15 Free Economics Summer Programs for High School Students
If you’re a high school student interested in economics, summer offers the opportunity to delve into the field through economic summer programs. You’ll have the opportunity to learn fundamental concepts, build professional skill sets, and explore different roles in the field.
What are free economics summer programs for high school students?
Economics is a diverse subject, often paired with various subjects such as public policy, politics, and governance, that open diverse career pathways. It also allows you to learn from a multidisciplinary approach and helps you build skill sets in critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and analysis.
Why participate in free economics summer programs for high school students?
You’ll also explore key economic concepts, policies, and models such as supply and demand, market structures, fiscal and monetary policy, economic growth, and income inequality. Free programs are an accessible way to delve into this subject and are often competitive, which will help you gain an edge in college applications.
If you’re also interested in economics competitions for high school students, check here.
To make the search easier, we’ve narrowed down a list of the top 15 Free Economics Summer Programs for High School Students.
15 Free Economics Summer Programs for High School Students
1. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Various locations across the U.S.
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; interns are paid a stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 300 students are selected annually
Dates: 8-week internship during the summer, including the week-long Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. (July 21 – 26)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors; legally authorized to work in the U.S.; in good standing at their school; permanently reside in one of the eligible locations, and have not been previously selected for the program
Bank of America offers a student leaders program for high school students interested in the intersection of non-profits, business, and governance. During the first 8 weeks of the program, you’ll gain community service experience in areas such as youth development, economic empowerment, food insecurity, housing assistance, and more. You’ll be working with non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity and Boys and Girls Club, including non-profits in Virginia. You’ll also gain leadership, communication, and networking skills by participating in a fully funded national Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. You will gain insight into the local economy and how non-profits, businesses, and government work together to address community problems.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost/Stipend: Varies according to program. There is need-based financial aid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Program Dates: Varies by the cohort
Application Deadline: There are three application deadlines to choose from; more details are available in the brochure.
Eligibility: 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 practical problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideation, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. Siegfried Youth Leadership Program: Economics Summer Camp
Location: SYLP Economics Summer Camp, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Summer term (exact dates not specified, but typically around late June)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students in grades 8 to 12
The Siegfried Youth Leadership Program offers a funded week-long Economics Summer Camp experience for high school students. You’ll explore economic concepts through a series of lectures, focused activities, and workshops led by faculty and industry professionals. You’ll gain insight into the intersection of economics, leadership, and entrepreneurship through interactive and collaborative activities. Furthermore, you’ll also have access to fun activities such as baseball games with peers, challenges, and interactions with local entrepreneurs.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote (work from anywhere in the world)
Cost/Stipend: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Acceptance rate is around 10%
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort – Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Eligibility: high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 8–12 weeks, devoting 10 - 20 hours/week
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program for ambitious high school students. You’ll be matched with a high-growth startup and work on real-world projects in fields like tech, AI/ML, health tech, journalism, marketing, and consulting. Internships typically last 8 weeks and require a commitment of 5–10 hours per week. You’ll work closely with your startup manager and a Ladder Coach, and present your work to the company at the end. The program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, as well as group sessions with other interns. Startups in the program often have raised over $1 million and are led by founders with experience at places like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. You can apply here.
5. George Washington University’s Caminos al Futuro
Location: University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded (no cost; lodging, transportation, meals, tuition covered)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 22 – July 10
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High-school students who have finished their junior year, U.S. residents, under 18 by program end
The Caminos al Futuro program offers a perspective into policymaking through analyzing problems in the Hispanic and Latino community at the intersection of societal, economic, and political problems. You’ll gain insight into policymaking through field visits to non-profits, government agencies, and Congress. You’ll participate and build practical experience through community action projects, writing labs, and workshops. The program also offers insight and guidance on the college application process.
6. Chicago Summer Business Institute
Location: Internships at various organizations and businesses in Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: Stipend paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Summer internship (6-week program, typically in June–July)
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Chicago high-school sophomores and juniors; Chicago resident; “B” or ~3.0 GPA; household income below $80,000/year
The Chicago Summer Business Institute offers internship opportunities to high school students in business areas such as accounting, finance, investment, and economics. You will discover various career pathways in business while gaining practical experience in the field. The program includes additional workshops and guest lectures where industry professionals with share their learning and insights. Selection is competitive and requires a high school transcript, resume, two letters of recommendation, and an essay.
7. JA Economics
Location: Virtual or classroom-based
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate
Dates: Semester-long course (aligned with school terms)
Application Deadline: Varies by school implementation
Eligibility: High-school students in grades 9–12
The Junior Achievement USA offers a semester-long economics course where you can explore economic concepts and principles. You’ll gain insight into topics such as opportunity cost, markets, economic growth, role of banking, national economic indicators, international trade, trade policies, trade deficits, economic structures, trade deficit and more. The course takes an experiential route where you’ll learn about economics from a multidisciplinary perspective. You’ll learn through a mix of case studies, projects, instruction, and guest lectures.
8. Kendall County Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) Summer Internship Program
Location: Kendall County, IL
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; paid internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: The Program takes place in the summer, typically around June and August
Application Deadline: Typically in April
Eligibility: Illinois high-school students who are juniors and seniors
The Kendall County Economic Development Alliance offers Summer internships and skill development opportunities to high school students. You’ll gain practical experience in local businesses and develop valuable skill sets. You can choose which employer you’d like to work with based on your area of interest, and the employer will provide you with training. You will also have the opportunity to receive mentorship from professionals in the area of your interest.
9. Yale Young Global Scholars (Politics of Law & Economics Track)
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost/Stipend: $7,000 for residential students, full and partial financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 21–July 3 | July 5–July 17 | July 19–July 31
Application Deadline: January 7
Eligibility: Current High-school sophomores or juniors between the ages of 16 to 18
The Yale Young Scholars program offers a Politics of Law and Economics track for students who want to learn about economics and politics from a multidimensional perspective. You’ll explore topics such as market regulation, governance structure, public policy, human rights, and international policy. The course encourages you to delve into your curiosity and question the things happening around you. You’ll build your critical thinking and analytical skills by examining issues through various lenses of economic and political theory.
10. UCLA Economics Summer Sessions
Location: University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Varies by course; full scholarship available to California-based students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple sessions between June to September
Application Deadline: Varies by session (registration opens early spring, closes before session start)
Eligibility: Visiting high-school students are eligible through UCLA Summer Sessions (course-specific prerequisites apply)
UCLA offers a variety of economics courses for high school students under its summer session offerings. You can enroll in courses such as microeconomic theory, statistics, econometrics, international finance, data science for economists, environmental economics, and more. Each course delves into the topic and includes lectures and discussions. The courses take place over 6 weeks, and you have the option to attend in person or virtually. You’ll also earn college credit with some courses.
11. Penn Summer Prep Economics Academy
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Tuition $10,050; full and partial scholarships available to Philadelphia public high schools and charter students (covers tuition, residence, meals, and extracurricular activities; travel excluded)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: July 11–August 1
Application Deadline: Applications processed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: High-school students in grades 9–11
Penn Summer Prep Economics Academy for students interested in exploring economics concepts through practical examples and applications. You’ll study topics such as market structures, market failures, power of markets, scarcity, and more. You’ll also develop critical thinking skills by using economic models of thinking and participating in discussions about economic concepts and policies. The program will help you develop a working understanding of economic terms, models of analysis, and economic policy-making. At the end of the course, you’ll work on a capstone project where you’ll present a solution to a real economic challenge.
12. Economics for Leaders (EFL)
Location: Multiple residential host campuses across the U.S.
Cost/Stipend: Residential program: $2,800, virtual: $900; fully funded scholarships available to students demonstrating need and merit
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; approximately 25–40 students per site
Dates: Week-long sessions in June and July (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions (applications open mid-December; priority deadlines vary)
Eligibility: High-school sophomores and juniors
Economics for Leaders (EFL) offers various virtual and in-person programs for high school students looking to explore the intersection of economics, public policy, and leadership. You’ll explore economic concepts and models through lectures, tests, exercises, and discussions. Some topics covered include open market, opportunity cost, economic growth, government, inflation, international markets, property rights, and more. The program includes professional skill development, where you will learn leadership concepts through the leadership pyramid matrix and gain insight into building a holistic career pathway.
13. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program
Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost/Stipend: $25 application fee; $1,299 tuition; fully funded tuition waivers available only for students who demonstrate need
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Orientation: June 18 | internship period begins: June 22 | final Research Symposium: August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High-school students who are 15 or older
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program offers research experience to high school students over the summer. You’ll work under the mentorship of a faculty researcher in the discipline of your interest. You’ll build scientific communication skills and learn how to work with lab equipment and technologies. Past participants have worked on economics-based research topics such as the economic impacts of healthcare access gaps, disruptions to GPS systems, and secure digital infrastructure on economic research.
14. UChicago New Horizons
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: Tuition and program fees; fully funded scholarship available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 5 – July 10
Application Deadline: March 12
Eligibility: High-school students (rising 10th and 11th grade)
UChicago offers New Horizons as a multidisciplinary program for high school students. The program explores various topics, helping you develop an interdisciplinary perspective while also exploring various career pathways. The course curriculum will cover subjects like philosophy, economics, public discourse, literature, to biotechnology, and help you build skill sets in critical analysis, scientific inquiry, and data interpretation. Selection is competitive and includes a transcript, letter of recommendation, writing sample, and two essays.
15. Notre Dame Leadership Seminar
Location: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Cost/Stipend: Tuition, housing, and meals covered by the University, $75 application fee, $150 enrollment fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: July 18 – July 29
Application Deadline: January 21
Eligibility: High-school juniors entering senior year who are at least 16 or old by August 1, leadership experience required
Notre Dame Leadership Seminar is a multidisciplinary program for high school students. You’ll build skills in leadership and learn how to tackle issues within your community through exploring various topics such as business, global issues, economics and social inequity, research, AI, data innovation, financial literacy, and more. You’ll build critical thinking and analysis skills by having discussions on practical issues, thereby understanding the practical application of what you’re learning in the classroom.
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