Princeton Model Congress (PMC) is the oldest model congress in America. Its inaugural conference took place in 1982 in New York City under the leadership of a group of students from the American Whig-Cliosophic Society. At our annual conference high school students under the direction of Princeton undergraduates simulate all three branches of the Federal Government of the United States of America.

Our conference has evolved, expanded and relocated to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC over the course of the last quarter century. Currently, Princeton Model Congress offers high school students the opportunity to simulate the experience of serving in Congress, sitting on the bench as a Supreme Court Justice, counseling our Commander in Chief as a member of the Presidential Cabinet or covering the Federal Government in print as a part of the Press Corps.

Our conference draws approximately 1,200 participants from all across the political spectrum and from all over the country. And our conference takes place just down the street from Capitol Hill—literally a five-minute walk away—so that our participants experience an added dimension of realism that no other model congress in America offers. They also have the opportunity to explore the multitude of attractions that our nation’s capital has to offer. Although Princeton Model Congress has made many improvements and expansions in the last twenty-five years, we certainly have not lost sight of our initial goal: to foster civic engagement among American high school students.

Please contact pmc@princeton.edu with any questions about Princeton Model Congress.