At the NSLC on Business & Entrepreneurship, high school students experience realistic simulations that let them see and feel what it’s like to start, manage and build a company. Working with your peers, you will tackle the challenges of a start-up – from idea generation to securing financing, to launching your business. By the end of the program you will understand how to turn a great idea into a business plan, perfect your elevator pitch and land the all-important angel investor.
Program Highlights
Pitch a new product
Create a business plan and develop a marketing and advertising strategy for your team's new business idea - then present it to a panel of venture capitalists.
Marketing essentials
Learn strategies to evaluate your competition, competitively price your product, and utilize the latest channels to reach your consumer.
Become a corporate stakeholder
Navigate the needs and challenges of a growing business, with each of your team's decisions affecting the success of your company.
Fundamentals of business
Workshops in finance, management, accounting, ethics, pricing economics, and marketing equip you with the knowledge every entrepreneur needs.
Dates & Locations
Note: Space is limited. Please login to the online application to see up-to-date session availability.

Duke University
- July 5 - July 13
- July 17 - July 25
The NSLC is not sponsored by Duke University.

Northwestern University
- June 24 - July 2
- July 6 - July 14

University of California, Berkeley
- June 23 - July 1
- July 5 - July 13

Yale University
- June 24 - July 2
- July 6 - July 14
- July 17 - July 25
The NSLC is not sponsored by Yale University.
Hands-on Simulations
Our business program for high school students uses an interactive approach to learning that gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself in the challenging complexities of the business world. You and your team will experience the ups and downs of running your own company during a realistic simulation used by students at many of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities. You will control the fortunes of your company as you make decisions in finance, production, research and development, human resources and marketing.
Our college-level lecture series will give you a foundation of knowledge that is vital for your success.
Topics include:
- Creating a Business Plan
- Accounting and Finance
- Personnel and Human Resource Management
- Marketing and Corporate Strategies
- Financing the Entrepreneurial Venture
Meet Business Professionals
While at the NSLC’s business summer program for high school students, you will meet with and learn from leaders in the business world. In past years, NSLC students have heard from special guest speakers including top executives from companies and organizations such as Verizon, US Airways, AES Corporation, Lockheed Martin, the Business Roundtable and the New York Stock Exchange.
Examples of past guest speakers include:
Steven Rogers
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School
Craig Wortman
Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship, Kellogg School of Management
Anna Cabral
Former Treasurer of the United States
David Beckerman
Founder, Starter Athletic Brand
Megan Kashner
Professor and Director of Social Impact, Kellogg School of Management
Shawn Miles
Executive Vice President, Mastercard Global
Ryan Panchadsaram
Former U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer, the White House
Pallav Agrawal
Lead Data Scientist, Levi Strauss & Co.
Lina Scroggins
Program Manager, Corporate Engineering at Google
Behind-the-Scenes Tours
An important part of the NSLC’s business summer program for high school students is seeing the sites around some of our nation’s greatest cities. These trips are designed as both sightseeing tours and exclusive educational trips specifically tailored to the area of Business.
These trips may include:
Duke University
Black Wall Street | American Tobacco Campus | Durham Farmer's Market | West Campus
Northwestern University
Federal Reserve Bank and Money Museum | McDonald's Corporate headquarters | Magnificant Mile | Navy Pier
University of California, Berkeley
PayPal Park | Federal Reserve Bank | The Tech Interactive | UC Berkeley Haas School of Business | Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square | Pier 39
Yale University
Yale School of Management | Yale Entrepreneurial Institute | Corporate Site Visit | Times Square | Rockefeller Center
Leadership Training
At the heart of the NSLC is a leadership curriculum designed to build concrete leadership skills that will help you succeed. Interactive lectures and small-group workshops will give you an opportunity to build upon your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
Leadership topics tailored to Entrepreneurship & Business include:
- Personality Styles and Group Dynamics
- Conflict Resolution
- Negotiation
- Public Speaking
- Intrapersonal Communication
College Credit Option
American University (AU) and NSLC have a unique partnership that enables you to earn college credit by enrolling in a supplemental online course designed to correlate with your NSLC program’s area of study. By enrolling in this credit course, you will enjoy a stimulating, innovative, and personalized college-level learning experience that builds on your NSLC accomplishments. The course is for one credit and is taught in a self-paced, asynchronous format across six weeks, allowing ample time to complete assignments. The course is designed to work within the framework of NSLC; students are not expected to complete coursework while on campus. Students may register for college credit via their personal student portal (myNSLC) once they have enrolled in an NSLC session.
Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Tuition
Program tuition includes housing, all on-campus meals, course materials, academic expenses, and activities. Tuition also includes chartered, air-conditioned motor coaches for off-campus briefings and tours. Note: Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the program as well as individual spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and a few off-campus meals during fields trips and tours.
Click here to view our cancellation and refund policy.
Location | Tuition |
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Chicago, Durham, and San Francisco | $3,695 |
New Haven | $3,795 |