15 Business Summer Programs in Connecticut for High School Students
If you are thinking about studying business or starting something of your own, it helps to begin early. High school gives you that starting point, and summer gives you the time to explore it properly. Business summer programs are one of the more practical ways to do that.
In these programs, you might learn how to build a business plan, work through case challenges, or understand how marketing and finance work together. Many programs are built around teamwork, where you solve problems, make decisions, and present your ideas.
Why should you attend a business summer program in Connecticut?
Connecticut also offers access to universities and structured programs where you can experience college-level learning early. Some programs include workshops, lectures, and project-based learning that mirror how business is studied at the university level. They help you build skills that are relevant in many areas, including business, tech, and leadership.
For adjacent opportunities, you can have a look at business internships in Connecticut.
With that in mind, here are 15 business summer programs in Connecticut for high school students!
15 Business Summer Programs in Connecticut for High School Students
1. Yale Summer Session (Pre-College Students)
Cost: $5,480 for 1-credit course
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Program Dates: May 25 – June 26 (Session A); June 29 – July 31 (Session B)
Application Deadline: Priority Round – February 20; Regular Round – March 13; Rolling admissions afterward
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors (16+ by program start date)
During the Yale Summer Session, you enroll directly in Yale undergraduate courses alongside college students, allowing you to experience the rigor of an Ivy League academic environment. If you are interested in business or economics, you can take courses such as Introduction to Macroeconomics, where you analyze topics like inflation, fiscal and monetary policy, financial crises, and economic growth. You engage with real economic frameworks used in business decision-making, learning how macroeconomic indicators influence markets and organizations. Coursework typically includes lectures, analytical assignments, and discussions that build your ability to interpret economic data and policy outcomes.
2. Young Founders Lab
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a 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 complex problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. You will learn about finance, the basics of investing, and understand the financial aspects of running a business. 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. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. Choate Rosemary Hall Summer Programs
Cost: Tuition varies by program type. Need-based financial aid is available.
Location: Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT
Program Dates: Late June – Late July (varies by session/program)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until programs fill (typically January 31)
Eligibility: Middle and high school students (typically grades 7–12, depending on program)
At Choate’s summer programs, your day is structured around academic classes, group work, and campus activities, giving you a steady routine that feels closer to a college environment. If you take courses linked to economics or entrepreneurship, you spend time working through how markets operate, how policy decisions affect outcomes, and how businesses respond to changing conditions. Classes include discussions, written work, and project-based assignments where you think through real scenarios. Living on campus and following a set academic schedule also helps you understand how sustained academic work is managed over a few weeks.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech, and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. Past founders have included YCombinator alums, founders raising over 30 million dollars, or founders who previously worked at Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company.
5. University of New Haven – Entrepreneurs: Social Impact & Innovation
Cost: $800 (day program) or $1,350 with on-campus accommodations
Location: University of New Haven, West Haven, CT
Program Dates: July 13 – July 17
Application Deadline: Registrations open until capacity is reached
Eligibility: Students entering grades 9–12 for the upcoming academic year
This program focuses on building business ideas that are tied to social impact, so you spend time thinking about both financial sustainability and real-world problems. Through workshops and guided sessions, you develop a business model, study how value is created, and look at how organizations balance profit with purpose. You also interact with entrepreneurs and visit local initiatives, which helps you see how these ideas work outside the classroom. By the end, you present your idea and explain how it would function in a real market setting.
6. City of New Haven Student Intern Program
Cost: Free; interns are paid $16.35 - $17.10 per hour
Location: City of New Haven, New Haven, CT
Program Dates: Varies by department; internships are typically available during the summer and school breaks
Application Deadline: Applications open when positions are posted on the city employment portal
Eligibility: Students aged 16+ enrolled in an accredited high school, college, or university (proof of enrollment required)
In these internships, you work within city departments and get a view of how economic decisions are handled at a local government level. Your tasks can include research, administrative support, or helping with projects tied to budgeting and public services. You see how resources are allocated, how policies affect local businesses and communities, and how decisions are made within constraints. It gives you a practical sense of how economics connects to governance and everyday systems that keep a city running.
7. UConn Pre-College Summer
Cost: Varies by course format and length
Location: University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (with select sessions in Hartford, CT)
Program Dates: Storrs Session 1: June 21 – June 27; Storrs Session 2: July 5 – July 11; Storrs Session 3: July 12 – July 18; Storrs Session 4: July 19 – July 25; Hartford Session: June 29 – July 3
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until courses fill
Eligibility: High school students (typically grades 9–12)
At UConn’s pre-college program, you take short courses that introduce you to different areas within business and economics, depending on what you choose. Classes cover topics like marketing, finance, or management, and you work through examples that show how companies make decisions. Faculty-led sessions include discussions, assignments, and applied exercises that help you understand how these concepts are used in real industries. Being on campus also gives you a sense of how academic learning connects to future career paths.
8. Economics for Leaders (Yale University)
Cost: $2,800 (includes tuition, housing, and meals). Need-based scholarships are available.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Program Dates: June 8 – June 14 or June 29 – July 5
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until programs fill
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors (students attend the summer before entering junior or senior year)
Economics for Leaders is a selective summer program designed to help you apply economic reasoning to leadership and public policy decisions. Through interactive classes and group activities, you explore concepts such as incentives, trade-offs, markets, and decision-making frameworks used in economics and business strategy. The curriculum focuses on how economic thinking can guide leadership choices in government, business, and community organizations. During the program, you participate in simulations, discussions, and case-based exercises that require you to evaluate real-world policy and business scenarios. These activities encourage you to analyze problems, debate competing ideas, and apply economic principles to leadership decisions.
9. Albertus Magnus College Political Science Camp: Road to the White House
Cost: $100
Location: Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT
Program Dates: June 30 – July 1
Application Deadline: Early registration recommended (discount available before June 1)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
In this short program, you work in teams to design and run a political campaign, which brings together strategy, messaging, and decision-making. You look at how candidates position themselves, how they respond to voter preferences, and how campaigns are structured to win support. A lot of this ties back to understanding incentives and public choice, which are closely linked to economics. The final election simulation shows how different strategies perform when put into practice.
10. Harvard Secondary School Program (7-Week Online Option)
Cost: $4,180 (4 credits) or $8,160 (8 credits)
Location: Online (Harvard Summer School – Harvard Division of Continuing Education)
Program Dates: June 20 – August 8
Application Deadline: Priority aid: January 7; Regular: February 11; Late: April 1
Eligibility: High school students graduating in the next three years who are at least 16 years old by June 20
Harvard’s Secondary School Program (SSP) allows motivated high school students to take real college courses online for credit. In the 7-week online option, you can enroll in one or two Harvard courses taught by university faculty or visiting instructors. The program offers more than 200 courses across a wide range of subjects, including economics, finance, leadership, entrepreneurship, and public policy. You participate in live online classes, discussions, and assignments similar to those expected in Harvard undergraduate courses. Through these academically rigorous courses, you’ll develop critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills while exploring potential college majors and careers.
11. Babson Summer Study for High School Students
Cost: $6,295
Location: Online
Program Dates: July 8 – July 28
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are at least 15 years old by the start of the program
Babson Summer Study is a three-week entrepreneurship program that allows you to take a Babson College course online while still in high school. During the program, you enroll in EPS1110: Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Experience, a college-level class that introduces you to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing, finance, and business communication. You explore real-world social, economic, and environmental challenges while learning how entrepreneurs identify opportunities and build innovative solutions. Throughout the program, you participate in live virtual classes, collaborative projects, and discussions with Babson faculty and peers from around the world.
12. Bentley University Pre-College Summer Program
Cost: Varies by course
Location: Online (Bentley University)
Program Dates: June 8 – July 24
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until courses fill
Eligibility: High school students (students must be 16 by September 1 to live on campus, but younger students may enroll in commuter or online sessions)
Bentley University’s Pre-College Summer Program offers you the opportunity to take short academic courses online while exploring topics in business, finance, and entrepreneurship. You can enroll in specialized courses such as Stock Market and Investment Research, FinTech Business Start-ups, Personal Finance, Data Analytics, and Global Finance and Trade, each designed to introduce core concepts used in modern business environments. During the program, you participate in instructor-led lectures, collaborative activities, and applied exercises that help you understand financial markets, investment strategies, and entrepreneurial decision-making.
13. NYU Precollege (Online Business Courses)
Cost: $4,004 for a 2-credit course, $6,006 for a 3-credit course, or $8,008 for a 4-credit course
Location: Online (New York University)
Program Dates: July 1 – August 12
Application Deadline: June 15
Eligibility: High school students applying to NYU Precollege who submit the required materials, including an official high school transcript; online and summer participation is open through the Precollege application process
NYU Precollege allows you to take undergraduate courses online while still in high school and earn college credit in the process. If you are interested in business, you can choose from subjects such as Principles of Marketing, Principles of Accounting, Basic Statistics, and Business Organizations & Management, giving you exposure to core ideas in management, quantitative reasoning, and business decision-making. During the summer term, you complete coursework alongside other motivated students while building the academic habits needed for university study. You also gain access to College 101 programming, which covers topics such as college admissions, study skills, and financial aid, adding a useful college-readiness layer to the experience.
14. World Scholars Academy Business Research Internship – The Great Depression and Investing
Cost: $2,395
Location: Online
Program Dates: July 5 – July 26
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until spots fill
Eligibility: Students ages 15–18
The World Scholars Academy Business Research Internship on The Great Depression and Investing allows you to investigate one of the most significant financial crises in modern history while developing research skills in economics and finance. During the four-week program, you work closely with a mentor and a small group of peers to analyze historical market data, evaluate competing explanations for the Great Depression, and explore how financial crises influence investment strategies. Through guided research and discussion, you examine topics such as monetary policy failures, speculative bubbles, and global trade collapse. Throughout the internship, you learn how to critically review academic literature and conduct original research in finance and economics. The program culminates in the co-authorship of a research paper submitted for publication.
15. EnergyMag Virtual Internship
Cost: Free
Location: Online
Program Dates: Flexible (2–8 weeks in summer for half-time internships or 1–9 months for quarter-time internships)
Application Deadline: Rolling applications
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a GPA above 3.25 and at least one honors science or honors English class
The EnergyMag internship focuses on research within the energy sector, where business and economics intersect closely with technology. You study companies, market trends, and developments in renewable energy, and try to understand how these industries grow and compete. Your work involves gathering information, analyzing it, and writing it in a clear format that reflects how industry research is done. If your report is strong, it can be published, which adds a practical outcome to the experience.