15 Finance Programs for High School Students in Texas
If you are a high school student interested in finance, a structured program can give you the chance to explore the field in depth while building practical skills. Through activities like investment simulations, case studies, and group projects, you’ll strengthen your analytical and problem-solving abilities and learn how financial systems work. These programs focus on equipping you with the fundamentals of accounting, business, stock markets, personal finance, and more.
Texas offers a wide range of finance programs supported by its universities, business schools, and professional organizations. From workshops on entrepreneurship and business management to programs that highlight investment strategies and data-driven decision-making, you can explore multiple pathways within the world of finance. These programs also allow you to work closely with mentors and collaborate with peers who share your interests, helping you grow both academically and personally.
To make your search for a good finance program easier, this blog features 15 finance programs for high school students in Texas.
1. Texas Tech University’s Financial Planning Academy
Location: Multiple, based on partner universities
Cost: 150$ for day camps and 250$ for overnight camps
Dates: Varies, with different locations
Application Deadline: Varies with locations
Eligibility: All high school students
The program will provide you with an opportunity to engage with experts in the field of finance from across the country. The students form small teams and work on a financial planning case study to gain knowledge around financial literacy. The program helps build skills in leadership, personal finance, and entrepreneurship. The program, funded by the Charles Schwab Foundation, educates students about the Registered Investment Advisory industry and highlights the benefits of pursuing a career in finance.
2. Veritas AI's AI + Finance Deep Dive Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program type; need-based financial aid available
Dates: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Application Deadline: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: High school students
Veritas AI’s AI+Finance Deep Dive is a virtual program that teaches students how AI is now playing an important role in the world of finance. If you’re looking for finance programs for high school students that offer hands-on experience through an application-based project, it is a good option. You will get to predict future financial patterns based on past data. The program will also help you gain an understanding of predictive modeling in finance, fraud detection, and banking. Apply here.
3. The Anson L.Clark Scholar’s Program
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Cost/Stipend: $25 Application fee; $750 stipend upon completion of a research project report
Cohort size: 12
Dates: June 22 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 16
Eligibility: High school students in junior or senior years, aged at least 17 years, and U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents
The Clark Scholars Program is among the most prestigious finance programs for high school students in Texas. It accepts only 12 high-achieving students who are allowed to do research in an area of their choice. These research areas include humanities, natural sciences, finance, marketing, and engineering. If you are interested in the field of finance, you can gain valuable hands-on experience through this program, which includes weekly seminars and academic discussions that can provide in-depth knowledge.
4. Lumiere’s Finance Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program type; need-based financial aid available
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Application Deadline: November 16
Eligibility: High School Students
Lumiere’s virtual research programs provide an in-depth, research-based understanding of finance and various other fields. The finance track is a program for students highly interested in financial research, offering them the opportunity to work 1:1 with mentors from prestigious institutions like Harvard and Oxford. The program is conducted four times a year, allowing the students to choose from four different program types based on their interests and comfort.
5. EXPLORE Financial Empowerment Institute
Location: University of Houston, Houston, TX
Cost: Free
Dates: 5 days in June
Application Deadline: April
Eligibility: High School Students, including sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Explore Business Summer Institutes offers one of the most helpful finance programs for high school students in Texas. It is free of cost and allows students to live on campus while enhancing their knowledge of personal finance. The main objective of this program is to equip you with the required skills to manage your finances, understand money management, and set realistic financial goals within your budget.
6. MCombs School of Business’s DYNAMC
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: Free
Dates: June 22 – June 27
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors with a good academic record
DYNAMC stands for “Discover Yourself in Accounting Majors and Careers” and is one of the finance programs for high school students in Texas that offers the opportunity to learn from renowned faculty from all over the world. It is a free program that allows high school sophomores to experience on-campus life before they graduate. If you have an interest in pursuing a degree in accounting, this program will help you get a clear understanding of the career opportunities ahead for you. The program also offers mentorship from present student leaders at the University of Texas and involves a case competition to test your skills.
7. TCU High School Investor Challenge
Location: TCU Neely School of Business, Fort Worth, TX
Cost: $1,600; need-based financial aid available
Dates: HSIC A: June 1 – 5 | HSIC B: June 15 –19
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: High school seniors with academic achievement in math and a recommendation, proof of medical insurance coverage
The TCU High School Investor Challenge is one of the finance programs for high school students in Texas that allows you to spend a complete week on campus before you enter your senior year. First, you get to take finance classes for a week alongside other students. Then the program allows you to manage a virtual portfolio worth $100,000. During fall and spring, you will be required to submit online stock trades. TCU students will analyze these trades. You will also be provided feedback based on this. Such practical application of finance knowledge makes this program unique.
8. NABA Inc.'s Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP)
Location: Multiple locations, including different Institutes in Texas
Cost: Free
Dates: 1 week
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: High school students
NABA Inc.’s ACAP enables high school students to explore career pathways in finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, and more. You can attend workshops conducted by leaders from different industries, and develop skills in financial fluency, time management, and interpersonal communication. The program will offer tours to accounting firms and the opportunity to work on group projects and case studies. It also hosts a closing ceremony to mark your achievements.
9. Young Business Leaders (YBL) Summer Program
Location: Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX
Cost: $500 (Limited scholarships available)
Dates: June
Program Duration: 1 week
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-11 (Ages 14–18) with a minimum 3.0 GPA and a counselor recommendation
The Young Business Leaders Summer Program teaches you essential principles related to business, and then you apply these to solve real-world problems. Like many other high school finance programs in Texas, this is also a one-week program. You will get to experience local business trips, attend presentations, and develop other practical learning skills. Through this program, students are motivated to pursue their interests in the fields of finance, marketing, accounting, and management.
10. KPMG Career Catalyst Program - High School Edition
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: Self-paced, 4-5 hours (can be completed in multiple sittings)
Application Deadline: On a rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students
KPMG Career Catalyst Program is a self-paced online program that offers three different areas to choose from: tax, audit, and advisory. It provides an interactive experience by simulating real-world work, helping you gain practical finance skills. All three programs help you gain valuable skills, like technical accounting, critical thinking, tax research, tax planning, and more.
11. Economics for Leaders (EFL) By FTE
Location: Multiple locations
Cost: Varies by location; non-refundable application processing fee of $35; Virtual: $900 | In-person: $2,300
Application Deadline: Rolling
Dates: Virtual: Multiple sessions from June 9 – August 8; In-person: June 2 – 8
Eligibility: Students presently in their junior or sophomore year of high school years
The Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE)’s EFL program can help you gain skills in leadership and economic analysis. It is a highly competitive program and received a 90% recommendation rate from participants in the past. If you’re looking for programs offering practical knowledge in finance for high school students in Texas, this program will enhance your understanding of economic concepts, leadership theory, and reasoning.
12. Top Trader Stock Market Competition By the University of Texas at Dallas
Location: Virtual
Cost: $50
Dates: June 3 – July 25
Application Deadline: May 23
Eligibility: All high school students with a valid Social Security number
High school students get the opportunity to learn about investment management through this program. The program further assesses the skills you have learned through a virtual simulator. You get a virtual currency balance of $1 million to make investments in stocks. There are five different cash prizes included in the competition that is conducted after the completion of the program.
13. Junior Achievement (JA) Personal Finance Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Duration: 8 sessions of 45 minutes each, along with 3 modular sessions
Application Deadline: NA
Eligibility: High school students, grades 9-12
JA Personal Finances is a classroom-based virtual program for high school students. It helps you develop money management skills, including budgeting, consumer protection, earning, saving, risk management, debt management, and more. By the end of the program, you will gain an understanding of how personal finances can affect life quality and the importance of making informed financial choices to meet your needs.
14. Wharton Global Youth Program: Financial Decision Making
Location: Online
Cost: $4,099 + $100 Application fee
Dates: Session 1: June 16 – June 27; Session 2: July 7 – July 18
Application Deadline: Priority: April 2; Final: May 1
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in grades 9-12 with an interest in economics and finance
Wharton Global Youth: Financial Decision Making is a two-week program that is one of the most reputable finance programs for high school students. You get the opportunity to learn about important principles of finance, economics, and more. The program’s daily schedule includes 2 hours of live online lectures conducted by Wharton instructors, 1-hour recitations managed by Teaching Assistants, group discussions, collaborative activities, and independent work. The program will allow you to manage real-world datasets and participate in group projects that can help you develop into a confident finance professional in the future.
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