To: New Haven Public High School teachers, staff, and community education partners
If a student has already applied and is asking for your recommendation, please submit your recommendation here.
Citizens Thinkers Writers is a tuition-free two-week summer residential program and year-long fellowship program at Yale University for students from New Haven public schools who are interested in exploring fundamental human questions in a college setting. In small discussion seminars led by professors, students will gain invaluable experience in close reading, analytic writing, and college-level discussion. They will see themselves as active participants in a long-running philosophical conversation that dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, and will link this conversation to their own experiences as citizens of twenty-first-century New Haven.
Who?
- Current sophomores and juniors who love to read and discuss big questions
- Curious, engaged, and committed students from a range of academic ability levels and interests
- Aspiring college students who attend public school in New Haven
- Preference to students who would be first in their immediate families to attend college
- No minimum GPA or prior experience with philosophical texts required
What?
- A tuition-free two-week residential program at Yale, followed by a year-long fellowship program with regular meetings
- Small seminars with professors and undergraduate & graduate mentors
- A chance to explore great books and the questions they raise
- An additional source of support through the college application process in the fall
- Eligible participants will receive a $500 stipend to help support those who would otherwise have to work during the program
When?
- Program dates are June 28-July 10, 2026.
- Students live on campus Sunday evening through Friday and go home for the weekend
- Students become part of the CTW Fellowship Program and meet bimonthly from September 2026 – May 2027
How can teachers, staff, and community education partners help?
- You can submit a recommendation letter for a student by March 2, 2026. Students will have until March 2, 2026 to complete their applications.
Questions? Please contact CitizensThinkersWriters@yale.edu