15 Low-Cost Entrepreneurship Summer Programs for High School Students
If you’re thinking of starting a business one day or studying entrepreneurship in college, high school is an excellent time to begin learning how entrepreneurship actually works!
What do entrepreneurship programs involve?
Summer entrepreneurship programs give you the chance to explore startup ideas, understand business strategy, and see how entrepreneurs turn concepts into real products or services. Many entrepreneurship programs focus on practical learning. You might work on a startup idea, study customer needs, design a product concept, or develop a business plan. Programs often include mentorship, workshops, and opportunities to present your ideas to instructors or other students.
Why participate in entrepreneurship programs as a high schooler?
Entrepreneurship programs expose you to realistic challenges, helping you think creatively and develop innovative solutions. You also get to work in teams, which builds collaboration and confidence. They also provide mentorship from industry experts, giving you valuable guidance early on. Participating can strengthen your college applications by showing initiative and curiosity beyond academics.
Cost can sometimes be a barrier, but many programs are designed to be affordable while still providing solid learning experiences. Low-cost entrepreneurship programs allow students to gain exposure to startup thinking without a major financial commitment.
For more opportunities, you can check out business programs for low-income students, or low-cost leadership programs.
With that in mind, here are 15 low-cost entrepreneurship summer programs for high school students!
15 Low-Cost Entrepreneurship Summer Programs for High School Students
The Academies by Harvard Student Agencies – Entrepreneurship Academy
Location: Virtual
Cost: $679 for the Virtual Academy; $1,800 for the On-Campus Academy.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 1 to 5 and July 20 to 24
Application Deadline: March 15for Spring
Eligibility: Must be in high school, and 8th-grade students who are high-performing, intellectually curious, and can keep up with fast-paced curricula.
At the Entrepreneurship Academy, you will explore what it takes to start and run a business through hands-on virtual sessions. You will work with Harvard student instructors to develop an innovative business idea, conduct market and customer research, and build the key parts of a business plan. You will advance your financial literacy and analytical skills, learn to assess product-market fit, and practice crafting persuasive pitches. This low-cost entrepreneurship summer program for high school students includes interactive activities. It culminates in a final pitch to judges, giving you real experience applying classroom concepts to a real-world business challenge.
Young Founders Lab
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies by the program. Need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Various cohorts, including summer, spring, winter, and fall
Application Deadline: Based on the cohort you choose
Eligibility: All high school students
Young Founders Lab is where you build and launch a real business or non-profit. Over four weeks, you will work in teams or individually to take your idea from concept to product, with practical lessons in market research, product development, marketing, and pitching. You will attend weekly live workshops and receive guidance from experienced founders and industry mentors. The program ends with a demo day where you will present your venture to professionals. Along the way, you will gain skills useful for your own projects and future career, and you will strengthen your college applications through hands-on experience in real startup work.
University of Kansas Summer Venture in Business
Location: The University of Kansas, School of Business, KS
Cost: $50. Students who qualify for a need-based waiver will not have to pay this participation fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 19 to July 24
Application Deadline: February 13
Eligibility: Rising 11th–12th grade students with either a 3.4+ GPA (test-optional) or a Business Index score of 5.55+ (ACT/SAT ÷10 + GPA). Priority goes to first-generation students and those from Title I or rural schools.
At this Summer Venture in Business, you will spend a week applying business concepts to real scenarios. You will analyze case studies, interpret financial data, and evaluate marketing and management decisions. You will work in teams to develop solutions and present structured recommendations. Expect faculty to guide discussions and provide feedback on your reasoning and communication. You will learn how to read a balance sheet, assess risk, and understand how strategy shapes outcomes. By the end of the program, you will better understand how business problems are framed, tested, and solved in professional settings.
Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Cost: Varies by the program. Need-based financial aid available
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.
Venture Validator Program – Colorado State University
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: February 12, 19, 26, and March 5, 12
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Open to all
The Venture Validator Program at Colorado State University focuses on testing whether a business idea has real market demand. During the sessions, you define a target customer, conduct interviews, analyze competitors, and evaluate whether the problem being addressed is significant enough to support a product or service. Mentors guide the process as you examine revenue models and basic financial assumptions connected to the idea. The program ends with a presentation where you explain the results of the research and whether the idea should continue, change direction, or stop.
NYU’s Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Science of Smart Cities
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session I - July 6 to August 7 | Session II - July 13 to August 7
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: NYC residents aged 15 and above, including those currently in grades 9 through 11.
NYU’s Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Science of Smart Cities program examines how technology and business ideas are used to address problems in cities. During the program, you study how data systems, sensors, and infrastructure planning influence transportation, energy systems, and public services. Through a group project, you design a proposal that addresses a real city problem while considering feasibility, cost, and implementation. Faculty and industry mentors review your work while you develop the project and present the final proposal to instructors and peers.
Caminos al Futuro
Location: George Washington University, DC
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 22 to July 10
Application Deadline: March 1st
Eligibility: Must currently attend high school in the United States and have completed the junior year (11th grade). Must reside in the U.S. and be able to participate in a college-level course conducted entirely in English.
In Caminos al Futuro, you will complete a college-level course focused on business, public policy, and leadership. You will attend faculty-led classes, engage in discussions, and work on applied assignments that connect economic concepts to real community issues. You will explore how business and government decisions affect Hispanic and Latino communities. The program also includes campus activities and opportunities to interact with university staff and peers. Through this low-cost entrepreneurship summer program for high school students, you will strengthen academic writing, critical thinking, and presentation skills.
Accelerated Business Program – University of Georgia
Location: University of Georgia, Athens (In-person) and Online formats available
Cost: $395 for In-person; $75 for Online
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 7 – 10
Application Deadline: March 26th
Eligibility: Open to high school rising juniors and seniors; must be a current sophomore, junior, or senior who will be entering UGA this fall.
The Accelerated Business Program at the University of Georgia introduces you to subjects such as finance, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship through short classroom sessions. Faculty guide discussions based on business cases while you analyze how companies approach marketing decisions, financial planning, and organizational management. Group activities require you to evaluate a business problem and explain possible solutions through presentations. The program also includes sessions with business professionals and current university students who discuss academic pathways in business.
Kelley Women’s Leadership Institute
Location: Kelley School of Business, Indiana University in Bloomington, IN
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 12, June 26, July 10, and July 24 (in-person); virtual sessions also available
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Open to current high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
The Kelley Women’s Leadership Institute at Indiana University is a campus program where you examine business topics through case discussions and group projects. Sessions led by Kelley School of Business faculty introduce business strategy and management decisions through structured class discussions. During the program, you work with peers to study business scenarios and present recommendations based on the information provided in each case. Corporate professionals and alumni also discuss their career paths and explain how business training connects to different industries.
Business Leadership Program
Location: University of Colorado Boulder, CO
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 21 to June 27
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Open to current high school juniors who are Colorado residents or attending a Colorado high school
The Business Leadership Program at the University of Colorado Boulder is a residential program where you study business topics with Leeds School of Business faculty. Classes introduce marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship through discussions and case examples that show how companies make decisions. Group projects require you to examine a business challenge and present possible responses based on the information provided. The program also includes conversations with business professionals who explain how companies operate and how different departments work together.
South Carolina Business Week
Location: University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business, SC
Cost: $75 application fee (all other costs covered by sponsors)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 13 - 18
Application Deadline: Mid-April
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a 3.0+ GPA.
South Carolina Business Week is a highly subsidized, week-long residential program designed to prepare you for future careers in leadership and entrepreneurship. Hosted at the Darla Moore School of Business, you will interact with faculty and corporate professionals to learn the fundamentals of the American free enterprise system. The program heavily emphasizes team-based projects where you develop scalable business solutions. It is an incredible, low-cost opportunity to build your professional skills, enhance your resume, and experience campus life.
Summer Entrepreneurship Institute at the University of Michigan
Location: University of Michigan-Flint campus, MI
Cost: $50; need-based scholarships are available
Dates: June 16 – June 18
Application Deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
The Summer Entrepreneurship Institute is a three-day program where you examine how a business idea moves from concept to a working venture. During the sessions, you study how entrepreneurs identify opportunities, generate business ideas, and evaluate whether an idea can operate in a real market. Faculty from the School of Management lead discussions on how ventures are developed while local entrepreneurs share how their businesses started and grew. You also visit local businesses, participate in group projects, and present your ideas at the end of the program.
Penn State Business Opportunities Summer Session (BOSS)
Location: Penn State’s University Park campus, PA
Cost: $350
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 14 to 26
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Open only to high school seniors residing in the United States or Puerto Rico.
Penn State’s Business Opportunities Summer Session introduces you to college-level business study through classes in management, marketing, finance, and supply chain. During the program, you attend lectures led by faculty and complete group assignments based on business case scenarios. You work with peers to examine the problem described in the case and present recommendations explaining how the company should respond. Faculty members and current students also discuss academic pathways and careers connected to business studies.
Rising Starters Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
Location: LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, PA
Cost: $500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 21 to July 25
Application Deadline: June 30
Eligibility: Open to high school sophomores, juniors, and rising seniors.
The Rising Starters Entrepreneurship Bootcamp at Drexel University focuses on building a startup idea and preparing it for presentation. During the program, you examine market research, customer discovery, pricing structure, branding, and basic financial planning connected to the venture. Group sessions guide you through testing the idea and refining the business model based on feedback from instructors and entrepreneurs. The program concludes with a presentation where you explain the venture and how it would operate in the market.
The Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy
Location: Stephen M. Ross School of Business, MI
Cost: Varies. Full and partial need-based scholarships are provided.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 70 students
Dates: Session 1: June 7 to June 17 | Session 2: June 21 to July 1
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Must be rising 12th-grade students at the time of the program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Preference is given to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
The Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy is a residential program where you attend classes at the Ross School of Business and study subjects such as accounting, marketing, finance, and strategy. Faculty guide sessions where you examine business cases and discuss how companies respond to competition, financial pressure, and market opportunities. Group projects require you to analyze a scenario and present recommendations based on the information provided. The program also includes sessions that explain college preparation and business education pathways