11 Best Finance Internships for High School Students
Exploring internships during high school offers practical skills, real-world exposure, and valuable connections, often without the hefty price tag of traditional pre-college programs. For students interested in finance, internships provide a glimpse into the industry's practical side, from investment strategies to financial analysis and budgeting.
Top colleges, research institutions, fintech startups, and investment banks host multiple work opportunities each year for high schoolers. Some are paid, some offer financial aid, and many are virtual, making them accessible regardless of where you live.
We’ve included 11 great finance internships for high school students in the piece below. Whether you're hoping to model equity portfolios, explore AI-driven risk tools, or simply see how capital flows behind the scenes, there's something in this list for everyone.
1. Ladder Internships – Finance Track
Location: Virtual
Dates: Seasonal cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Various deadlines depending on cohort
Eligibility: High school students who can commit 10–20 hours/week; undergraduates and gap-year students may also apply.
Cost/Stipend: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Ladder offers one of the most personalised remote internship experiences out there. Once accepted, you’re paired with a fast-growing startup — many of which are venture-backed — and placed on projects that challenge you to think strategically about business and finance.
Whether you're tracking key metrics, conducting financial analysis, or helping model pricing strategies, you’ll work under the guidance of both a company mentor and a Ladder coach. Weekly deliverables, collaborative feedback, and a final presentation keep you on track. This internship is a good fit if you want to get hands-on experience, build your resume, and understand how finance functions in startup settings.
2. Chicago Summer Business Institute (CSBI)
Location: Chicago, IL
Dates: 6 weeks during summer
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Chicago public school sophomores and juniors with a GPA of 3.0+ and family income below $80,000
Cost/Stipend: Paid (amount unspecified)
If you’re a high school student in Chicago looking for practical exposure to business and finance, the CSBI internship offers a structured entry point. Over six weeks, you’ll be placed at respected financial firms in the city where you’ll shadow professionals, observe how offices operate, and take on basic assignments that introduce you to workplace norms.
In addition to your placement, you’ll attend weekly seminars designed to help you connect what you see on the job with core financial concepts, such as how companies manage budgets or evaluate risk. This is a solid opportunity to build early workplace skills and develop a foundational understanding of finance in action.
3. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Various U.S. cities
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Approximately 300 students annually
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Current high school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents; additional site-specific criteria may apply.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; stipends are offered and vary by location.
This internship is for students curious about how financial decision-making shapes communities. The Student Leaders Program places you in a nonprofit organisation where you’ll contribute to projects with real economic and social impact, such as budgeting, program development, and grant analysis.
What makes this internship even more compelling is the week-long leadership summit in Washington, D.C., where you'll network with peers nationwide. You'll also engage with policy leaders and attend workshops that teach you how social change and financial leadership intersect. It’s an immersive way to explore how funding decisions affect communities.
4. U.S. Treasury Headquarters Student Internship
Location: Washington, D.C.
Dates: Spring (January–May), Summer (May–August), and Fall (September–December)
Application Deadline: October (Spring), December (Summer), June (Fall)
Eligibility: High school students with enrollment or admission to an accredited U.S. institution
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
If you're interested in economic policy, taxation, or public finance, this internship gives you direct exposure to how the federal government manages the economy. As a student intern, you could be assigned to departments like Domestic Finance, Economic Policy, or Tax Policy, where you’ll help review policy reports, track legislative updates, or prepare briefing materials.
You’ll be expected to read, synthesize, and sometimes even help draft background notes for hearings or internal memos. The pace is serious, but if you're a student who thrives in structured, research-heavy environments, this will push you further than a standard summer job.
5. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston – Today’s Interns, Tomorrow’s Professionals (TIP) Internship Program
Location: Boston, MA
Dates: Summer (July–August), with the possibility of extending up to three years based on performance and available opportunities
Application Deadline: Varies; students typically begin the application process during their sophomore year through the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC)
Eligibility: Income-eligible high school students from Greater Boston who have completed their sophomore year
Stipend: Paid
TIP is a long-term internship pipeline created to support students from underrepresented backgrounds in Boston. You’ll start with a summer placement at the Boston Fed, where you’ll receive training in core areas such as accounting, data entry, and financial literacy.
As an intern, you’ll participate in workshops, skill-building labs, and department-level projects. Depending on placement, you might assist in compiling financial reports, tracking budgets, or learning how the Federal government conducts economic research. Selected students may be invited to continue during the school year and beyond. Some stay in the program for up to three years, gaining progressively deeper exposure to public finance and economics.
6. CLA High School Internship Program
Location: Multiple locations across the U.S.
Dates: Multiple cohorts offered year-round
Application Deadline: Varies depending on cohort
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–18
Cost/Stipend: Paid (amount varies by location)
CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) offers one of the few structured, paid accounting internships specifically designed for high school students. As an intern, you’ll work alongside professionals in tax preparation, audit procedures, or client-facing financial services.
Your day-to-day might include reviewing financial statements, assisting with bookkeeping, or using software like QuickBooks or Excel to reconcile accounts. CLA pairs students with mentors and offers training sessions on workplace conduct, professional writing, and interview prep, making it a solid introduction to careers in accounting and finance.
A standout feature of this internship is that it’s tailored to help you understand different accounting paths (public, private, and advisory), so you walk away with a clearer view of where you might fit in the future.
7. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – Business Internship
Location: Varies by placement; some remote options available
Dates: Academic year (August – May)
Application Deadline: Varies depending on opportunity; typically opens in February
Eligibility: High school students enrolled in nearby schools
Cost/Stipend: Paid
This school-year internship can be a good option if you're interested in how finance supports scientific research and government operations. PNNL places students in departments like finance, operations, or communications, where you might help with cost tracking, project budget reports, or internal communications for lab management.
You’ll typically spend half the day in class, then work for several hours at the lab in the afternoon. Projects may involve handling real business data or participating in team meetings where decisions are made about resource allocation. This is one of the few internships where you’ll see how financial analysis plays a behind-the-scenes role in science and engineering, and give you a broader understanding of how different sectors manage capital and costs.
8. Junior Economic Club – Summer Internship
Location: Multiple U.S. cities
Dates: Varies (typically during the academic year or summer)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
This internship is for those interested in the intersection of economics with leadership, business, and public policy. As a Junior Economic Club intern, you’ll join a student-led organisation that connects high schoolers with economists, executives, and policy thinkers.
You’ll participate in roundtable discussions, lead research projects, and collaborate on economic case studies or startup simulations. Past interns have tackled real-world questions like how inflation affects consumer spending or how policy shifts change business models.
9. Fidelity Investments Asset Management High School Summer Internship
Location: Boston, MA
Dates: 5 weeks (July – August)
Application Deadline: Typically in March
Eligibility: High school students
Cost/Stipend: Paid
This internship places you inside Fidelity’s Asset Management division, where you’ll gain exposure to how professionals build, monitor, and evaluate investment portfolios. You’ll be introduced to key areas like risk assessment, portfolio theory, and equity research, with guidance from mentors across the firm.
Over the 5 weeks, you’ll complete a mix of structured workshops and hands-on projects, such as evaluating the performance of sample portfolios or simulating investment decisions using past market data. Fidelity offers one of the few high school internships with a true capital markets focus, ideal if you're considering a future in investing, asset management, or financial analysis.
10. HOLT CAT High School Finance Internship
Location: San Antonio, TX
Dates: Varies; part-time during the academic year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Current high school students enrolled in a skilled/technical program
Cost/Stipend: Unspecified
HOLT CAT offers a practical entry point into corporate finance through its high school internship program. As an intern, you'll work under the guidance of experienced supervisors, gaining exposure to various departments and understanding the financial operations within a large company.
The program emphasizes on-the-job training, safety procedures, and professional development, providing a comprehensive overview of business finance in a real-world setting. It offers a structured environment to learn and develop skills that are directly applicable to future careers in business and finance.
11. 1435 Capital Management – Venture Analyst Internship
Location: Princeton, NJ
Dates: 10-week program in the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–18
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
The Venture Analyst Internship at 1435 Capital Management offers a deep dive into venture capital and finance. Over ten weeks, interns engage in investment research, market analysis, and portfolio monitoring, working closely with growth-stage startups. This hybrid program provides a unique opportunity to understand the intricacies of investment strategies and financial decision-making in the startup ecosystem.
Consider this if you’re interested in venture capital and entrepreneurship, as this internship offers a comprehensive experience that bridges theoretical knowledge with practical applicatio
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