not published
Dates: Offered year-round in multiple 1-week intensive, 2-week, and 4-week sessions
Application Deadline: One week before the course start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and older
In this program, you study the process through the lens of both prosecutors and defense attorneys. You examine Fourth Amendment search-and-seizure protections, learn the rules of evidence covering relevance and exclusion, and practice issuing motions to suppress wrongly seized evidence. You interpret evidence along a crime's timeline, perform a witness examination, and weigh how evidentiary hearings differ from trials before sentencing and appeals. The course culminates in a capstone where you act as an appellate judge, issuing a written opinion on whether the evidence was properly admitted and the sentence was reasonable. Taught by former Philadelphia prosecutor Professor Eileen Prescott with mentor support, you earn a Wake Forest Certificate of Completion.
11. Cornell University – International Human Rights in Theory and Practice
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,940 per credit + $75 non-refundable application fee; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not published
Dates: Summer session: June 22 – July 10; Winter session: Typically in January
Application Deadline: Varies based on session
Eligibility: High school students who are between the ages of 15 and 19 and who have completed their sophomore year of high school
International Human Rights in Theory and Practice is an online, credit-bearing undergraduate course at Cornell University open to high school students through Cornell's Precollege Studies program, in which you study the law, theory, and practice of international human rights. You will have the opportunity to examine how the international human rights system is structured and critically assess its effectiveness through analysis of real cases and contemporary issues. You can take the course alongside Cornell undergraduate students and are taught by Cornell instructors to the same academic standards as regular degree courses. Assessment follows the same expectations as undergraduate coursework, and you will be graded on the same basis as university students.
12. Brown University – Brown Pre-College Online (Comparative Legal Systems & International Criminal Justice)
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,364 + application and technology fees; financial aid is available to for eligible U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees, and undocumented/DACA students enrolled in U.S. schools
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically small classes
Dates: June 29 – July 10
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: High school students completing grades 9-12 who are between the ages of 14 and 18
This Brown Pre-College course is a short, subject-focused academic course offered through Brown University’s Summer@Brown program for high school students. You will study a defined topic through assigned readings, instructor-led sessions, and structured discussions based on the course syllabus. Written assignments or projects form a central part of the course, requiring you to engage directly with the material and present your analysis. Class sessions focus on close reading, interpretation, or concept-based discussion depending on the subject area. You may also contribute to group discussions or collaborative work as part of the course structure. Outside of class, you follow a regular schedule of readings and written work.
13. Columbia University: Legal Reasoning: Thinking Like a Lawyer
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,018; need based scholarships available for U.S citizens or permanent residents
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not explicitly published
Dates: Fall: October 9 – November 22, Summer: July 6–17, July 20–31
Application Deadline: Varies each year
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12
The Legal Reasoning: Thinking Like a Lawyer course is a fully online pre-college course from Columbia University in which you study the methods and tools lawyers use to read case law, construct legal arguments, and write persuasively. The course is structured like a first-year law school class, beginning with legal research and reasoning before moving into legal writing and argumentation. You will learn to interpret statutes, analyze legal sources, and develop arguments grounded in case law and precedent. In-class drafting exercises and public speaking activities will help build your written and oral argumentation skills across different areas of legal practice. You can also hear from practicing lawyers through interactive guest sessions.
14. USC Center for the Political Future Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; cohort size not disclosed
Dates: May 26 – August 14
Application Deadline: April 24
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors in high school with a minimum GPA of 3.5
USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future High School Summer Internship Program is a fully online summer internship run by the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future in partnership with the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability. As part of this program, you can research and analyze legislation of your choosing at the local, state, or federal level. You can select a bill related to environmental policy or sustainability and produce two major written deliverables: a legislative policy memo and a legislative process analysis. Across five required check-in sessions, you will receive feedback from program staff and hear from guest speakers working in environmental policy and related fields.
15. Dartmouth Precollege Online Program – Law: Navigating the American Legal System
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,895; scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not publicly specified
Dates: Multi-length sessions available throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the course start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and up
Navigating the American Legal System is a fully online, self-paced pre-college course from Dartmouth College in which you study how the U.S. legal system works across civil, criminal, and constitutional law. You can examine how laws are made and enforced, how federal and state courts are structured, and how legal reasoning shapes outcomes in real cases. Modules cover torts, contracts, criminal prosecution, constitutional rights, and landmark Supreme Court decisions. You will work through video lessons and assignments on your own schedule, with mentor support throughout. The course concludes with a Capstone Project in which you can either write a legal brief on a disputed issue or produce a multimedia project tracing a legal concept's impact.
Questions Students Often Ask About These Programs
1. Most of these are online courses rather than internships. What's the difference, and does it matter for college applications?
Online pre-college courses like Stanford Legal Studies, Columbia Legal Reasoning, and Northwestern's From Interview to Argument are structured like academic classes, with video lectures, assignments, and a capstone project, and they conclude with a certificate or transcript grade. Internships like USC Political Future and Ladder Internships are project-based, where you work on a real deliverable and interact with professionals rather than completing coursework. Both strengthen a college application, but they tell different stories. Courses demonstrate intellectual engagement with legal concepts; internships demonstrate the ability to apply thinking to real-world problems. If you have time for both, they complement each other well.
2. Several programs cover very similar topics, like constitutional law, legal reasoning, and criminal procedure. How do I choose between them?
The main factors worth comparing are format, duration, and institutional name. If earning actual transferable credit matters to you, Cornell and Harvard are the only options offering it. If a structured self-paced format with mentor check-ins suits you better than a live class, Rice, William & Mary, Dartmouth, and Wake Forest all offer flexible scheduling. If you want the most prestigious name on a certificate, Stanford, Columbia, or Brown are strong choices. If cost is a concern, USC Political Future and the Lumiere and Ladder options are completely free.
3. I want to explore law, but I'm not sure if I want to pursue it as a career. Are any of these programs good for exploration without a big commitment?
Yes, most of these programs are specifically designed for that. One-week intensive courses at Rice, Dartmouth, Georgetown, and Wake Forest are the lowest time commitment on this list and give you a focused taste of legal thinking without locking you in for an entire summer. The Wake Forest and Notre Dame courses are particularly accessible, with open or nearly open enrollment and flexible scheduling throughout the year, making them easy to fit around your existing schedule. Starting with one short course is a sensible way to test whether legal thinking resonates with you before committing to a more intensive program.