15 Business Summer Programs for High School Students in New York State
If you’re a high school student thinking about studying business in college, exploring the field through a summer program can give you a useful perspective. Business programs expose you to how decisions are made, how problems are analyzed, and how teams approach real scenarios. They also offer opportunities to learn from mentors and connect with peers and professionals, helping you begin building an academic and professional network early.
Why should you attend a program in New York State?
New York State gives you access to a wide range of business summer programs run by colleges and educational institutions. Some programs have you working on projects, others focus on discussion and case analysis, and some introduce research or data-based thinking. Whether you are a local or out-of-state student, studying in New York State also allows you to learn within a region closely connected to major business institutions and the programs here can help you build your profile.
With that, here is a curated list of 15 business summer programs for high school students in New York State.
If you're looking for STEM programs in New York State, check our blog here.
1. Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC)
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Typically run July–August
Application Deadline: April 14
Eligibility: NYC high school students who are at least 15 and residents of the five boroughs
The Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC) program is a free summer program at NYU Tandon that blends business thinking with technology. You work in teams to tackle real problems tied to smart cities, using design thinking, prototyping, and basic entrepreneurship frameworks to shape your ideas. The focus stays practical as you plan solutions, manage limited resources, work within budgets, and present your work clearly. The program works well if you want hands-on experience building and explaining ideas at the intersection of business, engineering, and urban innovation.
2. Immerse Education’s Career Insights Pathway
Location: London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo
Cost: Varies according to program. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple cohorts throughout the summer months with rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students aged 15-18 currently enrolled in high school
The Career Insights Program is an industry-focused experience for high school students in cities around the world. As a participant, you can expect to engage in practical projects with major businesses across industries. The program connects you with industry experts through interactive workshops, site visits, and hands-on projects. You'll also visit operational sites, including offices, factories, and headquarters. The program culminates in a final presentation to industry professionals. You can explore career paths in subjects such as medicine, engineering, law, business, journalism, fashion, and more. The program also includes weekly 1:1 career coaching sessions and sessions where you will receive personalized feedback. You can find more details about the application here.
3. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Nationwide
Stipend: Provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 300 students
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are legally authorized to work in the U.S.
The Bank of America Student Leaders Program is an eight-week paid experience where you work at a local nonprofit and learn how community organizations actually operate. You spend the summer supporting real projects, seeing how nonprofits address local issues and manage their work day to day. The program also includes a fully funded week in Washington, D.C., where you join students from across the country for leadership sessions focused on civic engagement, business, and public service.
4. Young Founders Lab
Cost: The total cost to attend the 4-week program is $2900. There is need-based financial aid.
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world 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 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 itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideations, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
5. Futures and Options Internship Program
Location: New York
Cost: None. A stipend is provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors aged 16–19
Futures and Options places New York City high school students in paid summer internships across business, finance, and nonprofit organizations. You work at a host company for about eight weeks, handling real tasks and learning what a professional workday looks like, not simulations or shadowing. Along the way, you get steady support from both your workplace supervisor and Futures and Options staff, who help you navigate expectations and build confidence. The program also includes short workshops on workplace skills, money management, and career planning.
6. City College of New York (CCNY) Bossgirls Summer Program
Location: City College of New York, New York, NY
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 5–6 students
Dates: June 29 – July 30
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High school girls and non-binary students who live in the tri-state area and can commute to CCNY
Bossgirls is a free, business summer program for high school students in New York State dedicated to high school girls and nonbinary students. The program introduces you to the core fundamentals of launching and running a business, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset. You engage in workshops, hear from guest speakers, and work on developing your own business idea. The goal of the program is to demystify the startup process, providing practical skills in areas like product development and market strategy. At the end of the program, you pitch your idea in front of an audience in a Shark Tank-style presentation.
7. Finance Institute: Wall Street in the Classroom
Location: Fordham University, New York City, NY
Cost: $1200 and a $100 non-refundable deposit (discounts available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions in June and July
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 10–12
The Finance Institute at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business is a summer program where you learn how finance works beyond textbooks. You explore investing, markets, and personal finance through sessions led by industry professionals and Fordham alumni, with a strong focus on how real financial decisions are made. The program gives you a clear look at how finance is studied and applied, helping you decide whether this field actually fits your interests before college.
8. Athena Summer Innovation Institute
Location: Barnard College, New York City, NY
Cost: Residential: $10,771; Commuter: $8,160 (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 30 students
Dates: June 29 – July 17
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising female sophomores, juniors, and seniors
The Athena Summer Innovation Institute is a summer entrepreneurship program where you focus on building an idea with a clear purpose. You work in teams to develop either a startup, nonprofit, or advocacy campaign, moving step by step from early ideas to research, branding, and basic financial planning. The program centers on collaboration and decision-making as you shape a project that addresses a real issue. It ends with a final pitch, where you present your work and get direct feedback on how your idea holds together.
9. Mercy University Business Leadership Academy
Location: Mercy University, Dobbs Ferry, NY
Cost: $695
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 5 – 11; July 19 – 25; August 2 – 8
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school juniors with a cumulative, weighted GPA above 90, demonstrated leadership skills, and a passion for business
The Business Leadership Academy at Mercy University is a one-week summer program where you step into college-style business classes and team projects. You learn core topics like marketing, accounting, and management through sessions led by Mercy faculty, then apply those ideas in group challenges that mirror real business situations. The program also includes visits to major companies or conversations with executives, giving you a closer look at how business decisions are made. By the end of the week, you will leave with experience working in teams, presenting ideas, and handling the pace of a college-level business environment.
10. Columbia University Pre-College NYC Residential Summer
Location: Columbia University, New York City, NY
Cost: $12,764 (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session A: June 29 – July 17; Session B: July 21 – August 7
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Students who are 16+
Columbia’s Pre-College NYC Residential Summer program lets you study business and economics in depth while living on campus. You choose from courses that range from venture creation and social entrepreneurship to game theory, macroeconomics, and alternative investments. Classes move at a serious academic pace, pushing you to work through data, question assumptions, and connect theory to real-world cases. You spend several hours each weekday focused on one subject, which makes it possible to explore advanced topics like hedge funds, financial statistics, or blockchain in a way that feels closer to college than a typical summer class.
11. Marist University Summer Pre-College: Business
Location: Marist University, Poughkeepsie, NY
Cost: $3,700
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 29 – July 12
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors
Marist College’s Summer Pre-College Business program lets you take a real business course and earn college credit while still in high school. You study topics like business fundamentals, marketing, entrepreneurship, and global finance through classes led by Marist faculty, with assignments that reflect college expectations. The program gives you a clear sense of how business is taught at the undergraduate level and what academic work in this field actually looks like, making it useful if you are considering a business major and want early exposure before applying to college.
12. University of Rochester Business Pre-College Programs
Location: University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Cost: Varies by session and format; click here for more info
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies by session
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students
Through this collection of courses, you explore core areas of business by working with instructors from the Simon Business School and related departments. Each course focuses on a different skill set, ranging from developing and testing new ideas to understanding how language shapes advertising. You might practice building an investment portfolio, analyze the structure of persuasive messaging, or experiment with tools used in innovation management. Several classes also introduce broader themes like personal finance, leadership, and how generative AI is being applied across industries.
13. New York Institute of Finance Young Finance Scholar (YFS) Accelerated Program
Location: Virtual (live; in-person at NY campus available)
Cost: $1,090
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students aged 15–18
The Young Finance Scholar Accelerated Program is a live, virtual summer course where you spend a few weeks focused almost entirely on finance and business. You attend classes that cover how markets work, how economies function, and how technology is changing finance through areas like FinTech. Alongside lectures, you work on a group project that pushes you to apply what you’re learning rather than just listen. By the end, you receive a certificate, can request a reference letter, and have the option to continue getting involved through volunteer work with the Global PAI Project.
14. Wharton Global Youth Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $329 – $4,099 (scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Various sessions across June – August
Application Deadline: March 18
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum 3.3 unweighted GPA
The Wharton Global Youth Program offers online courses where you study business topics directly with Wharton instructors. You work through subjects like financial decision making, leadership, sports analytics, global business trends, and basic coding for statistics, depending on the course you choose. Classes mix short lectures with simulations, applied projects, and independent work, so you are actively using ideas instead of just watching videos. Because students join from around the world, discussions often bring in different perspectives on markets, data, and business problems.
15. Georgetown University Online Business Programs
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,895 (enrichment course), $3,995 (college credit course)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 1, 2, and 4-week sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students aged 13+
Georgetown’s online business programs let you explore different business and social science topics at your own pace. You can choose courses in areas like entrepreneurship, investing, marketing, sports business, psychology, or international relations, all taught through video lessons by Georgetown faculty. Mentors are available if you need guidance, but the structure gives you flexibility to move between subjects and see how ideas connect across fields.
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!
Image source - Bank of America Logo