15 Business Internships for High School Seniors
If you're a high school student interested in exploring business pathways, internships are a great way to gain practical experience and build professional skills while exploring different areas of business.
What do business internships for seniors involve?
As a high school senior heading to college, it is a good idea to select your internship in a business area that you are highly interested in and want to pursue academically. The internship will give you insight into potential career paths you can pursue, help you build your resume, and help you gather talking points for college applications.
Why pursue a business internship as a senior?
These internships pair you with organizations ranging from federal agencies to nonprofits, giving you exposure to real workplace environments before you commit to a major. Many also include structured professional development, mentorship, and networking that extend well beyond the day-to-day tasks.
We've compiled a list of 15 business internships for high school seniors. For related opportunities, check out our guides on business internships for high school students in California and marketing internships for high school students in Chicago.
Quick Look
9 paid internships: Ladders for Leaders, CliftonLarsonAllen, Sandia National Laboratories, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Chicago Summer Business Institute, NASA Pathways, Kaiser Permanente, Bloomberg Arts, and Emma Bowen Foundation.
1 fully virtual option: Young Founders Lab, open to all high school students nationwide with need-based financial aid.
4 income or residency-restricted programs: Ladders for Leaders (NYC residents), Chicago Summer Business Institute (Chicago, income below $80,000), Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (Greater Boston, income-eligible), and Meta Summer Academy (specific CA cities only).
2 scholarship-based programs rather than paid work: Warner Bros. Discovery Reach Honorship Program and the Young Entrepreneurs Program.
Young Founders Lab is the only option focused on building your own startup rather than interning at an existing organization.
15 Business Internships for High School Seniors
1. Ladders for Leaders
Cost: Free
Dates: Pre-employment training - January—April | Internship- July—August (6 weeks)
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: High school or college students; Residents of NYC; Authorized to work in the U.S.
Ladders for Leaders is a paid professional summer experience where high school students gain experience working with leading nonprofits, corporations, and government agencies in New York City. You can work in the areas of business and finance. Previous interns have worked in venture management, investment firms, and city administration in the Department of Finance and the Chamber of Commerce. Apart from work experience, you'll also undergo professional development training where you will engage in project-based learning, career exploration workshops, and financial literacy courses.
2. 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: 4-week program starting tentatively June 5th
Application Deadline: Early Decision: March | Regular Admission 1: April | Regular Admission 2: May
The Young Founders Lab is a real-world startup bootcamp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. You will work towards building a revenue-generating startup that addresses a real-world problem, mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Alongside building your startup, you'll participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and ideation, workshops, skill-building sessions, case studies, and panel discussions. The program gives you a structured space to explore both theoretical and practical frameworks for building a successful business. You can check out the brochure here and access the application here.
3. CliftonLarsonAllen Internship Program
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Dates: 6–8 weeks typically, mid-June – August
Application Deadline: Typically early January
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors who are between the ages of 16 and 18 and authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for an employment visa
The CLA internship program is a four-week experience for high school students interested in learning about professional services and the accounting industry. During your time at the internship, you will explore multiple service lines such as client accounting services, wealth advisory, taxation, and financial forensics. You will understand the roles of different professionals, how they work with clients, and gain insight into different industries.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Location: Remote — work from anywhere in the world
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), Winter (November)
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students who can work 10–20 hours/week for 8–12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective startup internship program for ambitious students. You'll work with a high-growth startup on real projects across industries, including tech, AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder's startups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars; past founders include YCombinator alums and former employees of Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. You'll work closely with your manager and a Ladder Coach and present your work to the company at the end of the internship. You can apply here.
5. Sandia National Laboratories Internship
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Dates: Summer internships typically run May–August for 10–12 weeks; year-round internships available; co-op internships generally last 3–8 months and align with academic terms
Application Deadline: Rolling; students apply to individual openings as they become available
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and graduate students; minimum age 16; full-time enrollment required; minimum 3.0 GPA for research, technical, and business positions, minimum 2.5 GPA for clerical positions; U.S. citizenship required for positions requiring security clearance
Sandia National Laboratories offers internship work experience to high school seniors in various technical and business positions. Your internship will give you federal experience, allow you to explore different pathways, and work in a variety of areas, including business, cybersecurity, energy, engineering, design, and software development. You will be paired with a team and mentors to help you work on projects aligned with your area of interest, alongside getting the chance to participate in social activities and professional development.
6. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Today's Interns, Tomorrow's Professionals (TIP)
Stipend: Paid
Dates: Summer (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Income-eligible high school students in Greater Boston; must have completed their sophomore year in Boston Public Schools
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston offers business and finance work experience to high school students through its internship program. During your internship, you can work in the areas of accounting, finance, human resources, technology, economic research, community development, and other fields. The program allows you to understand the role of different professionals in the finance industry and gain real-world experience to decide your career path. During your work, you will undergo training in interpersonal skills, such as conflict resolution, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
7. Chicago Summer Business Institute
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: Varies based on specific internship (typically 6 weeks over the summer)
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors; resident of Chicago, minimum 3.0 average GPA; household income below $80,000
The Chicago Summer Business Institute offers internship experiences to Chicago high school students in the financial services sector. During your internship, you will gain experience in a variety of financial institutions, including investment firms, banking, city administration, and more. You will work alongside finance professionals, understand their roles, and assist them in real-world tasks, which will also build your experience. You will explore different career paths and build the skill sets needed to pursue them.
8. NASA Pathways Intern
Cost: Paid internship; exact stipend depends on role and location
Dates: Align with semesters; durations typically 14–16 weeks
Application Deadline: Varies by the cohort
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, at least 16 years old, enrolled at least half-time in an accredited educational institution, GPA ≥ 2.9
The NASA Pathways Internship Program gives high school students work experience in the areas of their interest and offers insight into different career pathways within NASA. As a business intern, you can work in various areas, including human resources, administration, program management, accounting, public relations, communication, procurement, information technology, occupational health, and social sciences. Your mentor will work with you to give you work aligned to your career interests, along with challenging tasks, to help you grow and fully explore the areas of your interest.
9. Kaiser Permanente Summer Youth Employment Program
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Dates: 6–8 weeks between June and August
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Age 16 or older; priority given to 11th and 12th graders; must reside near the applying medical centre; must be eligible to work in the US; work permit required if under 18; must be available 20 hours/week for the full program duration
The Kaiser Permanente Summer Youth Employment Program is offered to high school students looking to gain administrative work experience within the healthcare industry. Your internship will take place over six to eight weeks, where you will work alongside professionals, gain exposure to different administrative healthcare roles, and build work experience and insights into the healthcare field. Alongside work, you will participate in weekly educational sessions that help build professional skill sets and work on further career exploration, while providing mentorship support.
10. Bloomberg Arts Internship
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Dates: Summer; exact dates vary by city and host organisation
Application Deadline: Varies by city and local administering organization
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors attending public schools; requirements vary by participating city
The Bloomberg Art Internship Program offers work experience to high school seniors at various cultural organizations. At the internship, you will work at different cultural organizations, including museums, art studios, memorials, and more. The program is designed to increase the youth's engagement with culture and will help you understand why art is important. You’ll also get to work on community-related projects and assignments, working alongside professionals, and understanding different roles and pathways in this field. Previous interns have participated in creative activities, including learning sound mixing, dancing, and creating art. And you will find something that you like.
11. Cisco High School Externship
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Dates: July 6–16
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students; students interested in STEM and business fields
The Cisco High School extendship program is designed to introduce high school students to STEM and business-focused pathways. During the two-week program, you will learn from speaker sessions hosted by industry professionals, learn about different industries, and shadow different professionals, such as product managers, sales leaders, engineers, and marketers. You will also engage in professional development workshops, learn from field visits, and work on a capstone project, where you will tackle a technology challenge and present your solution to mentors and professionals.
12. Young Entrepreneurs Program
Cost: Free
Dates: Workshops and mentoring sessions between February and May, Pitch competition and evaluation in May
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Open to all Champaign area high school students
The Young Entrepreneurs program offers business and entrepreneurship experience to high school students interested in pursuing a business-related career pathway. The program will expose you to different career pathways within business and the skills needed to pursue them. You will have access to different industry professionals and mentorship support to help you work on your goals. Additionally, you will also gain insight into the college process, different university campuses, and the chance to participate in internship experiences.
13. Warner Bros. Discovery Reach Honorship Program
Cost/Stipend: $5,000 scholarship distributed in annual installments of $1,250 over four years
Dates: Exact dates not specified
Application Deadline: Winter application cycle; exact final deadline not specified
Eligibility: High school seniors; minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; planning to enroll in an accredited college or university; passionate about careers in entertainment, media, or animation; strong verbal and written communication skills required
The Warner Bros. Discovery Reach Honorship program offers scholarship opportunities to high school seniors interested in pursuing career pathways in media and entertainment. To qualify for the program, you can have an interest in the corporate or the studio side of the entertainment industry in functions such as human resources, operations, marketing, finance, communication, and even technical roles including post-production and sound editing. During the program, you will work with industry professionals, gain mentorship support, and learn more about the pathways that you would want to pursue.
14. The Emma Bowen Foundation Summer Internship
Stipend: Paid hourly, rate not specified
Dates: 8-week summer internship (exact dates vary by employer)
Application Deadline: Rolling applications
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors; plan to attend or attend a four-year accredited U.S. college/university; GPA ≥ 3.0; interest in media/tech; U.S. work authorization; must be 18 before internship start
The Emma Bowen Foundation summary is an internship experience for high school seniors interested in pursuing career pathways in entertainment, media, and technology. During the summer, you will be paired with a media organization where you gain exposure to different media-related career pathways and understand the roles of different professionals such as journalists, producers, business executives, sales representatives, or PR agents. You gain access to mentorship, support, and career coaching from professionals alongside engaging in professional development workshops.
15. Meta Summer Academy
Cost/Stipend: Free; stipend provided (amount varies)
Dates: June 15–July 24; 30 hours per week, full 6-week commitment required
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores only; full-year residents of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, or Redwood City, CA; minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
The Meta Summer Academy allows high school students to explore different business and technology-related pathways while understanding the operations of a leading tech company. During the summer, you will learn different skills, explore pathways in the areas of your interest, and learn professional skill sets to pursue those pathways. You will also get to work on your own projects, take initiative, and build skill sets in communication, teamwork, leadership, and networking.
Questions Students Often Ask About These Programs
1. Are there paid business internships for high school seniors?
Yes. Ladders for Leaders, Sandia National Laboratories, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and NASA Pathways all offer paid positions, along with several others on this list.
2. Which internships are open regardless of where I live?
Young Founders Lab is fully virtual and open to all high school students nationwide, unlike most internships on this list, which are tied to a specific city or region like NYC, Chicago, or Boston.
3. Is there an option to build my own business instead of interning at an established organization?
Young Founders Lab lets you do exactly that, pairing you with mentors from Google, Microsoft, and X as you build a revenue-generating startup from scratch, with need-based financial aid available.