15 Economics Summer Programs for High School Students in New York City (NYC)
If you are a high school student interested in understanding how markets function, how financial systems operate, and how policy decisions shape everyday life, a structured economics summer program can be a strong next step. These programs help you build analytical thinking skills, work with data, and apply economic reasoning to questions involving business, government, and global markets. Many also introduce you to related areas, including finance, entrepreneurship, public policy, and quantitative analysis, enabling you to explore how economics connects across disciplines.
Why should you attend a program in New York City?
New York City offers a strong environment for studying economics, with access to major universities, financial institutions, policy organizations, and global corporations. You can take college-level courses, conduct independent research, compete in policy challenges, or explore financial markets through simulations and applied projects. Whether you live in NYC or are considering spending your summer there, the city provides exposure to a variety of opportunities to help you build your profile.
To help you get started, we have 15 economics summer programs for high school students in New York City.
If you are looking for free summer programs in NYC, check out our blog here.
1. CUNY College Now
Location: Several high school/college campuses in New York
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies by campus
Application Deadline: Typically June
Eligibility: NYCPS 11th and 12th graders
College Now allows NYC public school students to earn college credit for free by enrolling in introductory courses in Economics, Business, and related subjects. You attend classes at a CUNY campus and receive a standard university transcript upon completion. The curriculum typically focuses on foundational economics concepts such as scarcity, opportunity cost, and market equilibrium. These courses are designed to transition high school students to college-level education and are supplemented by skill-building workshops, college and career readiness seminars, work-based learning initiatives, college campus visits, and career fairs.
2. Veritas AI's AI + Finance Deep Dive
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students who have completed the AI Scholars program or have experience with coding
This program approaches economics through the lens of financial markets analysis using artificial intelligence tools. You begin with foundational concepts in AI and finance, then move into applied methods, including exploratory data analysis, regression techniques, and neural networks. The curriculum is cumulative, with each stage building on earlier technical material rather than treating topics in isolation. Most of your learning takes place through collaborative group work, where economic and financial questions are explored using data-driven methods. The emphasis is on modeling, interpretation, and technical workflows rather than economic theory alone.
3. New York Institute of Technology High School Business Bootcamp
Location: Virtual/New York, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Sessions take place from July to December
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students
This bootcamp introduces economics-related concepts through short, focused workshops rather than a continuous course sequence. Individual sessions cover topics including investing, strategic planning, and workplace decision-making in business environments. The teaching is intentionally practical, emphasizing how economic ideas are applied in real financial and organizational settings. Each workshop stands alone, allowing you to focus on specific skills or concepts without long-term commitments.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program—Economics Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as economics, psychology, physics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
5. CCNY Bossgirls
Location: City College of New York, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 5–6 students
Dates: June 29 – July 30
Application Deadline: Typically late-March
Eligibility: Girls and non-binary students in grades 9–12
In CNY Bossgirls, you learn economics indirectly by building a business idea from problem identification to determining pricing and market positioning. The program focuses on understanding customers, analyzing competitors, and making trade-offs given limited resources. Team-based projects require you to apply basic economic reasoning to real design and business decisions. Mentorship and workshops support skill development in market research, branding, and pitching. Overall, the curriculum frames entrepreneurship as a structured process rather than a single creative moment.
6. NYU Precollege
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: Varies; click here for more info
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 1 – August 12
Application Deadline: June 15
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors
NYU Precollege offers economics summer programs for high school students in New York City, where you enroll in actual undergraduate economics courses and work through the same core material NYU students use during the academic year. The course options typically span microeconomics and macroeconomics, covering topics such as economic decision-making, market structures, inflation, unemployment, financial systems, and the role of government policy. The teaching emphasizes formal economic reasoning and analytical frameworks, supported by quantitative concepts such as supply and demand, opportunity cost, and long-run economic growth. You engage with macro-level indicators as well as firm- and household-level behavior to understand how individual choices and institutional structures combine to produce broader economic outcomes.
7. Federal Reserve Bank of NY: High School Fed Challenge
Location: Financial District, Manhattan, NY/Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Competition starts in spring; summer involves the journal publication for winners
Application Deadline: February 17
Eligibility: High school students
While technically a competition rather than an economics summer program, the High School Fed Challenge functions as an independent research program. You work in a team that takes on the role of economists to research a specific theme, such as the "Economics of Music" or "Climate Change." The program culminates in a formal research paper that emphasizes reasoning and analytical depth. Outstanding papers are selected for publication in the Journal of Future Economists.
8. Columbia University Pre-College
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: Varies; click here for more info
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Several sessions across June – August
Application Deadline: March 2 (residential), April 2 (commuter/online)
Eligibility: High school students
This program offers a range of economics and finance courses that approach the subject from both theoretical and applied perspectives. The courses range from macroeconomics and globalization to game theory, venture capital, portfolio management, and financial statistics. Some courses emphasize mathematical reasoning, while others focus on economic systems, policy, or entrepreneurial decision-making. You can take classes in person or online, depending on the course format, which affects how discussions and projects are structured. Overall, the curriculum reflects how economics intersects with politics, technology, and business rather than treating it as a standalone subject.
9. Baruch College Leadership Academy: Global Finance & Economics
Location: Baruch College, New York, NY
Cost: $2,995 (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 4 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th graders
This program is housed within the Zicklin School of Business and focuses on the intersection of global markets and economic theory. You'll use the Wasserman Trading Floor to participate in real-time simulations of equity trading and portfolio management. The curriculum blends foundational economics concepts with applied market analysis. Core topics include supply-and-demand models, mercantilism, and the role of central banks in the modern economy. Site visits to the New York Stock Exchange and interactions with industry professionals provide insights into how economic frameworks operate within real financial institutions and careers. The program concludes with a capstone project in which students present an investment strategy informed by economic trends and market data.
10. The School of The New York Times NYC Summer Academy
Location: The School of The New York Times, New York, NY
Cost: $7,695 (residential), $6,195 (commuter); scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Several sessions across June and July
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: 10th to 12th graders who are at least 15 years old
This program explores Economics through the lens of journalism rather than formal economic modeling. In courses such as business reporting, you examine how economic forces shape companies, markets, and consumer behavior, and how those forces are interpreted and communicated to the public. You analyze current business and economic news to understand financial systems, corporate decision-making, and market trends. The teaching focuses on research, source evaluation, and translating complex economic information into clear reporting.
11. Fordham University Summer Business Programs
Location: Fordham University, New York, NY
Cost: $1,300 (discounts available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Weeklong sessions across June and July
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: 10th to 12th graders
In this program, Economics is embedded within focused programs, each organized around a specific financial or market-driven theme. You might study entrepreneurship, personal finance, global markets, or financial literacy, depending on the track you choose. The coursework emphasizes how economic forces shape investment decisions, business formation, and international finance. The programs are short and topic-specific, which keeps the scope narrow but concentrated, and teaching is framed around real financial systems rather than abstract models alone.
12. CICER Summer High School Program
Location: Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Ithaca, NY
Cost: $5,700 (residential), $1,300 (commuter); early bird discount available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 13 – 25
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: High school students
This economics summer program introduces high school students in New York State to the study of economics through a mix of theory, applied business strategy, and data-focused coursework, rather than a single-subject track. Core classes introduce students to behavioral and environmental economics, as well as global strategy and sustainable business frameworks. Electives such as big data analytics or engineering economics shift the focus toward quantitative reasoning and systems thinking. You also participate in simulations and structured competitions, alongside academic seminars that expose you to current research themes and to how economists frame real-world problems.
13. NYU Career Edge
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: $2,579/course + $640 (optional housing & dining)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Several sessions across June – August
Application Deadline: May 15 (residential), June 13 (commuter)
Eligibility: Students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11
This program approaches economics from a practical, industry-facing perspective closely connected to finance and business operations. It includes short, intensive courses on economic concepts as applied to investing, financial technology, and market activity. The teaching focuses on applied tools, financial models, and how economic ideas guide professional decision-making. You learn through case-style discussions, guest speakers, and exposure to real financial environments rather than extended theory.
14. University of Rochester Business Pre-College Programs
Location: University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Cost: Varies by session and format; click here for more information.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies by session; click here for more information.
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students
In this economics summer program, high school students in New York State engage with economic concepts through a series of short courses that examine markets, finance, and business decision-making from multiple perspectives. Some classes emphasize investment fundamentals and portfolio construction, while others focus on how innovation, strategy, and consumer behavior shape economic outcomes. The teaching is interactive, relying on simulations, group analysis, presentations, and applied tools such as spreadsheets. Rather than treating economics as an abstract, theory-based subject, the curriculum connects economic reasoning to entrepreneurship, marketing, and financial choices.
15. Wharton Global Youth Online Programs
Location: Virtual
Cost: $329 – $4,099 (scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies by program
Application Deadline: January 28; rolling after
Eligibility: High school students
This collection of online programs introduces economics through related fields such as finance, statistics, leadership, and decision-making rather than a standalone economics course. You explore how economic principles guide financial choices, investment behavior, and organizational strategy across different contexts. Some tracks emphasize quantitative reasoning using data, coding, or statistical models, while others focus on systems-level thinking and global business themes. Learning is project-based, with simulations and group work designed for a virtual classroom.