The Gilder Lehrman History Scholars Program is a competitive summer scholarship program in American history for outstanding college sophomores and juniors. The program, based in New York City, has been designed to both reward undergraduates who have demonstrated superb research and writing skills in the field of American history and provide an opportunity for the next generation of historians to engage in discussions with eminent scholars and in primary-source research. The Gilder Lehrman History Scholars Program has two components:

• 15 History Scholarships that include a five-week scholarly research program
• Up to 50 awards for One-Week Scholars [Finalists], who will be invited to a one-week program.

History Scholars receive a stipend of $2,200, along with room, board, and a $600 travel allowance for a five-week program in New York City. Scholars conduct primary-source research to prepare historical materials for publication. The projects provide the students with an opportunity to work with original documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and other archives. The students also have exclusive meetings with eminent historians to discuss historical issues and gain insight into history as a profession (past sessions have been led by Eric Foner, Kenneth T. Jackson, James McPherson, Sean Wilentz, Christine Stansell, Steven Hahn, Steven Mintz, Ron Chernow, and Catherine Clinton, among others). A third component of the program is weekly behind-the-scenes visits, led by archivists, to leading repositories of American historical documents, printed books, and material culture.