If you're a high school student interested in business, participating in a research program in the field can help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset and explore concepts beyond your school curriculum. Business research involves collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and converting data into usable insights to make informed decisions within an organization. A business research program will teach you how to evaluate performance against industry benchmarks and identify areas for improvement to stay competitive.

Participating in a research program will allow you to collaborate on business ideas, develop comprehensive business plans, deliver presentations, and acquire essential soft skills such as teamwork, networking, and public speaking. These programs can also strengthen your college applications by demonstrating your commitment to your chosen field.

Here's our curated list of 9 business research programs for high school students!

1. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY)

Location: UC Berkeley, CA

Eligibility: All high school students are eligible to apply.

Application Deadline: Applications typically close in February (applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis).

Dates: July 6–July 20 (Session I) | July 20–August 3 (Session II)

Cost: California Resident - $6,050 | Out of State Resident - $7,050 (Application fee: $80)

B-BAY annually welcomes 50 students from around the globe to explore business concepts at Berkeley. Through learning experiences led by Berkeley Haas professors and corporate guest speakers, you'll explore the essentials of business formation and development. You will work on independent research, computer lab assignments, and team projects. You'll work with your team to create a business plan from the ground up, culminating in a presentation of your plan at the end of the session. B-BAY also prepares you for the college admission process. You'll learn how to craft a compelling UC personal statement and college application essay. You’ll be awarded a UC Berkeley Business Academy for Youth Certificate of Completion at the end.

2. Young Founders Lab

Location: This program is 100% virtual with live, interactive workshops.

Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students.

Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year.

Dates: Varies according to cohort.

Cost: $2,900 (4 weeks). Need-based financial aid is available. You can check out the brochure for the program here.

The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. During the 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 Meta. 

Apart from building the start-up, 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 and practical frameworks that lead to a successful business. You can access the application link here!

3. Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.

Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.

Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!

Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.

Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.

Cost: Full financial aid is available!

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 that you can explore as a high schooler. 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 psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.

4. Columbia University's Pre-college Programs—Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Changing the World via Venture Creation

Location: New York, NY

Eligibility: Domestic and international students who will be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the fall and students currently enrolled in grade 12 can apply.

Application Deadline: Applications typically close in May but may remain open if space is available.

Dates: Multiple 2 and 3-week (in-person and virtual) sessions are available between June 24 and August 2.

Cost: Online Summer (2 Weeks): $3,850 per session | NYC Commuter Summer (3 Weeks): $6,100 per session | NYC Residential Summer (3 weeks): $12,154 per session

Columbia’s pre-college program offers several business, economics, and entrepreneurship courses to choose from. The business courses listed here cover important fundamentals of business development, market research, and analysis. If you’re interested in business research, you can apply to the Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Changing the World via Venture Creation course, where you’ll explore key issues in the formal venture-planning processes, including business model development, customer discovery, product-market validation, and more. You’ll improve your venture’s hypothesized business model based on instructor and peer feedback. At each stage of venture plan development, you will learn critical terms and apply tools that support research and decision-making. 

5. UChicago's Pre-college Programs—Economics From An Experimental Perspective

Location: University of Chicago campus, Chicago, IL

Eligibility: Current high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are at least 14 years old can apply.

Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.

Dates: July 10-July 26

Cost: $8,600 (financial aid ranging from $500 - $6,600 is available).

UChicago’s Immersion program offers workshop discussions, research projects, and other hands-on activities. If you’re interested in business research, you can opt for the Economics From An Experimental Perspective course, where you’ll attend lectures introducing the principles and practice of economics, economic methods, and questions and optimization. Throughout the week, you will participate in a series of exchange/market experiments, each with a corresponding lecture describing the relevant economic principle. Throughout the last week, you will finish the series of experiments in strategic games. These will be followed by a presentation and discussion of the results. You can check out the sample syllabus here.

6. NSLC’s Business & Entrepreneurship High School Summer Program

Location: Multiple locations

Eligibility: Students must be between the ages of 14-18 and have completed at least one year of high school (students may attend NSLC through the summer following high school graduation).

Application Deadline: NSLC will continue to accept applications if space is available in a program or on a program’s waitlist. The online enrollment application will display all current availability.

Dates: Multiple 9-day sessions are offered at various locations. All sessions take place between June 17 and August 2.

Cost: $3,795 or $4,095 (Residential Program)

At the NSLC on Business & Entrepreneurship, you’ll learn what it takes to build a company from the ground up, tackling the needs of your stakeholders, employees, and customers. During the program, you’ll develop a new product or service with your team and create a presentation for investors. You’ll receive real-time feedback from the investors on how to improve your pitch. You’ll evaluate other businesses operating in your company’s sector and develop informed strategies to expand beyond your competition. You’ll be asked to develop an online presence for your brand and practice your public relations, networking, and public speaking skills. 

7. Harvard Student Agencies Business Academy

Location: Harvard University Campus, Cambridge, MA

Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 are eligible. Students must be at least 14 years old to attend the program.

Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Dates: Week-long sessions between June 3 and August 9.

Cost: $1,600 (99% need-based financial aid is available)

At the Harvard Student Agencies Business Academy, you can explore entrepreneurship and business management through two week-long distinct academies. In the Business: Entrepreneurship Academy, you will learn the fundamentals of launching a business, extending your financial literacy, and exploring the startup ecosystem. You will enhance your analytical thinking and present a business idea in a startup pitch simulation to judges. In the Business: Management and Strategy Academy, you will tackle corporate challenges, from improving profitability to achieving market penetration with new products. Acting as consultants, you will analyze business data, devise solutions to major firm problems, and understand mergers, acquisitions, pricing strategies, and financial statements.

8. Entrepreneur Academy at Georgetown University

Location: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Eligibility: Students must be rising high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors during the academic year before the summer program and have good academic standing, with at least a 2.0 GPA.

Application Deadline: The final deadline for the applications is typically in May.

Dates: June 16–June 28

Cost: $5,775 (Price includes tuition, housing, and meals). Commuter Student tuition is $4,025.

As a student in the Entrepreneurship Academy, you'll spend your day on classroom lectures, field trips, activities, and group discussions. This program explores choosing a start-up, prototype testing, market research, social innovation, global business, and the operations of running your own business. You will have opportunities to interact with entrepreneurs across different industries to learn what it takes to become successful in this field. You will learn the basics of design thinking and brainstorming, mold your ideas into promising business plans, and participate in a final pitch competition.

9. Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy at the University of Michigan

Location: Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, MI

Eligibility: Current rising high school seniors can apply. Preference will be given to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Application Deadline: Applications typically close in January and open in November.

Dates: June 14–June 28

Cost: $5,000 + $50 application fee. The cost of the program covers all program events, speakers, course materials, and Michigan Ross apparel. Full and partial need-based scholarships are available.

The Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy is a two-week pre-college program for motivated high school students from diverse backgrounds. During this program, you will be introduced to how companies function, the problem-solving strategies of leaders, market research methodology, and the life of a business student at Michigan Ross. You will also gain insights into business operations and potential career paths. Moreover, you will have the chance to engage with Ross faculty, corporate partners, and industry professionals. The theme of leadership with purpose is emphasized, prompting students to reflect on the significance of ethical business leadership. Only 72 students are accepted into the program.

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.

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