15 Economics Internships in Massachusetts for High School Students
If you’re a high school student interested in economics and how it explains real-world issues like markets, policy choices, and financial decisions, economics internships are worth serious consideration.
What are economics internships in Massachusetts for high school students?
Economics sits at the intersection of data, policy, finance, and real-world problem-solving. Internships help you see how economic ideas move beyond theory and into practice. By working on economics-related tasks early, you learn how organizations use data, research, and evidence to study markets, evaluate policies, and guide decisions.
Why pursue economics internships in Massachusetts for high school students?
Massachusetts is one of the strongest places to explore economics as a student. The state is home to major universities, research institutions, policy organizations, and nonprofits that rely on economic analysis. Many of these organizations offer internships or research-based roles where students assist with data work, background research, reporting, or policy support.
If you’re also interested in online economics programs, check here, or go here for free economics summer programs for high school students.
To help you explore what’s available, we’ve put together a list of 15 economics internships for high school students in Massachusetts!
Note: Some of the items below are free or aid-inclusive economics programs that help you build skills for future economics internships.
15 Economics Internships in Massachusetts for High School Students
1. Today’s Interns, Tomorrow’s Professionals (TIP) Internship Program – Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Cost: Paid internship
Location: Boston, MA (hybrid: onsite and virtual options)
Program Dates: Summer internship with potential year-round continuation (up to three years total)
Application Deadline: Varies by year
Eligibility: Boston Public Schools students who have completed their sophomore year
The Today’s Interns, Tomorrow’s Professionals Internship Program is hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston with the Boston Private Industry Council. You work inside a regional central bank and learn how economic institutions function in practice. Your work may support teams involved in economic research, community development, finance, or data and operations tied to policy work. Through daily tasks and guided training, you learn how economic data is used, how financial systems affect local communities, and how public institutions turn economic goals into real decisions and programs.
2. Young Founders Lab
Cost: Varies by program type; full financial aid available
Location: 100% virtual with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Young Founders Lab is a virtual startup boot camp designed to help you explore entrepreneurship through hands-on, project-based learning. Founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs, the program guides you through building a revenue-generating startup that addresses a real-world problem, giving you exposure to both the economic and business considerations behind launching a company. Alongside developing your startup, you participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals, ideation, and strategy, as well as workshops focused on skill building and case-based learning. The program also includes panel discussions and mentorship from professionals at companies such as Google, Microsoft, and X.
3. Bank of America Student Leaders® Program
Cost: Free; includes a paid internship and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC
Location: Nationwide program in nearly 100 communities, including Boston and other Massachusetts locations
Program Dates: 8-week summer program (includes the Student Leadership Summit, July 21–26)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are legally authorized to work in the U.S., reside in an eligible location, and can commit to full-time participation
The Bank of America Student Leaders® Program is a prestigious summer opportunity designed to support youth employment, leadership development, and economic mobility. You complete a paid, full-time internship with a local nonprofit organization, where you work on projects related to community development, youth services, housing, or social impact initiatives. This experience helps you build professional skills while learning how organizations operate within economic and social systems. In addition to the internship, you attend a mandatory, week-long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, with all travel, lodging, and meals covered by Bank of America. At the summit, you learn how nonprofits, businesses, and government institutions collaborate to address economic and societal challenges.
4.Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Varies by placement; some internships are paid
Location: Remote (open to students worldwide)
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can commit 10–20 hours per week for 8–12 weeks
The Ladder Internship Program is a selective startup internship experience designed for students who want exposure to real-world business and economic decision-making. Through the program, you are matched with a high-growth startup operating across industries such as technology, AI and machine learning, health tech, marketing, consulting, and media. Many partner startups are founded by experienced entrepreneurs, including Y Combinator alumni and former professionals from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta. During the internship, you work closely with a startup manager and a dedicated Ladder Coach while contributing to projects that support core business functions, such as market research, operations, strategy, or growth initiatives. You are expected to take ownership of deliverables and present your work directly to the company at the end of the program.
5. CLA High School Internship Program
Cost: Paid internship
Location: Select CLA office locations nationwide (availability varies by location)
Program Dates: Summer program starting in June
Application Deadline: Varies by location
Eligibility: High school students ages 16–18
The CLA High School Internship Program is hosted by CLA, a professional services firm that works in accounting, advisory, and consulting. You work on real projects and see how firms analyze finances, manage clients, and support business decisions. Your tasks can involve basic accounting work, data review, and support for advisory teams, which helps you understand how firms use numbers to evaluate costs, revenue, risk, and growth. Through daily work with professionals, you learn how economic thinking shows up in client services, how financial information guides decisions, and how businesses operate within markets.
6. Fidelity Career Discovery Programs (Boundless – High School)
Cost: Free programs; select opportunities are paid (internships)
Location: Boston, MA; Merrimack, NH; Westlake, TX; Durham, NC (varies by program)
Program Dates: Vary by program, with events, job shadows, and internships offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by program (applications typically open in spring or February for internships)
Eligibility: Female high school students (some programs may have additional criteria)
Fidelity’s Career Discovery Programs are hosted by Fidelity Investments and introduce you to how large financial institutions operate. Through career events, job shadowing, and short internships, you see how teams work in finance, investing, and business operations. You learn how firms manage money, assess markets, and use economic data to guide decisions for clients and long-term planning. By observing daily work and taking part in structured activities, you begin to understand how economics connects to investing, financial systems, and real business outcomes.
7.Mary Miller Summer Program – PHC Group
Cost: Paid internship
Location: Virtual (Massachusetts residents eligible to apply)
Program Dates: Summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors with unrestricted U.S. work authorization
The Mary Miller Summer Program at PHC Group is a selective, paid internship created to honor the legacy of Mary Miller, a community leader and youth advocate committed to education, service, and opportunity. As an intern, you join PHC Group’s mission-driven global team and gain hands-on experience in a professional, virtual work environment while building leadership, communication, and career-ready skills. Working under the guidance of the Public Health Director, you contribute to social media initiatives, online community engagement, and social marketing research. Your responsibilities may include attending planning meetings, crafting content, analyzing trends, supporting reporting efforts, and collaborating with senior leadership on team projects.
8.Economics for Leaders (EFL) by the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE)
Cost: $900 (virtual); scholarships are available.
Location: Remote
Application deadline: April 9 (tentative)
Program dates: June - August (multiple weeklong sessions)
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors can apply.
Economics for Leaders (EFL) is a selective summer program offered by the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE). You’ll learn how economic principles shape public policy decisions through lectures, simulations, and team-based activities. Topics include opportunity cost, incentives, property rights, labor markets, international trade, and innovation. You’ll work on leadership development while applying economic reasoning to policy challenges. The program includes social events, field trips, and a final award ceremony.
9.Northeastern C2C Summer Youth Jobs Program
Cost: Paid employment
Location: Boston, MA (Northeastern University campus)
Program Dates: June 25 – August 8 (BtC/BtS); June 23 start for SuccessLink Leaders
Application Deadline: April 27 (applications currently closed)
Eligibility: Boston residents ages 14–18 (BtC/BtS) and ages 19–24 (SuccessLink Leader roles)
The Northeastern C2C Summer Youth Jobs Program is hosted by Northeastern University and combines paid campus work with academic instruction through the Bridge to Calculus and Bridge to Science programs. You study advanced math and financial education while working in program support roles, which helps you understand how quantitative skills are used to analyze costs, resources, and outcomes. Through coursework and daily work, you learn how math underpins economic modeling, budgeting, and data analysis, and how institutions plan programs, manage funding, and support decision-making using numbers.
10. Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity (OYEO) – City of Boston
Cost: Free access to paid job and internship opportunities
Location: Boston, MA
Program Dates: Year-round (summer and school-year employment cycles)
Application Deadline: Varies by program and employer
Eligibility: Boston youth and young adults (typically ages 14–24, depending on opportunity)
The Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity is hosted by the City of Boston Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity and connects you to paid jobs and internships across city agencies, nonprofits, and employers. Through these work experiences, you learn how public institutions and local organizations operate within the city economy. You see how jobs are funded, how programs are planned and managed, and how labor connects to education, services, and community needs. By working in real roles and using city job platforms, you begin to understand how workforce systems function, how employment supports local economic activity, and how public policy shapes access to work.
11. Connecting Activities Support – MassHire Workforce Boards
Cost: Free access; includes paid and for-credit work-based learning opportunities
Location: Massachusetts (regional programs through local MassHire Workforce Boards)
Program Dates: Vary by region and opportunity; offered throughout the school year and summer
Application Deadline: Varies by region and participating school
Eligibility: Massachusetts high school students
Connecting Activities Support is run by MassHire Workforce Boards and connects you to internships and work-based learning across Massachusetts. You take part in paid or credit-linked roles that are tied to labor market needs and career pathways. Through these experiences, you learn how local job markets function, how wages and demand vary across sectors, and how workforce data is used to plan training and employment programs. You also work with career counselors and employers, which helps you understand how economic conditions shape hiring, skills development, and long-term workforce planning.
12. Massachusetts Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General – Internship Program
Cost: Paid internships (specific compensation varies by role)
Location: Boston, MA
Program Dates: Offered during the summer and, in some cases, the fall and spring semesters
Application Deadline: Varies by term (summer applications typically due in late December)
Eligibility: High school students (summer only) and currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students in Massachusetts
The Internship Program is hosted by the Massachusetts Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General and places you inside a state-level finance office. You work with teams involved in public finance, budgeting, policy support, and administration, where you see how the government manages funds and plans spending. Through daily tasks, you learn how tax revenue, investments, and public accounts are handled, and how financial decisions affect programs, services, and long-term economic stability at the state level.
13. Babson Summer Study for High School Students
Cost: Online: $6,295 + $95 application fee, In-person (Day Student): $9,295 + $95 application fee, In-person (Residential): $12,995 + $95 application fee. Financial aid available
Location: Fully online or in person at New England Innovation Academy (NEIA), Marlborough, MA
Program Dates: July 8 – July 28
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; applications open in December
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; must be at least 16 years old by the program start date
Babson Summer Study is hosted by Babson College and centers on how economic thinking shapes entrepreneurship and decision-making. You take a college course that examines how individuals and firms respond to economic, social, and environmental problems using market logic and resource constraints. Through case work and group projects, you learn how ideas like costs, incentives, risk, and value guide choices in finance, production, and strategy. The program shows how economic systems influence business behavior and how entrepreneurs operate within local and global markets.
14. Harvard Summer School – Economics, Finance, and Public Policy
Cost: 7-Week Residential: $15,735, 7-Week Online/Commuting: $4,180 (4 credits) to $8,160 (8 credits), $75 nonrefundable application fee (financial aid available)
Location: Cambridge, MA (Residential/Commuting) or Online
Program Dates: Summer (4-week or 7-week sessions)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students admitted to Harvard’s Secondary School Program
Harvard Summer School’s economics-focused coursework is hosted by Harvard University and allows you to study economics at the college level. You take courses in areas such as microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, public finance, and economic decision making, where you learn how markets function, how governments intervene, and how data is used to study economic behavior. Through lectures, problem sets, and exams, you work with economic models, policy questions, and real data, gaining an understanding of how economic theory and evidence are used to analyze growth, inequality, markets, and public policy.
15. Pentacle's High School Internship Program
Cost: Free program; $600 stipend paid upon completion
Location: Virtual (open to students nationwide, including Massachusetts)
Program Dates: 8 weeks during summer (typically June–August)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Pentacle's High School Internship Program pairs you with a small business, nonprofit, or for-profit organization based on your interests. You work 5 hours per week for 8 weeks, completing projects rooted in research, data analysis, economic decision-making, and organizational support. Unlike many broad "leadership" programs, this internship centers on applied economics; you see directly how firms make resource allocation decisions, analyze markets, and respond to constraints. The program emphasizes practical application of economic concepts in real business settings, helping you understand how pricing decisions, cost management, and revenue models function in actual organizations. Your work concludes with a final presentation of findings to peers and professionals.
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