13 Business Programs for High School Students in Boston
Business programs are a strong option for high school students who want to develop practical, career-ready skills before college. Participating in these programs gives you exposure to skills such as financial modeling, startup development, market analysis, and strategic management, alongside students who share your interests. Structured business programs typically combine academic coursework with projects, giving you both knowledge and tangible experience. Whether you are interested in entrepreneurship, consulting, or finance, these programs help you build the kind of foundation that stands out on college applications and in the workforce.
Why should you attend a program in Boston?
Boston is home to universities and organizations that offer business programs, giving you access to a range of opportunities across areas like entrepreneurship, finance, and management. With these programs, you can develop skills ranging from product development and startup pitching to financial modeling and marketing strategy, often working directly alongside university faculty and industry professionals. Whether you live in Boston and can commute to campus or you are an out-of-city student, the city’s programs accommodate a wide range of schedules, formats, and backgrounds.
To help you get started, we have narrowed down 13 business programs for high school students in Boston.
If you’re looking for programs in Boston, check out our blog here.
1. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Today’s Interns, Tomorrow’s Professionals (TIP)
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston, MA
Stipend: Provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Summer internship with potential year-round continuation
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Boston Public Schools students who have completed their sophomore year
TIP is the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's paid work-and-learn internship program that combines workplace experience with structured skill development. You will join as an intern within an assigned department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where you will engage in daily operations while learning about professional expectations. The program runs workshops focused on communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution, along with job coaching offered throughout the summer. In addition to earning a stipend, you will participate in enrichment activities centered on financial literacy and career readiness.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: 100% virtual with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application deadline: Varies by cohort; you can access the application link here!
Eligibility: High school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a complex problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Along with building the start-up itself, you will participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and ideations, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, and panel discussions, among other sessions. The program is an excellent opportunity to delve into the world of business in high school and to have a space to explore multiple theoretical and practical frameworks that lead to a successful business.
3. Suffolk University Summer Entrepreneurship Program for High School Students
Location: Suffolk University, Boston, MA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 7 – 24
Application deadline: Not specified; registration opens in January.
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors with a GPA of 2.7 or higher living in the metro-Boston area; rising juniors may be considered on a space-available basis.
Suffolk University's Summer Entrepreneurship Program is a free, three-week commuter program where you will learn how entrepreneurs launch ventures and create value within organizations. Each day includes a mix of lectures, guest speakers from the Boston business community, and hands-on in-class activities covering topics such as pitching, crowdfunding, and developing a new concept. Visits to Boston entrepreneurial organizations are also part of the experience. The program wraps up with a final presentation where you will pitch your own business idea. In addition to the entrepreneurship curriculum, you will gain exposure to college life at Suffolk, access to campus resources such as the Career Center, and workshops on navigating the college application and financial aid processes. The program awards three Suffolk University college credits upon completion.
4. Immerse Education Academic Insights
Location: Various sites, including Boston
Cost: Varies according to program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Two weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students, ages 13 – 18
The Academic Insights Program allows high school students to experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7 to 10 students, and learn from tutors from top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. You can explore a wide range of subjects, spanning over 20 options, including business management. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning, so you may conduct dissections in medicine, design a robotic arm in engineering, participate in a moot court for law, or build creative writing portfolios and business case studies. At the end of the program, you will complete a personal project and receive written feedback along with a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
5. Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) Summer Jobs
Location: Various sites in Boston, MA
Stipend: Provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July – August
Application deadline: May
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in Boston Public Schools (BPS)
The PIC connects local high school students with paid internships at banks, law firms, tech companies, and other organizations in Boston. Career Specialists within high schools will help you prepare your resume and interview for positions at companies like Liberty Mutual, State Street, or Blue Cross Blue Shield. You will spend the summer performing administrative and technical work while gaining exposure to the organizational culture and workplace practices. This experience can also offer you insights into daily business operations.
6. Northeastern University Accelerate Pre-College Programs: Financial Analysis & AI Consulting
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Cost: $7,095 with need-based financial aid available; priority deadline applicants receive $500 off tuition.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 15 – 30 students
Dates: July 26 – August 7
Application deadline: Priority deadline: January 15 | Regular deadline: February 27 | Late deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Financial Analysis & AI Consulting is a two-week residential program at Northeastern University where you will learn how to read and interpret financial statements and use that information to develop business recommendations. Taught by accounting faculty from Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim School of Business, the program introduces you to documents like balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements as well as how AI tools and industry-standard software are used in financial analysis and consulting work. You will hear from guest speakers in advisory roles and participate in an industry site visit, and then apply what you've learned to a team project using datasets based on real business scenarios. The program wraps up with a professional-style presentation where your team delivers findings and recommendations. During the program, you will also examine the ethical considerations of using AI in financial analysis, including how to evaluate and verify AI-generated results.
7. Boston College Experience Two-Week Non-Credit Program: Business and Leadership Institute (BLI) Track
Location: Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA (six miles west of downtown Boston)
Cost: $3,200 (commuter) | $5,800 (residential) + $70 non-refundable application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 29 – July 10 (Session 1) | July 13 – 24 (Session 2) | July 27 – August 7 (Session 3)
Application deadline: Not specified; applications reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, ages 15 – 18; international students can also apply.
The Business and Leadership Institute (BLI), a course offered under the two-week non-credit program at Boston College, is designed to help you explore business and leadership topics at a college-level pace. Your coursework will cover concepts such as design thinking, marketing, finance, international leadership, and emotional intelligence through interactive workshops, guest speakers, and team projects. A key part of the program is developing a business plan for a product or service, which you will research, refine, and present on the final day alongside your peers. Each afternoon, you will also participate in a mandatory workshop series covering topics like career development, college preparation, and critical thinking. The program does not offer academic credit, but you will receive a certificate upon successful completion.
8. Northeastern University Accelerate Pre-College Programs: Experiential Entrepreneurship
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Cost: $7,095 with need-based financial aid available; priority deadline applicants receive $500 off tuition.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Typically, 15 – 30 students
Dates: July 12 – 24
Application deadline: Priority deadline: January 15 | Regular deadline: February 27 | Late deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Experiential Entrepreneurship is a two-week residential program at Northeastern University where you will build a startup from scratch alongside a team of fellow students. You will cover the full arc of the entrepreneurial process, starting from developing an idea and moving on to building a brand, creating a go-to-market strategy, and pitching your venture to a panel of entrepreneurs on the final day. Industry professionals will provide guidance on topics like audience growth, product development, business planning, and negotiation. The program emphasizes learning by doing, with activities focused on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, creative thinking, systems thinking, and team communication.
9. TYE Entrepreneurship Academy
Location: Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $2,400 (includes learning materials and catered lunches); need-based scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: October – May; sessions scheduled on 12 alternating Saturdays
Application deadline: Late September; first-come, first-served enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 12
The TYE Entrepreneurship Academy is an academic-year program that allows you to work in a team to build a real startup concept from the ground up. Over 12 sessions, you will follow a business curriculum that covers customer feedback, lightweight business models, and iteration, guided by a dedicated mentor assigned to your team. Guest speakers who will be founders and/or industry professionals will share their experiences throughout the program. You will also participate in professional development workshops on topics like networking, LinkedIn, and interviewing. At the end of the program, you and your team will pitch your startup to a panel of investors for a chance to win seed funding and present at the Cambridge Innovation Center. The top team from Boston will get the opportunity to compete at the annual TYE Global Competition against student teams from other countries.
10. Northeastern University Accelerate Pre-College Programs: Entrepreneurship in Health Science
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Cost: $7,095 with need-based financial aid available; priority deadline applicants receive $500 off tuition.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 15 – 30 students
Dates: July 26 – August 7
Application deadline: Priority deadline: January 15 | Regular deadline: February 27 | Late deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Entrepreneurship in Health Science is an interdisciplinary two-week program at Northeastern University where you will explore the intersection of healthcare, public health, biomedical innovation, and entrepreneurship. Through workshops, team projects, and field visits to Boston-area health organizations, you will apply design thinking and entrepreneurial problem-solving to real health challenges. The program is led by Northeastern faculty and student mentors, who will cover topics ranging from how new health ideas get developed to how they reach the people who need them. You will work in a team to design a solution to a health challenge and present your work to peers and faculty at the end of two weeks.
11. Tufts University Pre-College: Marketing Essentials
Location: Tufts University, Medford/Somerville (Greater Boston), MA
Cost: $4,225 for commuters | $5,750 for residential students; limited need-based scholarships are available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 19 – 31
Application deadline: May 1; applications open on December 1
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10 – 12 and graduating high school seniors
Marketing Essentials is a two-week program at Tufts University where you will explore core marketing concepts and apply them to real-world challenges through hands-on projects and interactive workshops. You will analyze customer needs, compare traditional and digital marketing methods, and develop creative solutions to contemporary marketing problems. Classes are taught by the same professors and thought leaders who instruct Tufts undergraduate and graduate students, and you'll also hear from guest speakers working in the industry. You will connect with mentors, i.e., Tufts students and alumni. who will guide you through marketing and entrepreneurship resources on campus.
12. Bentley University Pre-College Programs: Business Courses
Location: Online or Bentley University, Waltham, MA (27 minutes/~11 miles away from Boston)
Cost: $1,490 (online) | $2,450 (commuter) | $3,380 (residential) + a $75 non-refundable application fee; limited need-based scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; rolling admission on a space-available basis
Dates: Seven weekly sessions running from June 8 to July 24
Application deadline: Rolling admission through June 1
Eligibility: High school students; residential applicants must be 16 or older
Bentley University's Pre-College Programs offer one-week business-focused courses allowing you to explore advanced academics alongside peers on a university campus. Course options include Accounting Adventures, Data Analytics, Business of Beauty and Social Influencers, Business of Health and Wellness, Social Entrepreneurship, and Sports Business and Performance. You can also choose Wall Street 101, a suite of 5 finance courses covering topics such as personal finance, stock market investing, macroeconomics, global trade, and fintech. Each course includes hands-on projects and exposure to real industry tools. You can choose the residential format to experience life as a college student.
13. Tufts University Pre-College: Entrepreneurship & Innovation Bootcamp
Location: Tufts University, Medford/Somerville (Greater Boston), MA
Cost: $4,225 (commuter) | $5,750 (residential); limited need-based scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 5 – 17
Application deadline: May 1 (applications open December 1)
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10 – 12 and graduating high school seniors, ages 15 – 19
The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Bootcamp is a two-week, hands-on pre-college program at Tufts University where you will design, build, and pitch your own startup, small business, or nonprofit. During the first week, you will learn foundational frameworks and practice skills such as team building, elevator pitches, and business case development. In the second week, you and your team will prepare for a final pitch event in which you will present your ideas to a panel of judges. The program is run in partnership with the Tufts Derby Entrepreneurship Center and offers mentorship from Tufts students, alumni, and guest speakers from Boston's business community.
If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
With Veritas AI, which was founded by Harvard graduate students, you can work 1-on-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we have had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. Check out a past student’s experience in the program here. You can apply here!
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