9 Business Internships for High School Students in Michigan

If you are a high school student interested in business, an internship can be a worthwhile way to explore the field. Internships help you build early professional experience while clarifying your academic and career interests. You can strengthen your college applications with practical experience and develop transferable skills. Business internships for high school students allow you to explore how concepts such as finance, management, marketing, and strategy operate in organizations.

What business internships are available for high school students in Michigan?

Business internships in Michigan are offered in a variety of formats, including in-person placements, structured internship programs, and skill-focused experiences. Through these opportunities, you may contribute to projects involving research, data analysis, operations support, or financial simulations while learning how professional teams collaborate. 

To help you get started, we’ve put together 9 business internships for high school students in Michigan!

1. Bank of America Student Leaders Program

Location: Various locations nationwide, including Michigan
Stipend: $11/hour; stipend varies depending on the location
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~300 students annually
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors from an eligible location

The Bank of America Student Leaders Program places you in a paid internship with a nonprofit partner, where you engage in substantive work that supports community needs and organizational operations. Over the internship period, you’ll gain exposure to professional workplace routines and project contributions that build professional skills, such as collaborating with colleagues, planning tasks, and communicating updates. Alongside hands-on work, the program incorporates leadership development experiences that explore how business and civic systems work together. Through regular responsibilities and structured interactions, you practice skills such as time management, professional communication, and adaptive problem-solving. 

2. Ladder Internships

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on the program; financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Several cohorts available
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort
Eligibility: High school students

Ladder Internships connects high school students with startups and early-stage companies to work on actual work projects with real-world impact. During the internship, you’ll spend regular hours on a weekly basis collaborating with company leaders on tasks such as market research, strategy development, technical builds, or other deliverables related to key business objectives. The program includes preparatory training and building ongoing connections with mentors to support professional growth and workplace communication. After an initial matching process, you choose or help shape your project based on your interests, making your work align with your skills and goals. Apply now! 

3. Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT)

Location: Detroit, MI
Stipend: Provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June - August
Application Deadline: Not provided
Eligibility: Detroit residents aged 14 - 24 years

GDYT is a city-wide initiative that matches Detroit youth for six-week summer jobs and internships with local employers. Many placements are specifically business-related, including roles in office administration, retail management, and marketing for Detroit-based small businesses and major corporations. Before starting your job, you’ll complete work readiness training to build a foundation in professional behavior and workplace expectations. This business internship for high school students is designed to bridge the gap between school and the professional world through direct entry-level work. 

4. Bloomberg Arts Internship

Location: Detroit, MI
Cost/Stipend: Provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~30 interns
Dates: 7 - 8 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Typically in March
Eligibility: Rising seniors attending a public or charter school in Detroit

Although arts-focused, this program offers professional business internships for high school students in Michigan that place them in administrative and marketing roles at Detroit’s cultural organizations. You will spend three days a week on-site performing tasks such as social media management, event planning, and donor research. The remaining two days are dedicated to professional development, where you learn resume writing, public speaking, and college preparation. It is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and follows a rigorous corporate structure designed to prepare students for the creative economy. The experience concludes with a final presentation on the business impact of your summer projects.

5. General Motors Student Corps (GMSC)

Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Stipend: $15/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 8 students per team
Dates: Summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students at participating Metro Detroit high schools

The GM Student Corps is a structured summer internship where high school teams work alongside GM retirees and college interns to manage community-focused service projects. While the output is community-focused, the internship operates like a business unit where you are responsible for project management, budgeting, and resource allocation. You receive formal training in business etiquette, financial literacy, and professional communication through weekly life-skills sessions. The program provides an opportunity for high school students in Michigan to be part of an official GM payroll as salaried employees while receiving direct mentorship from corporate leaders.

6. DTE Energy Summer Youth Internship

Location: Detroit, MI, and other Michigan centers
Stipend: Provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Varies depending on the internship
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the internship
Eligibility: High school seniors pursuing a college degree 

DTE offers a professional internship track for high school students to work in corporate departments such as customer service, human resources, and information technology. You’ll be given responsibilities such as supporting project coordinators or assisting with administrative business workflows. The program emphasizes professional development through weekly sessions that focus on time management and corporate communication. You’ll gain a deep understanding of how a large utility company operates as a corporate entity while building your professional network.

7. Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency (MARESA) Internship Program

Location: Multiple locations in Michigan
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies depending on the placement
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school seniors

This program provides structured internships for 6 -10 hours/week within local business agencies matched to your career interests. You’ll work under the direct supervision of business site employees in fields such as insurance, real estate, and municipal government administration. The experience emphasizes workplace skills such as professional communication, task follow-through, and observing how different business roles function on a daily basis. The application process is rigorous, requiring a formal interview with the program coordinator and the business site. It focuses on developing specific technical skills within a professional office environment rather than general observation.

8. Michigan Ross MREACH (Enriching Academics in Collaboration with High Schools)

Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Monthly sessions from August to April
Application Deadline: July 15
Eligibility: 10th and 11th-grade students with a minimum GPA of 43.0

MREACH is an academic-year mentorship program for high school students that provides professional development and business exposure. You will attend Saturday sessions at the Ross campus in Michigan, where you will receive mentorship from current BBA and MBA students. The curriculum focuses on building a business foundation, including workshops on resume building, business communication, and SAT preparation. It is particularly focused on supporting students from diverse backgrounds and resource-limited households to prepare them for competitive business school applications.

9. UM-Flint Summer Entrepreneurship Institute

Location: University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, MI
Cost: $50 (scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 16 - 18
Application Deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors

This three-day institute is an intensive business bootcamp held at the UM-Flint School of Management. You will participate in interactive faculty-led lectures on opportunity recognition and new business ideas. The schedule includes field trips to visit local entrepreneurial businesses and guest speaker sessions with successful Michigan business owners. It is specifically designed to help students decide if a business degree is the right pathway for their college career through hands-on team projects.