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A competitive policy research fellowship for exceptional high school students, conducted under the mentorship of distinguished university faculty.
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The Polk Presidential Scholars Program is a competitive, mentorship-driven research fellowship offered through the Blackwell Research Institute. Selected scholars work alongside university faculty to design, conduct, and present original research on pressing policy questions — examining the forces that shape governance, law, public institutions, and political life.
The program reflects a deep belief that serious policy thinking is not reserved for college campuses. High school students with intellectual curiosity, a drive to understand how power works, and the ambition to pursue original argument are invited to join a community of scholars dedicated to policy research at the highest level.
Scholars who complete the program do not simply submit a paper — they write and publish a short book. Each scholar's work is professionally typeset, printed, and bound as a physical volume bearing their name, presented alongside a formal research fellowship credential and letter of recognition from the Blackwell Research Institute.
Design and execute an independent research project on a policy question, guided one-on-one by a university faculty mentor with expertise in political science, law, or public policy.
Participate in structured seminars on policy analysis, research methodology, argumentation, and the craft of making a rigorous, evidence-based policy argument.
Present your research to faculty, graduate students, and fellow scholars at our spring symposium — a genuine academic conference experience.
Your research doesn't end as a paper in a folder. Every scholar authors a short book — professionally typeset, printed, and bound — that can be shared, shelved, and cited. Copies are yours to keep and distribute.
Receive a formal research fellowship credential and letter of recognition from the Blackwell Research Institute upon completion.
Polk Scholars are paired with accomplished university faculty from the nation's most prestigious research institutions — active scholars and professors in political science, public policy, law, and governance dedicated to developing the next generation of policy thinkers.
…and faculty from additional leading research universities across the country
Scholars pursue original research on real policy questions. Every project is grounded in evidence, shaped by theory, and argued with rigor.
Research into healthcare, education, housing, criminal justice, and the design of social programs — how policy is made, who it serves, and how it can be improved.
The conduct of international relations, grand strategy, diplomacy, alliance structures, and the use of military and economic power in pursuit of national interests.
The foundations of constitutional governance, the interpretation of law, the role of courts, and the relationship between legal structures and political power.
Fiscal and monetary policy, labor markets, trade, regulation, inequality, and the role of government in shaping economic outcomes at national and global scales.
How legislatures, executives, courts, and parties function — and how institutional design affects representation, accountability, and the health of democratic governance.
Policy challenges at the frontier: artificial intelligence, data privacy, platform regulation, cybersecurity, and the governance of transformative technologies.
When John F. Kennedy was a young man recovering from back surgery in 1954, he channeled his time into writing Profiles in Courage — a work of historical scholarship examining acts of political bravery in the U.S. Senate. It won the Pulitzer Prize. He was 37.
Polk Scholars follow that same tradition. Your research culminates not in a paper, but in a short, original book — professionally typeset, printed, and bound — with your name on the cover. Yours to keep, share, and submit alongside your college applications.
Apply NowJoin a community of scholars committed to understanding and improving policy. Applications for the 2026 cohort open March 15th.
Apply Now