11 Economics Winter Programs for High School Students
If you’re a high school student interested in exploring economics, winter programs are a great way to dive into the subject without spending too much time or money. These programs give you the chance to apply what you learn in class to practical situations, build skills like data analysis and problem-solving, and even get a glimpse into how economics connects to industries, business, and public policy. You’ll also get to meet professors, professionals, and other students who share your interests, connections that can be helpful as you start planning your future.
One of the benefits of winter programs is that they’re shorter than summer ones, so you can fit them in during your school break while still getting a high-quality experience. Many are run by top universities and well-known organizations, which means you’ll be learning from experts and gaining exposure to academic and professional insight.
To help you find the right opportunity, we’ve rounded up 15 economics winter programs for high school students.
1. Veritas AI's AI+ Finance Deep Dive
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program type
Acceptance rate/cohort size: There is no information available
Dates: Multiple 10-week cohorts throughout the year (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter)
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), Winter (November). You can apply to the program here.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students interested in the intersection of AI and finance.
If you’re fascinated by how artificial intelligence is transforming the financial world, the AI + Finance Deep Dive at Veritas AI is a great fit. Founded and led by Harvard graduate students, Veritas AI helps high schoolers explore how machine learning models can predict market trends and financial outcomes. You’ll attend engaging lectures, walk through code demonstrations, and apply AI techniques to analyze financial data and forecast stock prices. The program emphasizes hands-on learning, where you will build and test your own predictive models using historical financial data. Students gain both technical and analytical skills that can strengthen future college applications, especially for majors like economics, computer science, or data science.
2. University of Cambridge – Foundations of Finance
Location: Online
Cost: Free to audit; $299 USD for verified track with graded assessments and certificate
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: October 10 – January 25
Application Deadline: Rolling admission
Eligibility: Open to all learners
If you’re curious about how money works in modern economies or are considering a future in business or economics, the Foundations of Finance course from the University of Cambridge offers a clear and practical introduction to key financial concepts. You’ll explore topics like money and capital, cash flow forecasting, financial reporting, interest and return, and risk management, all through case studies and interviews with finance professionals. The course combines academic rigor with accessible explanations, making it suitable even if you’ve never studied finance before. Since it’s self-paced, you can complete it on your own schedule while earning a certificate from Cambridge to showcase on your résumé or college applications.
3. Lumiere's Economics Track
Location: Remote (open to students worldwide)
Cost/Stipend: cost varies based on cohort; need-based financial aid is offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year — Spring (March–June), Summer (June–August), Fall (September–December), and Winter (December–February)
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), Winter (November)
Eligibility: Current high school students with strong academic records (average unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher); no prior economics or research experience required
If you’re curious about how markets, policies, and human behavior interact to shape the global economy, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program – Economics Track offers a unique opportunity to dive deep into these questions through hands-on research. You’ll be matched 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor from a top university to develop your own independent research project in economics or a related area such as behavioral economics, development economics, or financial policy. Over 12 weeks (or longer, for extended options), you’ll learn how to form research questions, analyze data, and produce a scholarly paper by the end of the program. This experience not only strengthens your critical thinking and quantitative skills but also helps you demonstrate authentic intellectual curiosity on college applications.
4. Politics of Law & Economics (PLE)
Location: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Cost: $6,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 12%
Dates: Rolling
Application Deadline: January 7
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors
If you’re curious about how governments, markets, and laws work together to shape societies, the Politics of Law & Economics (PLE) session at Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) offers a dynamic way to explore these connections. The program combines lectures, discussions, and case studies led by Yale faculty and guest experts, giving you a chance to engage with ideas in governance, justice, and economics. You’ll take part in debates, simulations, and collaborative projects that sharpen your analytical and problem-solving skills. Through topics like AI regulation, inequality, and sustainable growth, the session encourages you to examine complex global systems from multiple perspectives. The experience helps you think more deeply about how power, policy, and economic decisions shape the world and your role within it.
5. Cornell University Winter Session – Economics Courses
Location: Online
Cost: $1,940 per credit hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: January 2–17
Application Deadline: October 15
Eligibility: Open to high school students
Cornell University’s Winter Session offers intensive, three-week online courses taught by Cornell faculty, including popular options in economics such as Introductory Microeconomics (ECON 1110), Introductory Macroeconomics (ECON 1120), and Networks (ECON 2040). These asynchronous classes let you earn up to four credits in a short period while exploring foundational and interdisciplinary topics in economics. You’ll study how markets work, what drives national income and growth, and how network structures influence social and economic systems, all through Cornell’s rigorous academic framework. Courses are structured for focused engagement, with close access to Cornell faculty and opportunities to build analytical and critical thinking skills. All students receive official Cornell University transcripts upon completion.
6. Columbia University Pre-College Program – Introduction to Finance & Investment Management
Location: Online
Cost: $2,815
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; maximum enrollment of 22 students per section
Dates: January 23 to March 29
Application Deadline: October 29
Eligibility: Open to high school students enrolled in Columbia’s Pre-College Program
Columbia University’s Pre-College course Introduction to Finance & Investment Management offers high school students a rigorous overview of how financial systems and markets operate. You’ll learn key concepts such as interest rates, compound interest, time value of money, and risk-return tradeoffs, foundations that underpin all of modern finance. The course also covers stock and bond valuation, the function of investment banks and central banks, and how global economic conditions influence financial markets. Taught online by Columbia faculty through the School of Professional Studies, this course encourages students to connect economic theory to real-world investing. You’ll analyze historical investment trends, evaluate the performance of different asset classes, and design your own investment strategy and portfolio. Because it’s a quantitative and analytically demanding class, it’s best suited for students who are comfortable with math and eager to explore economics, business, or finance in college.
7. William & Mary – Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital: From Idea to Investment
Location: Online
Cost: $1,595
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: December 21– January 4
Application Deadlines: December 14
Eligibility: Open to students ages 13 and up
In this course, you’ll learn how entrepreneurs raise money, explore how venture capital firms evaluate deals, and discover the strategies that drive investment success. Guided by Professor Graham Henshaw, you’ll study topics like due diligence, market valuation, and pitch design, culminating in a final project where you craft your own professional venture pitch deck. Through self-paced lessons, mentoring, and real-world case studies, you’ll gain practical insight into what makes a start-up investor-ready. By the end of the course, you’ll understand how to think like both an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist. Participants receive a Certificate of Completion from William & Mary.
8. The Business of Economics (Rice University)
Location: Online
Cost: $1,795; need-based scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment (selective for motivated students)
Dates: Multiple sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by session (e.g., November 2, December 14, and December 28, 2025)
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Rice University's course offers a deep dive into the forces driving industries and markets. The Business of Economics helps you explore how firms respond to market changes, labor conditions, and government policies. Through interactive lectures, real-world case studies, and a final capstone project on economic policy design, you’ll gain skills in analyzing inflation, energy demand, and investment decisions. Each student is paired with a mentor for personalized guidance and feedback throughout the program. The course is offered fully online with flexible scheduling (2–4 week options) and culminates in a Certificate of Completion from Rice University.
9. Financial Markets (Coursera × Yale University)
Location: Online
Cost: Free trial available; subscription required for full access
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; approximately 3 weeks at 10 hours per week
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Open to all learners; no prior experience required
Offered by Yale University and taught by Nobel laureate Robert Shiller, the course introduces you to the institutions, theories, and practices that shape modern finance. You’ll explore key topics such as risk management, behavioral finance, market dynamics, and the role of governance and regulation in global economies. The course blends economic theory with real-world applications—helping you understand not just how markets function, but how finance can serve broader social goals. With a flexible, self-paced format and a shareable certificate upon completion, this course is a strong choice for students or professionals interested in finance, investment, or economics.
10. Young Finance Scholar (YFS) Program
Location: Online (self-paced)
Cost: $950
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment (selective for motivated students)
Dates: Flexible, self-paced (approximately 50 hours total)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students ages 15–18
The Young Finance Scholar (YFS) Program offers a structured and practical introduction to business, economics, and finance. Designed for aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, and analysts, this 50-hour online program combines theory with applications to help you develop financial literacy and ethical awareness. You’ll explore topics across four key modules: Entrepreneurship & Ethics, Personal Financial Management, Capital Markets, and Financial Services & Career Pathways. Along the way, you’ll learn how businesses raise capital, how to analyze financial statements, and how global markets and banking systems operate. By the end, you’ll gain a solid foundation in both personal and corporate finance, setting you up for future success in college-level economics or business studies.
11. Understanding Your Money (Wharton Global Youth Program)
Location: Online
Cost: $329
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Rolling admissions; approximately 13–15 hours total
Application Deadline: None (enroll anytime)
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9–12; international students welcome
Offered through the Wharton Global Youth Program, this on-demand course introduces key economic and financial principles covering topics such as supply and demand, banking, budgeting, compound interest, and investing. Across four structured modules, you’ll learn to make informed decisions about saving, spending, and growing your money, with practical lessons designed by Wharton faculty. The course also includes interactive readings, glossary terms, and short quizzes to help solidify learning. With a flexible, self-paced format and a certificate of completion from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, this program is perfect for high school students who want to gain real-world financial skills before college.
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