10 Economics Internships for High School Students
For high school students interested in economics, internships provide a valuable opportunity to gain practical experience and explore the diverse applications of economic principles. These internships allow students to engage with real-world data, understand economic policies, and develop critical skills such as data analysis, research, and communication.
Participating in economics internships can strengthen a student's college applications, provide insights into potential career paths, and help build a network of professional contacts in the field. Below, we have compiled a list of 10 economics internships that are ideal for high school students!
1. Ladder Internships – Economics TrackLadder Internships
Ladder Internship is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies, on average raising over a million dollars. Past founders have included YCombinator alumni, founders raising over 30 million dollars, or founders who previously worked at Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form.
Interns are offered one-on-one training in communication, time management, and other such valuable skills and will also have the opportunity to attend group training sessions with other interns in their cohort. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
Cost: $2490 (Financial Aid Available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
2. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
The Bank of America Student Leaders Program offers high school juniors and seniors an exceptional chance to immerse themselves in financial and accounting principles through hands-on projects. This program is ideal for students passionate about accounting and finance, providing a comprehensive education in budgeting, financial analysis, and planning.
Participants are matched with mentors from the banking and financial industry, gaining valuable insights and networking opportunities. The program also includes access to guest lectures and workshops led by experienced professionals.
Location: Washington, DC
Stipend: Hourly basis
Program Dates: June – August 2025 (tentatively, based on the previous year’s dates).
Application Deadline: January 13, 2025 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates).
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors.
3. The Junior Economic Club – Summer Internship
The Junior Economic Club provides an exclusive platform for talented high school students in New York City to engage in a dynamic environment of discussion, exposure, and leadership in economics. The program is dedicated to investing in the future of NYC by allowing students to tackle real-world economic issues across both public and private sectors.
Participants gain early experience and insights, helping them to develop into effective, knowledgeable, and responsible leaders. This initiative aims to contribute to a prosperous future for New York City through the development of the next generation of economic leaders.
Location: New York City, NY
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Application Deadline: Varies annually.
Internship Dates: Throughout the academic year.
Eligibility: Open to high school students in New York City
4. KP Launch High School Program
The KP Launch High School Program, offered by Kaiser Permanente, provides high school students with valuable summer internship opportunities to gain practical experience and insights into the healthcare industry.
Students can intern at a Kaiser Permanente Medical Center or business office located near them. The internship features diverse tracks such as administration, business, accounting, sales and marketing, communications, and product development, tailored to various interests within the healthcare sector.
Location: Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers or business offices in Northern California. Find a location near you.
Stipend: $15.50 – $18 per hour (amount varies by city)
Application Deadline: June 2025 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates).
Program Dates: June 17 – August 2, 20245 (tentatively, based on the previous year’s dates).
Eligibility: Current high school students aged 16–19 with U.S. work eligibility and permanent residence in a Northern California Kaiser Permanente designated service area. Students must be available for full-time work and commuting to the site.
5. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) High School Business Internship
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) offers a prestigious high school business internship, providing students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of business-related fields.
In this internship, you will attend half-day school classes and work for up to 4 hours daily for five days a week in the laboratory. Your workload will include laboratory demonstrations, field trips, communications, and more!
As an economics student, look into applying for their finance and business services role, facilities and operations, or communications!
Location: Varies with the internship position.
Stipend: Not specified
Program Dates: August – May (during the school year)
Application Deadline: February 2025 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates). Deadlines vary for different positions.
Eligibility: High school students
6. Miami-Dade County Internship Program
The Miami-Dade County Internship Program offers high school students the opportunity to explore career paths within various county departments and offices while gaining valuable mentorship from professionals.
The program provides insights into public government affairs and potential career opportunities in the field. As an economics student, you can consider applying for their accounting positions and administration positions, which can span across their different departments such as transport or solid waste management!
Location: Miami, FL
Stipend: Unpaid; students can earn high school credit
Program Dates: One semester (5 hours/week for 1 credit and 10 hours/week for 2 credits), with accommodations possible for shorter or longer internships.
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors with a minimum 2.50 GPA and permanent residence in Miami-Dade County
7. Young Entrepreneurs Program
The Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP) provides high school students in Kansas City, MO, and Columbus, OH, with valuable internship opportunities to gain practical experience and mentorship from local businesses.
As an intern, you’ll work alongside local businesses across diverse fields such as finance, marketing, or even engineering! You can benefit from gaining hands-on experience and mentorship from esteemed industry professionals and even utilize this opportunity to develop a notable network.
Location: Multiple locations
Stipend: $10 per hour, along with a $1,250 scholarship per session
Program Dates: June 6, 2025 – July 1, 2025 (Session 1) | July 11, 2025 – August 5, 2025 (Session 2) (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates).
Application Deadline: February 14, 2025 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates).
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors residing in Kansas City or Columbus
8. On the Money Magazine Internship
On the Money Magazine is a student-run magazine which publishes articles relating to finance and entrepreneurship. Notably, this magazine is in accordance with the Economic Awareness Council and DePaul University’s Writing Center!
As an intern, you will get an opportunity to hone your public speaking, financial literacy and writing and interviewing skills through submitting for the magazine on a regular basis. You will also attend weekly meetings and will receive a stipend for your work.
Location: Chicago
Stipend: Not specified
Program Dates: Varies based on internship cohort but the fall cohort is from September to December 2024.
Application Deadline: Interviews are tentatively to be held on September 24, 2024, so applying prior to this date is recommended.
Eligibility: High school students who reside in Chicago city.
9. Chicago Summer Business Institute
The Chicago Summer Business Institute aims to provide Chicago high school students with internships to introduce them to careers in the financial services sector. Once you apply for the program, you will be paired with a firm and will receive support with building a resume, attending interviews, and developing people skills!
Although your work as an intern is solely dependent on the company you’re assigned to, you can expect to contribute to the daily operations, gain experience under esteemed mentors, and learn more about finance!
Location: Chicago
Stipend: Not specified
Program Dates: These are not specified, but expect them to be during the summer months.
Application Deadline: Rolling applications.
Eligibility:
You are a resident of the City of Chicago.
You are a high school sophomore or junior (2024-2025 school year).
Maintain a “B” or 3.0 average on your report card.
Family Household Income below $80,000/year.
10. Economics for Leaders – Foundation for Teaching Economics
Economics for Leaders (EFL) is designed to equip promising high school students with leadership skills and the ability to apply economic analysis to public policy decisions. This course introduces students to fundamental economic concepts, analytical reasoning, and leadership theory, preparing them to tackle complex public policy challenges. As the world faces increasingly intricate issues, fostering the next generation of leaders is essential for future prosperity.
While not an internship, participating in prestigious pre-college programs like EFL can make students more competitive applicants in the eyes of college admissions officers, enhancing their academic and leadership profiles.
Location: Various U.S. universities (in-person and virtual)
Cost: $2,300 for residential and $800 for virtual (Scholarship assistance typically ranges from $100 to $1500 for residential programs and from $100 to $400 for virtual programs.)
Application Deadline: February 28, 2024
Internship Dates: Multiple sessions will be available during the summer of 2024
Eligibility: Open to high school sophomores and juniors
If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI is founded by Harvard graduate students. Through the programs, you get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here!
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from.
You can find the application link here.
Image Source - Ladder Internship Logo