The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
Led by UChicago faculty with support from experienced graduate instructors and alumni, the SDG Challenge Program for High School Students is a three-week, holistic, and engaging research immersion program. It is prepared for highly motivated high school students who aspire to learn how to make a social impact and become informed leaders and future decision-makers.
Throughout the program, participants will delve into the fundamentals of policy research, applying their skills to address real-world inquiries related to the UN SDGs. Beyond the classroom, students will connect with UChicago alumni and produce work deliverables to showcase their critical thinking and presentation skills.
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Public Policy and Research, Sustainable Development Goals, Academic and Career Preparedness |
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High School Students |
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3 weeks, 15–20 hours per week |
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July 14 - August 1, 2025 |
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$3,000 with various discount types |
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Virtual Online |
Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy
This course gives you a solid understanding of the basics of public policy and the key methods needed for quantitative social sciences research. It introduces fundamental concepts and techniques and how they are applied in real-world policy work, promoting evidence-based policymaking.
In the SDG Policy Challenge module, you will collaborate with Adam Zelizer, Assistant Professor and SDG Challenge Program Faculty Director, and a group of peers, on a real-world problem and craft evidence-based policy recommendations.
Through interactive workshops and mentorship, you will strengthen your research, data analysis, and communication skills—essential tools for developing effective policies. Collaborative peer reviews and instructor feedback will help you refine your ideas, leading up to a final presentation where you will showcase your policy recommendations.
Your final project will serve as a valuable portfolio piece, demonstrating your ability to think critically, analyze data, and propose solutions—an impressive addition to college applications, internship opportunities, and future academic or career pursuits in public policy and sustainable development.
All times shown in Central Daylight Time (UTC-05:00)
Week 1 | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
6:00 - 8:00pm | Module 1 - Introduction to Public Policy and Research Method |
Week 2 | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
6:00 - 8:00pm | Module 1 - Introduction to Public Policy and Research Method |
Week 3 | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
6:00 - 8:00pm | Module 2 - SDG Policy Challenge |
Instructor Profile
Adam Zelizer is the Faculty Director for the SDG Challenge Program, ensuring the holistic curriculum is designed and taught to meet student needs. Zelizer is an Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. His research examines how legislators make decisions – for example, how they acquire expertise from policy research and influence one another through deliberation – and the effects of individual decision-making processes on policy outcomes. One goal of this research is to figure out which legislative processes work, in the sense of leading to more informed, effective, and broadly-supported public policies, and which don’t.
Instructor Profile
Fanmei Xia, MPP’21, is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Yale University. Coming from a Psychology and Education background, she has abundant experience teaching and mentoring students. Prior to graduate school, Fanmei worked at the Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on education and human development, particularly how to maximize people’s potential in development contexts.
The program fee is $3,000. We offer partial discounts to early action and round 1 applicants, UChicago community members or group-registered applicants. In addition, we encourage applicants to explore funding sources from your academic institution or external scholarships.
Audience |
Fee |
General Applicant |
$3,000 |
Early Action Applicant |
$2,700 |
UChicago Network Affiliated |
$2,300 |
Once being admitted, participants will secure the seat by submitting a $1,000 USD enrollment deposit, which is non-refundable and applies toward your total program fee. The remaining program fee balance will be paid before the program starts. Detailed payment instructions will be provided to admitted participants via email.
If the participant decides to cancel their Program enrollment, the participant must submit a request in writing at least 30 days prior to the program start date to harriscredential@uchicago.edu to receive the paid amount less the non-refundable enrollment deposit. Requests received 14 to 30 days before the Program start date are subject to a payment of 50% of the Program fee. Requests received within 14 days of the Program start date are subject to full payment of the Program fee. If the participant is unable to join the Program due to circumstances that the participant has no control or influence over, the refund amount will be considered on an individual case-by-case basis.
SDG Challenge Program content is rigorous, but there are no prerequisites for this program. We welcome high school students from all backgrounds to apply for the SDG Challenge Program.
The Policy Challenge is a key aspect of the SDG Challenge Program, offering students the opportunity to engage in hands-on policy research. Under the guidance of SDG Challenge Program faculty, including Adam Zelizer, Assistant Professor and SDG Challenge Program Faculty Director, students collaborate in small groups and access proprietary or open-source data to address pressing policy challenges aligned with SDGs. The goal of this project is for students to harness the skills of research design, policy analysis, and team collaboration to conduct a research project. The skills gained in the project are transferable for further research in your area of interest.
The program is a non-credit program. You will receive a shareable certification from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy upon completion to showcase your academic rigor.
There are no scholarship offerings for SDG Challenge Program participants. Details about the possible discount types can be found in the “Program Fee and Payment” section.
Please feel free to reach out to us at harriscredential@uchicago.edu.
You can also book a 20-minute online appointment with the admissions team to talk through your questions directly.