10 Summer Business Programs for High School Students
Are you a high school student interested in business and looking to make the most of your summer break? Then, consider enrolling in a summer business program! Summer programs are designed to give you a head start in your journey into the vast business arena, offering hands-on experience, networking opportunities, and valuable skills.
What’s more, pursuing a program besides your school curriculum will also demonstrate to college admissions officers that you’re dedicated to pursuing your passions and furthering your education! In this blog, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 summer business programs designed for high school students.
The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world start-up bootcamp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X.
Apart from building the start-up, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideations, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions and more.
The program is an excellent opportunity to delve into the world of business in high school and have a space to explore multiple theoretical and practical frameworks that lead to a successful business. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
You can find our in-depth review of Young Founders Lab here!
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: The Summer Cohort II starts on July 3, 2024 and spans over 4 weeks.
Cost: The total cost to attend the 4-week program is $2900. There is need-based financial aid.
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
Application Deadline: Applications for the latest cohort close June 23, 2024. You can access the application link here!
2. The Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy
Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy is a two-week residential program designed for rising high school seniors who want to explore their interest in business. You will learn the basics of how companies run, how leaders solve problems and experience what it’s like to be a business student at Michigan Ross.
You will learn key business concepts through completing rigorous, college-level academic work via classes and workshops. The program even includes company treks and weekend team-building activities!
You can check out all the details here!
Location: UMich Ann Arbor campus, Ann Arbor, MI
Program dates: June 14 - 28, 2025 (Based on 2024 program)
Cost: $5000 + $50 application fee. Full and partial need-based scholarships are available
Eligibility: Open to current rising high school senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Application Deadline: Closed for 2024. Applications for 2025 open in November.
3. Babson Summer Study for High School Students
Babson College offers an intensive three-week summer program designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in entrepreneurship. The program aims to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and equip students with problem-solving skills to address real-world challenges effectively. During the program, you will delve into the world of entrepreneurship and deepen your understanding of the United Nations Global Goals.
In 2024, the program covered Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Experience, a four-credit course. Apart from the daily 3-hour sessions, you will also learn through completing team and individual assignments!
Location: Online
Program dates: July 10-30, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: $6,295 + non-refundable $95 application fee. Limited need-based full and partial scholarships are offered
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors may apply
Application deadline: March 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program).
4. Georgetown University Business Academy
The Business Academy is one of the many programs offered by the Georgetown Hoya Summer High School Sessions. This is a three-week intensive program that helps you develop an understanding of how businesses around the world are run. You gain practical skills and critical thinking abilities that will serve as a strong foundation for you to pursue a future in business endeavors.
During the three weeks, you will attend lectures at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business faculties and engage in a hands-on business simulation where you'll collaborate with classmates to run a startup. You will also get to conduct advertising and financial management practices and understand how to invest in hard assets and manufacturing.
You have the option to choose one of the following two tracks: Business & Leadership or Global Business. During the weekdays, you will attend lectures, interact with guest speakers, have off-site visits and participate in hands-on activities and group discussions between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Program Dates: July to August 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: $7,299 tuition for the residential option. $5,499 for commuter students
Eligibility: Open to all high school students with at least a 2.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
Application Deadline: May 15, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program).
5. Wharton Global Youth Program: Leadership in the Business World
Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is a well-known institute famous for its rigorous business program. The institute runs the Wharton Global Youth Program, which provides various educational and learning opportunities for high school students. The Leadership in the Business World (LBW) program is ideal for you if you are looking to explore the basics of business and learn some leadership skills.
You will attend daily live lectures curated by Wharton faculty and get to interact with guest speakers who are experts in their fields. The schedule is quite rigorous, and you will be busy with academics from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You will also work on group projects and work with real-world datasets.
All program participants will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
Location: University of Pennsylvania Campus, Philadelphia, PA
Program dates: Three sessions between June and August
Cost: $10,999 + $100 application fee
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in grade 11 with a 3.5 unweighted GPA or higher (on a 4.0 point scale)
Application deadline: April 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program).
This is a two-week course at UC Berkeley in which Berkeley Haas professors, PhD candidates, and undergraduate students will act as the faculty to help you learn the basics of business via online classroom instruction, independent research, computer lab assignments, and team projects. You will be part of a team of like-minded students and work together to create a comprehensive business plan. At the end of the program, each team presents its business plan.
The lectures will cover topics like - teamwork and leadership, entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, accounting, Game Theory, and negotiations. Only 50 students are selected for the program every year. Apart from the rigorous academic activities, you also get to participate in a campus tour, a scavenger hunt, karaoke nights, and more. You will also get a head start on how to approach and write a personal statement and college application essay.
Location: University of California (Berkeley) campus, Berkeley, CA
Program Dates: Two sessions between July and August
Cost: $6,292 for California high school students. $7,332 for others
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Application deadline: March 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program).
7. UChicago Summer Immersion Program: Pathways in Economics
The University of Chicago has brilliant economics and business departments that organize pre-college programs during the summer. One of the best programs for high school students interested in business is the Summer Immersion Program: Pathways in Economics. Lecturers from the Department of Economics will conduct the classes, which will introduce students to concepts like macroeconomics, microeconomics, game theory, and field experiments. A total of 20 lectures will be conducted in the three-week session!
Apart from attending the lectures, you will also participate in group discussions to apply what you have learned and participate in ongoing research and group projects. Do note that you are expected to have completed pre-calculus to make the most of the program and students with a strong interest in math are encouraged to apply.
Location: University of Chicago campus, Chicago, IL
Program Dates: Two sessions between June and July
Cost: $8,600 for residential students and $5,850 for commuter students. Financial aid and scholarships are available.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students who are at least 14 years old except rising seniors
Application deadline: March 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program).
8. McCombs Future Executive Academy
The McCombs School of Business is one of the top business schools in the U.S. and runs a few free summer programs for high school students every year. McCombs Future Executive Academy is a free, six-day experience designed for rising junior and senior high school students to learn about business and leadership under the tutelage of McCombs students, faculty, and corporate representatives.
Various aspects of college-level business concepts will be covered in this session, and you will also learn through hands-on projects, keynote sessions, and interactions with industry leaders.
Location: McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, TX
Program Dates: June first week
Cost: No Cost
Eligibility: Open to high school sophomores and juniors
Application deadline: March 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program). Applications open in November every year.
9. Columbia University Pre-College Programs: Introduction to Business, Finance, and Economics
Columbia University has a wealth of pre-college programs that they conduct in the summer. If you are interested in studying the basics of business, economics, and entrepreneurship, you should consider enrolling in Introduction to Business, Finance, and Economics.
Through this 2-week program, you will get to learn about stocks, bonds, and stock markets, as well as valuation models of investments, firms, and securities. You will also gain familiarity with the mechanics and history of the financial markets. Some case studies exploring successful business firms and independent research work are also part of the program.
The program runs multiple in-person sessions with a batch size of 30 students, and the earliest available session takes place between July and August.
Location: Hamilton Hall, Columbia University, Broadway, New York, NY
Program dates: Multiple sessions. July 16 - August 2, 2024 is the first one available.
Cost: $6,100
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Application deadline: Rolling basis.
10. Innovation and Business Strategy @ Duke University
Innovation and Business Strategy is one of the many pre-college courses offered by the esteemed Duke University. This two-week program helps students explore the relationship between innovation and business in the 21st century. You will learn the concepts of disruptive innovation and transformation, learn how to analyze industries, develop customer profiles, and find an emotional connection to the customers.
You will get to understand how companies like Tesla, Disney, Lego, Uber, and Apple work. One unique addition to this program is that you will also explore how popular YouTube channels like Mr. Beast operate and generate revenue! You will also work on group projects to implement your own business strategies.
Location: Duke University campus, Durham, NC. Both residential and commuter options are available.
Program dates: Two sessions, one in June and the other one in July (based on the 2024 program)
Cost: Residential: $2,800 tuition + $1,900 room and meal fee; Commuter: $2,800 tuition + $250 meal fee. Limited financial aid, up to 100% of tuition fees, is available.
Eligibility: Open to high school students currently between 9th and 11th grades
Application deadline: April 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program).
If you’re interested in building a unique, personal project 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!
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