Free Business Programs for High School Students

Every program on this page costs $0 to attend — cost should never be the reason a strong student skips business opportunities.

Many free programs are more selective than paid ones precisely because they are funded; treat their deadlines seriously.

76 verified programs match this page; 30 of the featured listings are completely free; 11 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Knowledge Matters Virtual Business Challenge — Knowledge Matters: Join this free virtual business competition for high schoolers to manage retail, sports, or restaurant simulations. Build entrepreneurial skills and b
• Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship — Yale Entrepreneurial Society: Master entrepreneurship skills in this free 8-week virtual fellowship for high school students. Build startups, strengthen college applications, and l
• Forbes 30 Under 30 Recognition — Forbes Magazine: Gain national recognition as a high school entrepreneur with Forbes 30 Under 30. Boost college applications and showcase your achievements in business
• Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition — Blue Ocean Global Network: Join the world’s largest virtual pitch competition for high school students. Build entrepreneurship skills, boost your college applications, and showc
• Wharton Investment Competition — Wharton/UPenn: Compete in a global investing competition for high school students. Manage a $100k portfolio, gain real-world finance skills, and boost your college a
• Virtual Enterprise International Business Plan Competition — Virtual Enterprises International: Business plan competition culminating at international finals. Students run simulated companies and pitch to real business judges.
• NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge — Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship: Compete in the NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge to pitch your startup idea, win up to $25,000, and gain hands-on business skills for college and
• Thiel Fellowship Under 20 — Thiel Foundation: $100,000 grant over 2 years to skip college and build a startup. Past fellows have founded companies worth billions. Extremely prestigious for entrepr
• National Economics Challenge (NEC) Nationals — Council for Economic Education: National economics competition with quiz bowl format. Teams advance through state and regional rounds to nationals.
• American Enterprise Institute High School Economics Writing Competition — American Enterprise Institute: Economics essay competition from AEI. Analyze economic policy issues for prizes.
• Tim Draper Utah Entrepreneur Challenge — Lassonde Institute: Compete in the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, a free high school competition that builds business skills, boosts college applications, and offers hands-
• Wharton Global High School Investment Competition National Finalist — Wharton School: Top 10 teams present at Wharton. Build and defend investment portfolio strategy.
• Harvard Business School Summer Venture in Management Program — Harvard Business School: Free HBS program for underrepresented students interested in business. Week-long case method experience at Harvard.
• Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) — Entrepreneurs' Organization: World's premier competition for student entrepreneurs. Regional, national, and global rounds. Cash prizes and mentorship. Validates real business achi
• Goldman Sachs Possibilities Summit — Goldman Sachs: Selective multi-day career exploration program at Goldman Sachs headquarters for high school juniors from underrepresented groups interested in financ
• Yale Bulldogs Investment Fund — Yale University: Student-managed investment fund experience at Yale. Learn portfolio management from Yale finance community.
• Thiel Fellowship (Under 20) — Thiel Foundation: Prestigious $100,000 fellowship for young entrepreneurs under 22 to skip or leave college and pursue startup ideas with two years of funding, mentorsh
• Morgan Stanley Early Insights Program — Morgan Stanley: Selective program introducing underrepresented students to investment banking. Workshops, networking, and mentorship. Strong pathway to finance career
• Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative Challenge — Harvard University: Transform your ideas into impact in this free virtual competition for high school students. Build entrepreneurial skills and boost your college applic
• Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association Essay Competition — Harvard College: International essay competition on economics topics. Winners published in Harvard Economic Review and receive prizes.
• Citadel Data Open Competition — Citadel LLC: Data science competition hosted by leading hedge fund. Demonstrates quantitative skills to elite finance industry employers.
• New Venture Championship (High School Track) — University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business: High school business pitch contest linked to the University of Oregon’s New Venture Championship, focused on entrepreneurship and startups.
• Diamond Challenge National Finalist — University of Delaware: Global HS entrepreneurship competition. Business concept and social venture tracks. $100k+ in prizes.
• Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs — University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship: Global competition empowering high school entrepreneurs to pitch innovative ideas, build startups, and gain hands-on business experience. Perfect for
• 1517 Fund Fellowship — 1517 Fund: Venture capital for young founders. Skip college and build startups.
• Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) National Competition — YEA!: National pitch competition for YEA! entrepreneurs. Students compete with businesses launched through YEA! program.
• JA Titan Business Simulation — Junior Achievement: Run a virtual mobile company in JA Titan's hybrid business simulation. Perfect for grades 9-12 to build entrepreneurship skills, boost college apps, a
• JPMorgan Chase Scholars Program — JPMorgan Chase: Earn a $10k scholarship while gaining finance and business skills through this virtual mentorship program for high school seniors. Boost your college
• Lemonade Day National Competition — Lemonade Day: Empower your entrepreneurial spirit in this hybrid national competition for high school students. Gain hands-on business experience and boost your col
• SIFMA Foundation Stock Market Game National Winner — SIFMA Foundation: National champion of Stock Market Game simulation. Virtual trading competition with real market data.

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