About

Leadership in the Business World (LBW) is Wharton’s flagship pre-college summer program in business and leadership for high school students. Founded in 1999, it runs four weeks each summer on the University of Pennsylvania campus. LBW is designed for rising seniors with a strong interest in business, finance, and entrepreneurship. LBW is far from cheap—tuition is north of $11,000—but need-based financial aid is available and the program is popular enough that it could fill its openings many times over.

LBW admits roughly 120 students each year from a highly competitive applicant pool, with an estimated acceptance rate of about 20% or less. Applicants must be rising seniors and can apply from both the U.S. and abroad. Admission requires essays, transcripts, teacher recommendations, and evidence of leadership and academic achievement.

Over four weeks, students take Wharton-taught classes in management, finance, and leadership while working on team-based projects. A hallmark of the program is the “venture project,” in which teams develop business plans and present them in a final pitch competition judged by Wharton faculty and business professionals. Beyond academics, LBW includes company site visits, guest speakers, and leadership workshops.

LBW is widely recognized as one of the premier business summer programs for high school students interested in economics, entrepreneurship, finance, or business administration. While it does not offer opportunities for original research and is expensive for many families, it has a far more solid academic reputation than most of the business programs available to high-schoolers, and its acceptance rates reflect that.