10 Business Summer Programs for High School Students in North Carolina
Discover 10 enriching summer business programs for high school students in North Carolina. Enhance your skills and prepare for a successful future!
If you’re a high school student in North Carolina interested in business and entrepreneurship, consider a summer program in business!
As a participant, you can benefit from exploring local business summer programs for high school students that offer exposure without interrupting the school year. These programs, hosted by universities and colleges across the state, provide varied opportunities to build practical skills in areas like marketing, management, data analysis, and innovation. Many also feature mentorship from faculty or industry professionals, helping you build connections and gain a clearer sense of potential career paths. Because they take place during summer break, they offer a flexible and enriching experience without adding to your academic-year workload.
For North Carolina students, participating in a local program can also be a cost-effective way to experience campus life and network with peers who share similar interests. Business summer programs for high school students don’t just boost your skills, they also show colleges that you’re serious about your goals and motivated to learn beyond the classroom. We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 programs to help you get started!
10 Business Summer Programs for High School Students in North Carolina
1. Wake Forest University Summer Immersion Program - Business Institute
Location: Winston-Salem, NC - Wake Forest University Reynolda campus
Cost: $3,200
Dates: Week of June 1 - 6 | Week of June 8 - 13
Application deadline: Rolling (applications open every year on November 1)
Eligibility: Open to current high school students in grades 9–12
Spending a week at the Business Institute gives high school students a practical introduction to core business concepts while working in small teams guided by experienced faculty. Through sessions on finance, management, marketing, operations, and business analytics, you’ll explore how businesses function and how different departments contribute to a company's success. You'll apply your learning through group projects, case studies, and visits to local businesses, and the experience concludes with a team pitch presentation. The program blends analytical exercises with collaborative work, helping you build your skills in critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving. You’ll also get the chance to interact with Wake Forest professors and industry experts, learning how professionals approach real business challenges. This business summer program for high school students is designed to show you how interconnected and dynamic the world of business really is.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Dates: Varies depending on cohort
Application deadline: There are 3 application deadlines that you can choose between: Early Decision Deadline: March | Regular Admission Deadline 1: April | Regular Admission Deadline 2: May. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
If you are curious about how a business grows from an idea to a revenue-generating enterprise, the Young Founders Lab gives you a practical look into that journey. This virtual program, run by Harvard-affiliated entrepreneurs, places you in a startup team where you'll help develop a real product or service that solves a problem. Over several weeks, you'll attend workshops on market research, product development, and pitching while being mentored by professionals from leading companies. You’ll also practice building a minimum viable product (MVP), learning what it takes to test ideas and respond to feedback. Sessions are interactive and designed to reflect the challenges real-world founders face every day. While it’s an online experience, the program is built around collaboration, so you’ll still work closely with peers and mentors. By the end, you'll deliver a pitch presentation that summarizes your team's work, giving you a sense of the responsibilities and mindset required to run a business. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. Lumiere Research Scholar Program – Business Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Dates: Multiple cohorts in spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in high school with a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4); no previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!
If you're interested in developing independent research skills in business, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program allows you to work virtually with a Ph.D. mentor over twelve weeks. You’ll choose your focus area–like business, economics, or finance–and design an original research paper, going through all the key stages: forming a question, conducting a literature review, analyzing data, and presenting your findings. The one-on-one mentorship lets you receive detailed feedback while sharpening your analytical and writing skills. By the end of the program, you’ll have a complete research paper you can use for future applications or portfolios. It’s a good fit if you want to take a deep dive into a subject you care about, especially if you're considering a college major in a business-related field. You can find more details about the application here.
4. Wake Forest University Summer Immersion Program - Entrepreneurship Institute
Location: Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest University Reynolda campus
Cost: $3,200
Dates: Week of June 15 – 20 | Week of June 22 – 27
Application deadline: Rolling (applications open every year on November 1)
Eligibility: Open to current high school students in grades 9–12
At the Entrepreneurship Institute hosted by Wake Forest University, you’ll go through the full process of launching a startup–from idea generation to final pitch. You’ll examine real-world entrepreneurial practices, such as prototyping, vapor testing, and financial modeling, and see how founders take concepts and turn them into viable ventures. The experience includes workshops led by entrepreneurs, visits to accelerators and incubators, and hands-on sessions where you'll learn to create a pitch deck and test your business ideas. The focus is on experiential learning, so you’ll be applying concepts like marketing strategies and customer targeting to your own project. The business summer program for high school students is designed to simulate the early stages of building a business, so you walk away with both practical experience and insight into how innovation happens. It wraps up with a start-up competition, giving you a chance to apply what you’ve learned in a team setting.
5. EXPLORE@UNC
Location: Main campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cost: Current tuition and fees can be found at summer.unc.edu/tuition-and-financial-aid/
Dates: Session 1: June 23 – 27 | Session 2: July 21–25
Application deadline: April (tentative)
Eligibility: Open to currently enrolled 8–11 grade students
EXPLORE@UNC is a week-long summer program that gives high school students the chance to explore the diverse academic fields available at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Each day includes hands-on activities, workshops, and faculty-led sessions that introduce you to the university’s academic culture and help you think critically about your interests. You’ll also get to experience campus life firsthand, which includes living in residence halls and navigating a college-style schedule. While it’s not strictly focused on business, you’ll get to engage with a wide range of disciplines that intersect with business in real-world contexts. The business summer program for high school students is designed to help you identify possible career paths while learning more about Carolina’s academic community.
6. Deese College of Business and Economics – Corning Pre-College Business Summer Camp
Location: North Carolina A&T State University campus, Greensboro
Cost: No cost; $25 registration fee
Dates: June 15–20
Application deadline: May 1 (acceptance is on a rolling basis starting February 28)
Eligibility: Open to rising high school freshman, sophomore, juniors, and seniors with 2.8 cumulative GPA or higher
At the Deese College of Business and Economics, the Corning Pre-College Business Summer Camp introduces you to how data, technology, and strategic thinking shape business operations today. Over the course of five days, you’ll participate in interactive sessions focused on data analytics, decision-making, and core business functions, all guided by experienced instructors. You’ll also take part in off-campus field trips to major companies like Synchrony, Cisco, and Fidelity, offering a chance to observe how business principles apply in real corporate settings. The program includes meals, housing, and all instructional materials, giving you the full college-campus experience while you build your skills. Social events, such as outings to the International Civil Rights Museum and a final banquet, are also part of the schedule. If you're looking to explore how technology connects with business, this business summer program for high school students can give you a clear starting point.
7. NEXGEN Summer Camp – NC A&T
Location: North Carolina A&T State University campus, Greensboro
Cost: $180 (tentative)
Dates: June 15–20 | June 22– 27
Application deadline: April (tentative)
Eligibility: High school students (specific eligibility criteria may apply basis the chosen camp)
The NEXGEN Summer Camp at North Carolina A&T State University is designed for students who want to study entrepreneurship and innovation in an interactive and supportive environment. Through a mix of business workshops, pitch development exercises, and personal finance lessons, you’ll begin building the mindset of a problem-solver and creator. Field trips to startup spaces and business support organizations like Forge Greensboro and UNC Charlotte’s PORTAL let you see where ideas come to life. You’ll also take part in hands-on STEM activities such as Python programming and game development, helping you connect technical skills with entrepreneurial thinking. The business summer program for high school students is residential, so you’ll stay on campus and take part in social activities like karaoke nights and movie screenings alongside your learning sessions. The focus is on showing you what it takes to move from idea to implementation, while exposing you to different career pathways that merge business and technology.
8. Wake Forest University Summer Immersion Program - Sports Business Institute
Location: Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest University Reynolda campus
Cost: $3,200
Dates: Week of July 6 – 11 | Week of July 20 – 25
Application deadline: Rolling (applications open every year on November 1)
Eligibility: Open to current high school students in grades 9–12
If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in professional or collegiate sports, the Sports Business Institute at Wake Forest gives you a detailed look. This week-long experience explores how sports organizations handle sales, promotions, sponsorships, and branding, and how those areas connect with broader business principles. You’ll attend sessions led by industry professionals, speak with NCAA Division I coaches, and tour college and pro sports facilities. Through interactive discussions and team-based assignments, you’ll analyze real-world case studies and learn how the business side of sports impacts game-day experiences and long-term strategies. The business summer program for high school students includes topics like media relations, community engagement, and current issues shaping the industry, giving you exposure to both business operations and public-facing roles. It’s a solid way to understand how business works in a highly visible, fast-paced industry.
9. Wake Forest University Online Immersion Program - Business
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1495
Dates: Multiple 1-, 2- and 4-week sessions
Application deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Open to students ages 13+
This fully online course from Wake Forest focuses on helping you understand how today’s most influential companies like Apple and Netflix build their strategies. By taking part in video lectures and interactive assignments, you’ll examine how these businesses operate, make decisions, and innovate to stay competitive. You'll learn how to read financial documents, evaluate customer experience, and analyze a company’s business model through real-world case studies. The course also covers ethics, leadership, and internal operations, helping you see the broader framework behind business strategy. You’ll complete a final capstone project to apply what you've learned, and the self-paced format lets you balance the program with your school schedule. Taught by Wake Forest faculty and business experts, the course encourages you to think critically about the factors that influence success in the business world.
10. Wilson College of Textiles’ Summer Textile Exploration Program (STEP)
Location: NC State's Centennial campus in Raleigh, NC
Cost: $450
Dates: June 8–July 18
Application deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Open to rising high school seniors
If you're interested in how business connects with fashion, design, and manufacturing, the STEP program at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles gives you a unique angle on those intersections. Each week-long session introduces rising seniors to fields like textile engineering, marketing, and polymer science, using hands-on projects and lab work to bring those topics to life. You’ll live in campus housing, attend sessions in state-of-the-art facilities, and visit local manufacturers and brands to see how ideas move from concept to product. The program also covers college readiness and provides information about admissions and scholarships at NC State. Whether you’re experimenting in a lab or developing a marketing plan, you’ll be engaging with both the creative and technical sides of the industry. With only 35 students selected per session, this niche business summer program for high school students keeps things focused and interactive.