7 Finance Research Opportunities for High School Students
For high school students interested in exploring career paths in finance, research programs, courses, and internships provide a valuable introduction to financial applications. These opportunities not only help you develop practical skills, such as data analysis, critical thinking, and financial modeling, but also enable you to connect with mentors and peers.
Students interested in finance, economics, business, or related fields may find these research opportunities enriching as they offer insight into both academic and professional pathways. Many top colleges and institutions offer structured finance research programs for high schoolers.
In this blog, we’ve compiled 7 research opportunities for high school students interested in finance.
1. Bentley University - Wall Street 101
Location: Virtual or in-person at Bentley University, Waltham, MA.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 45 students.
Dates: The program runs in the summer (June - July). Dates vary depending on the courses.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors interested in finance are eligible to apply.
Cost: Application fee: $75; Tuition: $1,490 - $3,180. Need-based financial aid is available.
Bentley University’s Wall Street 101 is a competitive summer research program for high school students interested in finance. You will engage in collaborative activities, such as stock pitches, investment strategy analysis, macroeconomic simulations, and FinTech entrepreneurship projects, while utilizing industry-standard tools like Bloomberg and FactSet in Bentley’s Trading Room. The program combines academic rigor with practical experience, providing insight into capital markets, corporate finance, and emerging technologies such as AI in finance. Courses are equivalent to a portion of college-level content and are designed to build financial literacy and market understanding. Offerings include Stock Market and Investment Research, Macroeconomics and Financial Markets, Personal Finance, and FinTech Business Startup.
2. Lumiere Research Scholar Program – Finance Track
Location: Virtual.
Dates: Varies depending on the cohort.
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort.
Eligibility: High school students are eligible to apply.
Cost: Individual Research Program (12 weeks): $2,990 | Premium Research & Publication Program (16-20 weeks): $5,900 | Research Fellowship (6-12 months): $8,900. Need-based financial aid is available.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program allows high school students to conduct independent research in finance with guidance from PhD mentors. You'll define your research topic, develop focused questions, and work on a comprehensive paper with personalized support. At the end of the program, you'll present your findings at the Lumiere Research Symposium, gaining valuable experience. The program includes virtual site visits and opportunities to collaborate with industry experts, offering a structured environment to strengthen your research skills and explore your interest in finance.
3. Stevens Institute of Technology - Quantitative Finance Summer Research Program
Location: Virtual.
Dates: June 30 – August 11.
Application Deadline: December 20 - March 1.
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors. Coding experience and familiarity with MS Excel is preferred.
Cost: $2,000.
The Stevens School of Business offers a six-week virtual summer research program in quantitative finance for high school students. The program emphasizes data-driven decision-making and gives you industry-relevant skills through lectures, exercises, and case studies. You will earn certifications in Bloomberg Market Concepts and Capital IQ, gaining proficiency in professional financial tools. The program also strengthens coding skills in Python and R, essential for quantitative analysis. It offers a strong foundation in financial analysis and quantitative methods.
4. Veritas AI - Deep Dive: AI + Finance
Location: Virtual.
Dates: Spring Cohort: March 16 - May 18.
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort.
Eligibility: High school students who have a background in Python or have completed the AI Scholars program are eligible to apply.
Cost: $2,290. Need-based financial aid is available.
The Veritas AI Deep Dive is a 10-week research program designed for motivated high school students interested in the intersection of AI and finance. Guided by AI experts, the course includes lectures, coding exercises, and a hands-on project focused on real-world financial applications. You will explore how AI is reshaping financial markets by building models to forecast stock prices, detect fraud, and analyze market trends. The program emphasizes predictive modeling techniques relevant to finance, banking, asset management, and risk analysis.
5. New York University - Introduction to Financial Technology
Location: NYU School of Professional Studies, New York, NY.
Dates: Session I: June 23 - 27 | Session II: July 14 - 18.
Application Deadline: International Students: March 15 | Residential Students: May 15 | Commuter Students: June 13.
Eligibility: High school students who have completed grades 9-11 are eligible to apply.
Cost: $50 application fee and $2,579 tuition.
This course examines how emerging technologies—such as AI, blockchain, machine learning, and neural networks—can provide strategic advantages in finance. It begins by establishing a solid foundation in financial principles before examining how these technologies influence risk, return, and overall market behavior. You will study financial instruments, including stocks, bonds, and securitized mortgages, as well as innovations such as FedNow and crowdfunding. By the end of the course, you will gain a deeper understanding of the intersection between finance and technology, insights into career paths in financial tech, and a critical perspective on the use of big data and AI in financial decision-making. Upon completion, students receive an NYU transcript with grades.
6. Rice University - Entrepreneurship: From Ideas to Impact in Fintech
Location: Virtual.
Dates: Multi-length courses are available throughout the year.
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the course.
Eligibility: High school students are eligible to apply.
Cost: $1,495. Need-based scholarships are available.
This course explores how fintech is democratizing financial access, generating revenue, and reshaping global economies. You will examine key disruptors such as PayPal and Square, analyze how fintech startups attract customers and scale, and review case studies of successful innovations. Guided by a mentor, you will complete a capstone project by developing a basic business plan for a fintech product or service. The course concludes with a Certificate of Completion from Rice University.
7. New York Institute of Finance - Young Finance Scholar Program
Location: Virtual.
Dates: August 4 - 15.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility: High school students aged 15 - 18 years are eligible to apply.
Cost: $2,200.
The Young Finance Scholar program, offered by the New York Institute of Finance, is a comprehensive learning experience designed for high school students interested in deepening their knowledge of finance, economics, and business. The program covers key topics, including micro- and macroeconomics, monetary and fiscal policy, company financial analysis, investment banking, and the evolution of fintech and sustainable finance. You will explore financial concepts through interactive sessions and case studies, culminating in a group presentation. After the final presentation, you will receive a certificate of completion and an award for the group project.
Image Source - NYU Logo