Kinder Scholars DC Summer Program
Page Content
An Immersive Summer Experience for the Next Generation of Leaders
Students in the Kinder Scholars DC Summer Program refine their understanding of constitutional democracy in the classroom and experience it in the workplace through their internships, all while spending June and July exploring one of the nation’s most vibrant, historic cities.
Studying in DC
All students in the program take the three-credit hour “Beltway History & Politics” course, a 4000-level seminar that examines US political and constitutional history from the founding of the nation through the contemporary moment. Each session of the eight-week class, which meets once a week, has a field trip pairing, with students traveling to sites in and around DC to walk the grounds where the history they’re studying unfolded. Past years’ field trips have taken students to Gettysburg, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Frederick Douglass’ house at Cedar Hill in DC, and Harper’s Ferry.
Interning in DC
Whether it’s on Capitol Hill, at one of DC’s countless museums, at a federal agency, or with a policy research center, all participants in the Kinder Scholars Program find an internship in a field that maps onto their interests in the classroom as well as their post-college plans. Internship searches begin in the fall and continue throughout the spring semester in a one-credit hour course that is designed to help them navigate that process.
Where Some of Our Past Kinder Scholars Have Interned
- NPR
- Mount Vernon
- NASA
- US Department of Transportation
- The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers
- Library of Congress
- The House Ways & Means Committee
- Emily’s List
Living in DC
With the entire city at their fingertips from their summer home on the George Washington University campus in Foggy Bottom, the Kinder Scholars spend every moment that they’re not studying or interning exploring all that DC has to offer.
Program Funding and Scholarships
The Kinder Institute provides housing on the George Washington University campus for all participants in the program as well as a stipend that helps offset the cost of living in DC. Students admitted into the program are also eligible to apply for need-based tuition scholarships to help cover the cost of enrolling in the program’s required summer course.
DC By the Numbers
32
Students in the 2026 Kinder Scholars Program
20
Different MU Majors These Students Represent
5
Minutes to the National Mall from the GW Dorms
Applications for the 2027 Kinder Scholars DC Summer Program will open and be posted here at the beginning of the Fall 2026 semester, with an anticipated deadline of mid-October.
Eligibility Statement
Any undergraduate who has spent a year as a full-time college student, whether at Mizzou or elsewhere, and who will be returning in fall to continue their studies at MU is eligible to apply for the Kinder Scholars Program. We also require that students be in-residence in Columbia and enrolled as a full-time MU student in the spring semester immediately prior to participating in the program.
Behind the Scenes in DC
