YLS 2026 Student Application
About the Young Leaders Summit Program
The 2026 YLS Phase I application will open January 27, 2026. The deadline to submit Phase I is Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 2:00 PM PT.
The Young Leaders Summit (YLS), presented by the Youth Leadership Consortium (YLC), is a free, college empowerment summer program for a diverse cohort of high-achieving, low-income, high school juniors, selected through a competitive application process. It is designed to give these young leaders the practical tools they need to successfully apply to top universities, have full access to scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and set a course for academic and career success. Attendees will enhance their leadership abilities and expand their professional networks by participating in college and career workshops and interacting with college students and professionals who serve as their mentors.
It is entirely FREE for students to apply and participate in YLS:
- YLS pays for the students’ round-trip airfare transportation, from their hometown to Los Angeles
- YLS Staff picks up all YLS students from Los Angeles International Airport and provides free roundtrip transportation to the University of Southern California campus via the YLS Shuttle
- YLS provides students with free on-campus housing, for five days at the YLS dorm
- YLS provides all meals on-campus and program materials
Details for YLS 2026
YLS 2026 has two components, and students are required to fully attend both:
- Virtual component via zoom (two days)
- In-person component at the University of Southern California (five days) a few weeks later
IMPORTANT: To be eligible to participate in the five-day in-person component of the program, students must have fully participated in the two-day virtual component. Failure to successfully complete the virtual component via Zoom will lead to dismissal and inability to participate in the in-person component. We do not have any other virtual component dates, and we are unable to make any exceptions.
VIRTUAL COMPONENT DATES (all required, via zoom)
- Code of Conduct Acceptance & Orientation: Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM PT
- Virtual YLS: Saturday, June 6, 2026 & Sunday, June 7, 2026, 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM PT each day (with short breaks throughout the day)
IN-PERSON COMPONENT DATES & LOCATIONS (required)
- University of Southern California: Wednesday, July 29, 2026 – Sunday, August 2, 2026
Student Eligibility:
- Current high school junior (Class of 2027), attending high school in the United States or a US Territory
- Must have an unweighted cumulative GPA above a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent)
- Come from a low-income background, as defined by predicted Pell eligibility, after completing the “Federal Student Aid Estimator” (example of results here)
- Must be a US Citizen, Permanent Legal Resident, or DACA
- Plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university in the US after high school graduation
How to Apply:
- Create a myYLC profile and under "Role" select "Student"
- Select "High School Junior" under the "Class Level" section and create your account
- Verify your account by clicking "Very your email!" in the email that YLC sends you
- Once you log into your myYLC profile, you will see the "YLS 2026 Student Application" on your Dashboard
We encourage you to watch the YLS video below! Questions? Please Contact Us.