Graduating high school seniors (especially those in the DMV area) who are interested in a smoother transition to college in the Midwest are recommended to apply for the HLS DC Global Policy Program’s Summer Practicum. Spend the summer before your first semester at IU in Washington, D.C., taking advantage of IU's connections in various areas such as global development, international relations, politics, diplomacy, history, and the arts. Meet top scholar-practitioners through this immersive program that connects academic experience with real-world practice.
This Pre-College experience through the Hamilton Lugar School also offers a transformative introduction to college life. Students develop confidence in their ability to become part of a new community, participating in recreational and social activities while making friends with peers from around the world.
An IU Summer Advantage: Learn, Earn, Lead
Our eight-week summer program is designed for recently graduated high school seniors ready to begin their college journey and partake in a unique opportunity to mingle with their soon-to-be colleagues at IU.
It is a non-credit program that integrates lecture-based instruction with experiential and applied activities within the D.C. area. Spend your days gaining experience through an optional internship or exploring the city, and join evening classes twice a week at IU’s new Capital Campus. With the flexibility to live at home and commute, this program helps you build academic momentum, develop professional skills, and start forming a network that will support your future at IU and beyond.
Please note that it is strongly recommended to apply before the priority summer deadline of February 15, 2027. However, we accept applications on a rolling basis as space remains available.
DC Summer Practicum FAQ’s
Pre-College students have the unique opportunity to interact with IU faculty and alumni in DC through this program in an immersive, hands-on experience. Both in and out of the classroom, students are kept busy as we arrange opportunities for exploration through class site visits and intensive networking.
High school seniors (especially those in the DMV/DC area) are recommended to apply and enroll in the summer opportunity before their first semester at Indiana University Bloomington. The HLS DC cohort members are selected based on academic record (transcripts reviewed for all applicants), student conduct record, the online application including essay submission and resume. Interviews with the selection committee occur on a case-by-case basis.
If you have any questions about applying, please contact kntiamoa@iu.edu for additional information.
For your application, submit a professional copy of your resume and short essays for the online application.
This is a non-credit professional immersion practicum
Current IU students often will live and intern/work in DC on a full-time scale, but recently graduated seniors are not required to.
The program will run approximately from May 27 to July 17.
Sessions are held twice a week in the evenings (usually 5:45 – 7:15 pm) at the IU Capital Campus
Participants attend high-level policy discussions, site visits to agencies, embassies, think tanks, and networking events with leaders from government, diplomacy, and global affairs.
We encourage participants to explore IU-wide funding and internship-support scholarships. It is possible your standard IU scholarships and financial aid apply, please discuss your finances with the Bursar office or scholarship provider. Students can also apply for experiential learning and internship-specific funding through IU scholarship portals.
Major(s) & Minor(s): International Studies, East Asian Languages & Cultures and Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures
Her Journey: Elena was a recently graduated high school senior when she participated in the inaugural DC Global Leadership Forum led by Ambassador (ret.) Lee Feinstein, Hamilton Lugar School Founding Dean. This program paired lectures on issues such as nuclear weapons and global democracy with outings to engage with prominent change-makers in DC.
While meeting with Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova, Elena spoke to her about the future U.S.-Ukraine relations after a new U.S. administration took office in January and enjoyed her thoughts on potential Ukrainian accession to the EU/NATO among other pressing topics for Ukraine. Besides visiting the Embassy of Ukraine, Elena partook in other opportunities such as touring the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, meeting Senator Todd Young (R-IN), seeing the White House, and speaking with associates from McLarty Associates.
She states that this was a “great summer and introduction to Indiana University”.
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