For students exploring business-related majors, finance internships give you early exposure to professional environments where numbers, strategy, and decision-making intersect. You learn how financial concepts such as budgeting, valuation, data analysis, and risk show up in day-to-day work. Just as importantly, internships help you develop soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving that colleges and employers care about.
Why choose Philadelphia for a finance internship?
Philadelphia offers a rare mix of established financial institutions, growing startups, and mission-driven organizations, all within a compact, student-friendly city. Home to major banks, accounting firms, healthcare systems, real estate developers, and one of the country’s strongest university ecosystems, Philly gives students access to finance experiences across industries. Many programs are designed specifically for local high school students, with options that are paid, free, or scholarship-supported. The city’s strong nonprofit and public-sector presence also means you can explore finance through community development, public policy, and social impact, not just traditional corporate roles.
Below, we’ve curated 10 finance internships for high school students in Philadelphia, including some internship-adjacent pipelines and pre-professional finance training. If you want to explore related opportunities, you can also check out our guides to 14 Economics Programs for High School Students in California and 14 Summer Marketing Internships for High School Students
10 Finance Internships for High School Students in Philadelphia
1. NAIOP-Drexel Summer Real Estate Program
Location: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: July 12 – 21
Application Deadline: February 20
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are first-generation and/or low-income students with a demonstrated interest in commercial real estate
This 10-day residential program introduces you to the financial and strategic side of commercial real estate through an immersive, case-study-driven experience on Drexel’s campus. You’ll explore how real estate finance, development, investment, construction, and brokerage intersect, guided by Drexel faculty, industry mentors, and senior professionals from the Philadelphia real estate ecosystem. The program blends classroom learning with site visits to major developments across the city, giving you a practical look at how large-scale projects are financed and executed. While this is structured as a residential pre-college program rather than a formal internship, it provides direct exposure to real estate finance, industry professionals, and project-based financial analysis within Philadelphia’s commercial ecosystem.
2. Management & Technology Summer Institute (M&TSI) – University of Pennsylvania
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $9,000 (need-based scholarships available; non-refundable $100 application fee)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 75 students (highly selective)
Program Dates: July 5 – July 25
Application Deadline: Priority: January 28 | Final: March 25
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors with strong academic performance and leadership experience
M&TSI is an intensive, three-week, for-credit program that sits at the intersection of technology, management, and finance. You’ll take fast-paced courses taught by Wharton and Penn Engineering faculty while learning how technological ideas are evaluated, developed, and brought to market. A major component of the program is a team-based prototyping project in which you design a high-tech venture and develop a go-to-market strategy that integrates financial analysis, product development, and management principles. You’ll present your work to Penn faculty and receive feedback from entrepreneurs and investors, gaining exposure to how ideas are assessed in real-world business settings. Although M&TSI is designed more as an academic program than a workplace internship, it earns its place through its applied venture design projects and deep integration of finance, market evaluation, and investment strategy.
3. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Bank of America partner nonprofits across the U.S. (including eligible Philadelphia-area placements)
Stipend: Paid internship
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective; 300 students nationwide
Program Dates: 8 weeks, typically June–August (includes a national summit in late July)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors; first-time applicants; legally authorized to work in the U.S.; must live in an eligible market
The Bank of America Student Leaders Program places you in a paid summer internship with a local nonprofit, where you gain firsthand exposure to how organizations manage budgets, allocate resources, and drive community impact. You’ll work on real projects related to operations, program delivery, and nonprofit finance while developing leadership and workplace skills. A key highlight is the week-long Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., where you connect with students from across the country and learn how business, government, and nonprofits intersect to shape economic and social change. Throughout the program, you also build financial literacy and professional skills through Bank of America–led training and mentorship. This experience is especially valuable if you’re interested in finance, public policy, or socially driven business careers.
4. CLA High School Internship Program
Location: Select CLA offices across the U.S. (including eligible Philadelphia-area offices)
Stipend: Paid internship
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Competitive; 60–70 students
Program Dates: 4 weeks between June and August
Application Deadline: Late April or May
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–18 who are authorized to work in the U.S.
The CLA High School Internship is a four-week, paid career-discovery program designed to demystify the world of professional services. Rather than performing independent accounting work, interns participate in a structured “internship-as-a-classroom” model. You will experience a professional office setting, learning the “language of business” through practical simulations, team projects, and direct shadowing of CLA professionals. The program emphasizes essential skills like mastering Excel for business data, understanding fundamentals of tax and audit, and enhancing professional communication.
5. URBN Home Office Internship Program
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Paid; competitive hourly wage
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Exact cohort size not published
Program Dates: June 1 – August 7
Application Deadline: November 3
Eligibility: Students authorized to work in the U.S. (primarily college-level; high school eligibility not explicitly stated)
URBN’s Home Office Internship places you inside the business operations of brands like Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People at their Philadelphia headquarters. Over ten weeks, you work within a specific business function, such as finance, analytics, merchandising support, or operations, while learning how a large retail organization runs day to day. In addition to your role, you participate in intern events, leadership sessions, and site visits that provide context for URBN’s broader business strategy. The program offers a realistic view of corporate finance and business roles in the retail industry.
6. Accounting Finance Business Initiative (AFBI) Summer Residency Program
Location: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Free; full scholarship provided
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Exact cohort size not published
Program Dates: June 22 – 27
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum 2.5 GPA; designed for first-generation and/or low-income students interested in accounting, finance, business, or technology
The AFBI Summer Residency is a one-week, fully funded residential program that introduces you to accounting, finance, and business. This program functions more as a structured residency than a traditional internship, but students visit accounting firms and corporations, work through collaborative case studies, and gain a realistic sense of what careers in these fields entail. The program emphasizes teamwork, professional communication, and early college readiness, helping you understand how business disciplines connect to real workplaces. Beyond the residency, AFBI includes year-round support and mentorship to keep you engaged as you prepare for higher education. The experience concludes with a recognition and scholarship banquet that brings together students, families, and industry partners, reinforcing both achievement and community.
7. Wharton Global Youth Program: Financial Decision Making
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,099
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: June 15 – 26 | July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: Priority: January 28 | Final: Rolling admission
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
This intensive two-week program helps you build next-generation financial decision-making skills by grounding everyday choices in core economic and finance principles. You study personal finance, financial markets, banking, and the broader economy through real datasets, case studies, and applied analysis. The curriculum, developed by Wharton professor David Musto, emphasizes risk, return, and long-term wealth building while sharpening quantitative reasoning through Excel. You also examine ethical trade-offs in finance and how policy, inflation, and interest rates shape real outcomes. While fully virtual and not a typical internship placement, this program builds foundational financial literacy and offers mentorship pathways that can lead to internship opportunities. Successful participants earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
8. Wharton Global Youth Program: Essentials of Finance
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $8,299
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: June 7–19 | June 21 – July 3 | July 12 – 25 | July 26 – August 8
Application Deadline: Priority: January 28 | Final: March 18
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11
Essentials of Finance is a two-week, college-level summer program that introduces you to the core ideas shaping modern finance, from personal money decisions to corporate valuation. You study concepts like the time value of money, risk and return, equities, fixed income, and capital structure through Wharton-designed lectures, real-world case studies, and collaborative group work. Though classroom-based rather than employer-based, this program develops analytical finance skills using real datasets and decision-making simulations that mirror professional financial environments. Beyond the classroom, you attend the Wharton Global Youth Speaker Series and participate in residential campus life, building analytical, communication, and teamwork skills while earning a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion
9. Economics Academy (University of Pennsylvania)
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $10,050; scholarships available for select Philadelphia students
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: July 11 – August 1
Application Deadline: Typically in May
Eligibility: Current 9th–11th grade students with minimum GPA of 3.3; international students welcome (B-2/Tourist visa required)
Economics Academy is a three-week, residential summer program that introduces you to how economic ideas shape real-world policy, markets, and global decision-making. You study core concepts such as scarcity, market structures, competition, monopolies, and market failures, using current international examples rather than heavy math. Through daily lectures, workshops, and small-group discussions, you learn to apply economic models to news, workplace scenarios, and public policy debates. A major focus of the program is a group-based capstone project in which you analyze a real-world economic challenge facing a country and propose evidence-based solutions. With field trips, guest speakers, and full immersion in Penn’s campus life, the program offers a practical, discussion-driven introduction to economics as an academic field and career pathway.
10. Wharton Global Youth Program: Leadership in the Business World (LBW)
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $11,899
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; ~120 students per session
Dates: June 7 – 27 | June 28 – July 18 | July 19 – August 8
Application Deadline: Priority: January 28 | Final: March 18
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students with a minimum 3.5 unweighted GPA and demonstrated leadership experience; international students welcome
Leadership in the Business World is a three-week, immersive Wharton summer program designed to introduce you to undergraduate-level business education through a leadership lens. You explore core topics such as management theory, organizational behavior, and competitive strategy while learning how companies make real-world decisions. The program is built around team-based projects, simulations, debates, and case studies that teach you to analyze businesses using frameworks such as SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and value chain analysis. You collaborate closely with peers to research a publicly listed company and develop strategic recommendations grounded in data. While LBW is not a traditional internship, it earns its place through applied corporate analysis projects and exposure to business strategy frameworks central to financial decision-making.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like financial modelling and economics, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – Drexel University