Finance Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 59 finance programs for high school students. Of these, 26 are free to participate in and 36 offer virtual participation. Examples include Actuarial Boot Camp (Connecticut Insurance & Financial Services), Actuarial Science Camp (Lebanon Valley College), and Bank of America Financial Skills Challenge.
- 59
- listed
- 26
- free
- 36
- virtual
- 59
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are finance programs for high school students?
- Finance Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in finance. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- Are any of these programs free?
- Yes — 26 of the 59 programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 36 of the 59 programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are finance programs good for a college application?
- Yes — finance programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in finance on college applications.
59 activities found·Browse by category
Actuarial Boot Camp (Connecticut Insurance & Financial Services)
A multi-day boot camp in Hartford, CT for high school seniors and college freshmen interested in actuarial careers, featuring math and statistics instruction, exam-prep resources, networking with practicing actuaries, and an optional job shadow.
Actuarial Science Camp (Lebanon Valley College)
A weeklong residential summer camp at Lebanon Valley College for rising high school seniors with strong math skills, featuring instruction in actuarial software and concepts, sessions with practicing actuaries, and student presentations to help students decide if actuarial work fits their interests.
Bank of America Financial Skills Challenge
A free online financial simulation game, developed with Stock-Trak, in which middle and high school students progress through college and early-career life stages while learning to budget, build savings, manage credit, and file taxes.
Boston Global Investment Competition (BGIC)
An international stock-pitching competition judged by hedge fund managers and Wall Street professionals, where middle and high schoolers research companies and present investment ideas in a live final round.
Diamond Challenge
A global entrepreneurship competition from the University of Delaware's Horn Entrepreneurship in which teams of 2-4 high schoolers pitch a Business Innovation or Social Innovation venture, competing for over $100,000 in prizes at the Limitless World Summit.
Discover Actuarial Science (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
A free three-day residential program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for high school sophomores and juniors with strong math skills, in which student teams solve a real-world business problem using actuarial methods and meet practicing actuaries at their workplaces.
Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital (William & Mary Pre-College Online)
A fully online William & Mary pre-college course, taught by a clinical professor and executive director at the Mason School of Business, in which students ages 13 and up study how startups raise capital and the venture-capital ecosystem, culminating in a recorded pitch deck for seed-stage funding and a Certificate of Completion.
EVERFI Financial Literacy for High School
A free, standards-aligned digital course series covering saving, credit, investing, and digital banking through scenario-based learning modules. Funded by community business partners and used by schools nationwide, including in California, as a self-paced classroom or homework resource.
FBLA Personal Finance (Competitive Event)
National objective-test competitive event within Future Business Leaders of America where students demonstrate knowledge of budgeting, saving, credit, and investing.
FEE Seminar Series
Seminars held throughout the year by the Foundation for Economic Education that introduce high school and college students to free-market economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship principles, with programming and travel typically covered for accepted students.
Finance Institute: Wall Street in the Classroom (Fordham Gabelli)
A summer program at Fordham's Gabelli School of Business on its Rose Hill campus in which high schoolers considering finance study financial markets, stocks and bonds, alternative investments, risk management, and industry ethics and trends.
Finance NYC: An Insider's View (NYU High School Academy)
An NYU School of Professional Studies High School Academy course that gives students an insider's look at New York City's finance industry, covering markets, careers, and financial decision-making.
Financial Football (Visa / Practical Money Skills)
Free, NFL-themed interactive game teaching budgeting, credit, saving, and investing through fast-paced football-trivia gameplay.
Howard University High School Summer Enrichment Program – Actuarial Science Track
A residential summer program at Howard University's School of Business for rising high school juniors and seniors interested in mathematics, statistics, and data-driven decision making, covering actuarial science fundamentals and career exposure.
Howard University Pre-Business Program
A two-week residential summer program at Howard University's School of Business where high school sophomores and juniors choose a track such as finance, accounting, or entrepreneurship for early exposure to business majors.
International Finance Olympiad (IFO)
A free, fully online global competition for pre-collegiate students that tests financial and economic analysis skills through a Global Grand Test and, for finalists, a case-based test plus a video case analysis presentation.
Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge
A national financial literacy initiative in which middle and high school classes complete an interactive one-hour online game covering credit and budgeting decisions during an annual spring challenge window, competing for school-level recognition and prizes.
Invest in Girls - Financial Foundations
A free financial education program that partners with high schools nationwide to teach girls and gender-expansive students personal finance and investing through live online courses, culminating in an optional mentorship program with women in finance.
Invest It Forward (SIFMA Foundation)
Program pairing finance-industry volunteers with classrooms running The Stock Market Game, giving students direct mentorship and career exposure.
Investment Banking Fundamentals (NYU SPS High School Academy)
An intensive in-person summer course through NYU School of Professional Studies' High School Academy in which students who have completed grades 9-11 study the origins of investment banking, trading strategies, IPOs, and mergers and acquisitions.
Investments, Financial Planning & You (UC Irvine Merage)
A commuter summer program at UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business in which high schoolers study wealth creation, asset allocation, and technical and fundamental analysis through case studies and simulations, culminating in a personal wealth-management capstone presentation.
Ithaca College High School Investment Competition
A free virtual stock market simulation in which teams of high schoolers nationwide manage a simulated $1 million portfolio on the StockTrak platform for cash prizes.
JA Finance Park (Junior Achievement of Northern California)
Hands-on personal finance simulation in which high schoolers choose a career and lifestyle, then build and defend a real-world household budget covering income, credit, saving, and risk.
JA Finance Park Advanced
Junior Achievement's capstone personal-finance simulation for high schoolers, in which students take on an adult persona with a randomized career and life scenario and build a monthly budget at an on-site or virtual Finance Park, following teacher-led classroom lessons.
Jump$tart Reality Check
Free interactive online tool helping students calculate the income and career path needed to support the adult lifestyle they envision.
Jump$tart Student Honor Society
National recognition program honoring high schoolers who demonstrate strong personal finance knowledge and have taught financial literacy to peers.
Midwest High School Scholars Analytics Academy
A one-week Illinois State University summer academy (running since the mid-1990s) for academically strong high schoolers from underrepresented groups, introducing insurance, actuarial science, and data-driven problem solving.
Morgan Stanley Finance Academy
A highly selective, free five-month virtual career-development program for U.S. high school seniors featuring biweekly sessions, mentorship from Morgan Stanley professionals, and a capstone project simulating a real client finance scenario.
NABA Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP)
A free, week-long residential summer program from the National Association of Black Accountants held on partner college campuses, in which high school students attend workshops on accounting, finance, and entrepreneurship, tour accounting firms, and receive year-round mentoring, with tuition, housing, and materials fully sponsored.
National Academy Foundation – Academy of Finance
Career academy within participating high schools teaching finance, banking, and entrepreneurship, requiring an 80+ hour internship and earning NAFTrack Certification.
National JA Stock Market Challenge
A Junior Achievement competition in which teams of high schoolers who have completed the JA Take Stock in Your Future curriculum simulate 90 days of stock trading in 90 minutes, with top teams advancing to an in-person final in Boston.
NGPF PAYBACK Challenge
An annual national challenge from Next Gen Personal Finance in which high school students play the PAYBACK college-simulation game and then write an essay or make a video on applying what they learned to future financial decisions, competing for scholarship prizes.
Notre Dame Pre-College Online - Business & Finance
A self-paced online pre-college course from the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business covering finance and business fundamentals for students as young as age 13, requiring no transcripts or recommendation letters to enroll.
NSLC International Business & Finance
A 9- to 12-day residential NSLC summer program held at Columbia, UC Berkeley, or the University of Oxford in which high schoolers analyze global markets, design supply chains, and study firm valuation through simulations and field trips to sites like Wall Street and London's financial district.
NYIF Young Finance Scholar
A live virtual finance program from the New York Institute of Finance for students ages 15-18 covering micro/macroeconomics, company financial analysis, Wall Street fundamentals, and sustainable finance, taught by Wall Street professionals including CFA charterholders.
Redbird Risk Management Challenge
A free week-long residential program at Illinois State University's Katie School of Insurance and Risk Management where high school seniors form teams to manage a simulated corporation through risk scenarios, learning actuarial and risk-management fundamentals; next held in 2027.
SIFMA Foundation Capitol Hill Challenge
A national investing competition, now in its third decade, that pairs members of Congress with public middle and high schools in their districts; student teams manage a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other assets, with priority given to Title I schools.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Introduction to Finance and Banking
Two-week live-online Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes course introducing students to financial systems, investing fundamentals, and the role of banks and markets.
Stevens Trading Day
A two-part stock market competition from the Stevens Institute of Technology in which high school sophomores and juniors manage a simulated equities portfolio online, with top performers invited to trade live on Bloomberg terminals at Stevens' Hoboken campus.
Stevens Trading Day Competition
A combined virtual-and-in-person investing competition where high school sophomores and juniors trade in a month-long simulator before the top portfolios compete live using Bloomberg terminals at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Summer Academy of Actuarial and Mathematical Sciences (SAAMS) – Morgan State University
A free, four-week hybrid summer academy for rising high school juniors and seniors interested in mathematics, actuarial science, or computer science, combining virtual coursework with an on-campus residential final week, career development, and a stipend for participants.
Teen Investor Cup
An online guided investing competition in which students in grades 8-12 manage a simulated $100,000 portfolio over several weeks, with optional coaching calls and cash prizes for top performers.
The Stock Market Game
National online investing simulation in which students manage a virtual $100,000 portfolio of stocks, bonds, and funds using real market data over a multi-week session.
Top Trader Stock Market Competition (UT Dallas)
A fully online summer stock and ETF trading competition hosted by UT Dallas's Naveen Jindal School of Management, in which high schoolers invest $1 million in virtual currency and compete for a cash prize pool.
US Junior Investment Challenge (USJIC)
A summer investing competition for students from grade school through high school, aiming to build awareness of personal finance and investing through hands-on team competition and free educational resources.
USC Pre-College Introduction to Business
A USC summer pre-college course in which high schoolers study marketing, operations, finance, and leadership, visit local companies like Warner Bros. and SoFi Stadium, and complete a capstone case-competition analysis of a real company.
USF Bulls Finance Camp
A five-day summer camp at the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business where students entering grades 9-12 learn personal finance, investments, corporate finance, and FinTech from faculty and USF Federal Credit Union experts, including hands-on Bloomberg terminal training.
Wake Forest Finance and Investing Institute
A residential summer institute on Wake Forest University's Reynolda Campus in which high schoolers study stock market fundamentals, financial statement analysis, and investment risk while touring financial institutions and competing in a mock investment competition.
Wall Street 101 (Bentley University Pre-College)
A competitive, experiential Bentley University pre-college program for rising high school juniors and seniors interested in global finance and investing, featuring case analyses, interactive trading simulations, and presentations from Wall Street professionals in small classes led by Bentley finance faculty.
WashU Olin Gateway to Business
A hybrid pre-collegiate program combining virtual sessions with a week-long residential stay at Washington University's Olin Business School, where rising juniors and seniors earn college credit while learning business fundamentals and leadership skills.
Wharton Essentials of Finance
An on-campus Wharton Global Youth Program summer course for high schoolers covering fundamentals of personal and corporate finance, including the time value of money, risk-return trade-offs, equities, and corporate accounting.
Wharton Global Youth Investment Competition
A free 10-week investment challenge in which teams of high schoolers use Wharton's stock simulator and a real business case study to build and defend a portfolio strategy, with top teams presenting at a finale in Philadelphia.
Wharton Moneyball Academy
A three-week on-campus Wharton Global Youth Program for rising high school juniors and seniors that teaches statistical thinking and sports analytics, using data-driven decision-making methods drawn from finance and applied statistics.
Wharton Online: Financial Decision Making
A Wharton Global Youth Program online course that teaches high schoolers how to apply financial reasoning to real-world personal and business decisions through short, self-paced lessons.
Wharton Online: Understanding Investing
A Wharton Global Youth Program online course covering the fundamentals of investing and portfolio management for high schoolers, taught through self-paced video lessons and applied exercises.
Wharton Online: Understanding Your Money
A Wharton Global Youth Program online course introducing high schoolers to personal finance basics such as budgeting, saving, and credit, delivered through self-paced video lessons.
Young Investors Challenge
A free online investing competition open to US and Canadian students 21 and under, in which participants manage a simulated $100,000 stock portfolio over a 10-week period using live market data, competing for cash prizes across age divisions.
Young Investors Society Dollar-A-Day Challenge
Hands-on savings and investing challenge where students open a custodial brokerage account, invest $1/day, and can earn matching scholarship grants.
Young Investors Society Global Stock Pitch Competition
A global investing competition where high school students or pairs research a publicly traded company and submit a written stock pitch, presentation, and video, with top teams presenting at a New York City summit before finance professionals.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.