10 University Entrepreneurship Programs for High School Students
Are you a high school student interested in launching your own startup or exploring the world of entrepreneurship? University summer programs offer hands-on experiences where you can develop business skills, from creating business plans to pitching ideas. You’ll learn key concepts like market analysis, financial planning, and problem-solving while working with peers and receiving guidance from experienced mentors. These programs also help build leadership and strategic thinking skills, preparing you for future business studies and strengthening your college applications. Here, we highlight 10 entrepreneurship programs designed to help you turn your ideas into action.
Location: UMich Ann Arbor campus, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost: $5,500 + $75 application fee. Full and partial need-based scholarships are available
Program Dates: June 13 – 27
Application Deadline: January 21
Eligibility: Open to current rising high school senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA
The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business offers a two-week residential summer program for rising 12th graders to explore the fundamentals of business operations. You will engage with advanced business concepts through coursework, interactive training sessions, and case studies that simulate real-world decision-making. The program includes corporate site visits, providing insight into business environments, and team-based projects to develop collaboration and leadership skills.
You can check out all the details here!
Location: Online
Cost: $6,295 + non-refundable $95 application fee. Limited need-based full and partial scholarships are offered
Program Dates: July 10 – 30
Application Deadline: March
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors may apply
The Summer Entrepreneurship Academy at Babson College is a three-week program for high school upperclassmen interested in business creation. You will develop innovative thinking and learn practical approaches to address global challenges, with a focus on sustainable development aligned with UN initiatives. The curriculum included a foundational entrepreneurship course worth four college credits, combining daily intensive learning sessions with collaborative projects and independent work to apply key business concepts.
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Cost: $7,700 tuition for the residential option; $5,800 for commuter students
Program Dates: July 20 – August 8
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Open to all high school students with at least a 2.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business offers a three-week summer Business Academy for high school students to explore global business practices. You will learn from Georgetown faculty, participate in startup simulations, and work in teams to address real-world challenges in advertising, financial planning, and asset management. The program offers two specialized tracks—Business & Leadership or Global Business—combining interactive lectures, guest presentations, business site visits, and group projects to build a strong foundation in business principles.
Location: University of Pennsylvania Campus, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $11,399 + $100 application fee
Program Dates:
Session I: June 8 – 28
Session II: June 29 – July 19
Session III: July 20 – August 9
Application Deadline: April 2
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in grade 11 with a 3.5 unweighted GPA or higher (on a 4.0 point scale)
The Wharton School’s Global Youth Program offers high school students the Leadership in the Business World program, focused on core business concepts and leadership development. You will learn from Wharton faculty, engage with business leaders, and work on team projects analyzing real-world business data. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., combining academic instruction with hands-on experience. Upon completion, you’ll receive a Wharton Global Youth Program certificate, recognizing your commitment to business education.
Location: University of California (Berkeley) campus, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $6,292 for California high school students; $7,332 for others
Program Dates:
Session I: July 5 – 19
Session II: July 19 – August 2
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Berkeley's Haas School of Business offers a two-week summer program where you’ll learn business fundamentals from professors, doctoral students, and undergraduate mentors. The curriculum covers topics like entrepreneurial thinking, marketing strategy, financial principles, accounting basics, game theory, and negotiation skills. You’ll collaborate on group projects, developing business proposals that culminate in team presentations. Limited to 50 students, the program ensures personalized attention and opportunities to build connections. In addition to academic activities, you’ll participate in campus tours, team-building exercises, and sessions on crafting college application essays.
Location: McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, TX
Cost: No cost
Program Dates: June 1 – 6
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Open to high school sophomores and juniors
The University of Texas's McCombs School of Business offers the Future Executive Academy, a free six-day summer program for rising juniors and seniors. You’ll explore business principles and leadership skills through practical projects, presentations, and discussions with McCombs students, faculty, and business professionals. The program provides exposure to university-level business concepts, helping you build a strong foundation for future studies and careers in business.
Location: Duke University campus, Durham, NC. Both residential and commuter options are available.
Cost: Residential: $2,800 tuition + $1,900 room and meal fee; Commuter: $2,800 tuition + $250 meal fee. Limited financial aid, up to 100% of tuition fees, is available.
Program Dates: Two sessions, one in June and the other one in July
Application Deadline: April
Eligibility: Open to high school students currently between 9th and 11th grades
Duke University offers a two-week summer program focused on how innovation shapes modern business success. You’ll explore market disruption, business transformation, and strategies for understanding customer needs and industry trends. Through case studies of companies like Tesla and Apple, along with modern business models such as YouTube content creation, you’ll analyze real-world business problems and solutions. The program combines theory with hands-on projects, allowing you to develop and present your own innovative business strategies.
Location: Hamilton Hall, Columbia University, Broadway, New York, NY
Cost: $12,750 per session for the 3-week residential program
Program Dates: Multiple sessions – June 30 to July 18 is the first one available.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Columbia’s pre-college summer program, Introduction to Business, Finance, and Economics, offers high school students a comprehensive overview of commercial fundamentals and market principles. Over two weeks, you’ll explore key concepts like stocks, bonds, market operations, investment valuation, and securities analysis. The curriculum blends theoretical learning with practical case studies and independent research projects to deepen your understanding. With cohorts limited to 30 students and multiple in-person sessions held from July to August, the program ensures personalized attention and meaningful peer collaboration.
Location: UCLA Campus, Los Angeles, California
Cost: $7,548 (Residential) | $4,398 (Commuter)
Dates: Two sessions available for both residential and commuter options in July and August
Eligibility: Open to current high school students
Application: Rolling admissions
UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Sports Business Academy introduces students to core business concepts through the lens of athletics. The program covers finance, marketing, strategic planning, and economic principles within the sports industry.
Students choose between two, three, or five-week sessions, analyzing case studies and learning directly from sports industry professionals. The curriculum blends theoretical insights with practical applications to explore the business dynamics shaping modern sports.
Participants also gain exclusive access to Los Angeles' top sports venues, including behind-the-scenes tours of professional stadiums and arenas, offering a firsthand look at sports management in action.
Location: University of Chicago campus, Chicago, IL
Cost: $8,600 for residential students and $5,850 for commuter students. Financial aid and scholarships are available.
Program Dates: June 17 – July 5
Application Deadline: March
Eligibility: Open to all high school students who are at least 14 years old except rising seniors
The University of Chicago’s Summer Immersion Program: Pathways in Economics offers high school students an in-depth introduction to economic principles. Over three weeks, students explore topics like macroeconomics, microeconomics, game theory, and experimental economics through 20 faculty-led lectures.
The program balances theoretical learning with practical applications, including collaborative research projects and group discussions that deepen economic understanding. It’s designed for students with strong mathematical skills, ideally those who have completed pre-calculus, to support full engagement with the material.
Bonus - Young Founders Lab
Cost: $2,900 (need-based financial aid available)
Location: 100% virtual with live, interactive workshops
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Program Dates: Starts June 5, spanning 4 weeks
Application Deadlines: March 17 (Early), April 14, May 12
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.
The program is an excellent opportunity to delve into the world of business in high school and have a space to explore multiple theoretical as well as practical frameworks that lead to a successful business.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research in business, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.