10 Economics Programs for High School Students in Boston
If you’re a high school student interested in economics, enrolling in a structured program can be a strong next step. These programs introduce fundamental concepts such as supply and demand, market structures, and economic modeling, while also helping you develop practical skills in data interpretation, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Many programs also include collaborative projects or case studies, giving you a chance to work with peers and mentors on real-world economic challenges.
Why should you attend a program in Boston?
Boston has a well-established academic and professional environment connected to economics, finance, and public policy. As a student, you can learn in a city where economic research, business activity, and government work are closely linked. Whether you are a local or out-of-state student, Boston provides access to organizations and professionals working in economics-related fields.
We’ve narrowed down this list to 10 economics programs for high school students in Boston.
If you’re looking for free programs in Boston, check out our blog here.
1. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling basis; varies by cohort. You can apply to the program here.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students passionate about artificial intelligence. If you're new to AI, ML, and data science, the AI Scholars program is a good fit. Over 10 sessions, you'll learn the basics of AI and data science and get to work on real-world projects. For those who are more experienced with AI concepts and Python, there's the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase, where you’ll work one-on-one with mentors from top universities on a unique project. You’ll also have access to the in-house publication team to help you get your work published in high school research journals.
2. Wentworth Institute of Technology ImpactLab Pre-College Program
Location: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Cost: $3,995 (one-week session), $6,990 (both sessions), with need-based partial tuition assistance scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: The information is not available
Dates: July 5 – 17 (Session 1) | July 19 – 31 (Session 2)
Application Deadline: Until spots fill (applications typically open in December)
Eligibility: High school rising 11th and 12th graders
Wentworth Institute of Technology’s ImpactLab offers a pre-college experience that combines entrepreneurship and applied problem-solving. Students in the Business Management and Entrepreneurship track study how ideas move from concept to market. The program focuses on identifying real problems, building business models, and pitching solutions to professionals. You work with faculty, undergraduates, and peers in a structured college setting. This program fits well on an economics list because it emphasizes decision-making, incentives, resource allocation, and financial thinking.
3. Immerse Education’s Academic Insights Pathway
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 2 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program provides school students with an opportunity to take undergraduate-level classes at universities around the world. Participants work with academics from universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard in classes of 4-10 students. They attend university-style lectures and 1:1 weekly sessions with their tutor. The program includes practical experiences such as dissections in medicine, building robotic arms in engineering, and moot courts in law. Students can choose from over 20 subjects, including biology, artificial intelligence, business management, computer science, economics, medicine, philosophy, and more. By the end of the program, they complete a personal project and receive written feedback and a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
4. Boston College Experience Honors Program
Location: Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
Cost: 1 course: $5,531 | 2 courses: $10,132
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application Deadline: Rolling; early applications encouraged
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are at least 16 years old by June 29
The Boston College Experience Honors Six-Week Program lets you take real undergraduate courses through Boston College’s summer session. You study online alongside current BC undergraduates and earn 4 to 8 college credits, which appear on an official transcript. Course options include Calculus and Finite Probability, making this program relevant to students interested in economics and related fields. Calculus I is a strong option if you are considering economics, since it is recommended for economics majors and required for advanced economics coursework at BC. You also have the option to engage in faculty-led mentorship with a focus on academic skills and college preparation.
5. Boston Leadership Institute: Business track
Location: Boston, MA (The Newman School)
Cost: Tuition: $2,500; residential fee: $2,097
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; average class size: 15–20 students
Dates: June 22 – July 10
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until spots are filled
Eligibility: High school students
This Boston Leadership Institute program introduces you to finance through the lens of economics, math, and real financial markets. You explore how stocks, bonds, and options are valued and understand when each is used. The course includes macroeconomics, interest rates, and the Federal Reserve's role. You examine IPOs, secondary markets, and institutional trading, such as hedge funds and private equity. Finally, you apply these concepts by developing a startup model with forecasts, valuations, and an IPO plan.
6. UPenn’s Wharton Global Youth Program: Future of the Business World
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,099 plus $100 non-refundable application fee; need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15 - 26, July 6 - 17
Application Deadline: Priority deadline January 28; rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in grades 9 to 12
Future of the Business World is a selective, two-week online program from Wharton that introduces you to how businesses respond to economic, technological, and social change. You will spend each weekday in live lectures and recitations led by Wharton faculty and TAs, using the same digital platforms and teaching tools found in Wharton’s undergraduate and graduate courses. You will work through business simulations, participate in scenario planning exercises, and engage in structured group discussions to analyze real economic and business problems.
7. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Remote options available
Cost: Tuition costs $1,299; you receive three university course credits for participation in ASSIP
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Applicants must be 16 years old or older as of the first day of the program each year if they are working in a laboratory with biological or chemical hazards. For all other internships, applicants must be 15 by the first day of the program, including remote internships
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program is an eight-week research program where you work directly with a faculty mentor on an original project. If you are interested in economics, finance, or business research, ASSIP offers mentors whose work sits at the intersection of markets, technology, and data. You can research topics such as cryptocurrency, financial technology, ETF performance, market structure, or the economics of AI with faculty from the School of Business. You will meet regularly with your mentor, develop a focused research question, and learn how to write and present academic research clearly. You can contribute to posters, conference presentations, or co-authored papers, which is uncommon for high school programs.
8. Rice University Pre-College Program: The Business of Economics Course
Location: Online
Cost: $1,795
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Courses of varying lengths offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Students, ages 13 and up
The Business of Economics, offered by Rice University, is an online course that shows how economic theory directly shapes business decisions. You will examine how firms respond to changing markets by studying topics like inflation, labor markets, energy supply, and government policy. Through expert-led case studies, you will see how prices, costs, and interest rates influence hiring, investment, and long-term strategy. You will also work on a capstone project to analyze stagflation and propose policy responses to a real economic problem.
9. Summer@Brown Online: Economics Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,656 – $6,520 (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15 – July 24
Application Deadline: May 9
Eligibility: Students finishing grades 9–12; must be ages 14–18 by June 15
Brown Pre-College Online runs college-level economics and finance courses through a flexible, mostly asynchronous format. In economics-related offerings, you can choose between quantitative finance, macroeconomics, behavioral game theory, or accounting, each mirroring how these subjects are taught at the undergraduate level. Courses emphasize problem-solving and applied reasoning, whether that means building simple economic models, analyzing strategic behavior, or learning the mechanics behind financial statements. You will work through structured assignments and, in some courses, independent research, with personalized feedback from Brown instructors.
10. Babson Summer Study
Location: Virtual
Cost: Virtual: $6,295 + $95 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 8 – 28
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Rising high school junior or senior, at least 16 by the start date of the program
Babson Summer Study is a three-week pre-college program for rising juniors and seniors interested in entrepreneurship in a global context. You enroll in Babson’s undergraduate course, EPS 1110: Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Experience, taught by Babson faculty. The curriculum identifies social, economic, and environmental challenges aligned with the U.N. Global Goals and develops entrepreneurial responses to address them. Along the way, you examine core economic ideas such as value creation, markets, incentives, and resource allocation as they apply to real ventures. You’ll work in teams, guided by Academic Mentors who are current Babson undergraduate and graduate students. Successful completion earns you 4 Babson College credits.