15 Online Finance Summer Programs for High School Students
If you are a high schooler curious about the world of finance, a virtual program can be a practical starting point. Online finance summer programs are a flexible way to explore markets, money, business, and investing before college, without needing to travel. If you follow stocks, are curious about startups, or want to understand how companies raise capital, these programs can help you gain early, real exposure. Many programs go beyond basic financial literacy to skill-building in financial statement analysis, valuation, budgeting, investment research, risk assessment, and market analysis. Some also cover topics shaping the future of finance, such as FinTech, cryptocurrency, blockchain, AI, venture capital, and private equity. Many such opportunities are offered by universities, business schools, and established organizations, meaning you can access advanced instruction, expert-led lessons, mentor feedback, and certificates from anywhere.
What are the benefits of a finance program?
A finance program can help you understand the logic behind decisions that shape companies, markets, and personal wealth. You may learn how investors evaluate stocks, how businesses raise capital, how interest rates affect borrowing, why inflation matters, and how markets respond to risk. Some programs focus on technical skills, letting you practice working with Excel, financial projections, discounted cash flow analysis, valuation multiples, Python, or market data. Others are built around projects like creating an investment recommendation, analyzing a company’s financial health, studying global markets, or completing a finance research paper.
To help you identify the best fit, we’ve selected 15 online finance summer programs for high school students.
If you’re looking for STEM research programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These 15 programs span investment analysis, quantitative finance, financial modeling, AI in finance, FinTech and blockchain, global markets, personal financial literacy, and independent research, so students with a wide range of finance interests can find a relevant online option.
Several programs go beyond introductory finance to include hands-on technical skills, including Stevens Institute's Quantitative Finance program (Python, R, and Bloomberg certifications), Wharton's Financial Decision Making (Excel and real-world datasets), and Veritas AI's AI and Finance Deep Dive (AI and ML models applied to stock forecasting).
Programs vary significantly in length and format, from self-paced courses with open enrollment, such as Wharton's Understanding Your Money and Georgetown's Becoming an Investor, to structured multi-week programs with faculty mentorship, such as Dartmouth Pre-College, Brown Pre-College, and Northwestern Pre-College Finance.
Application deadlines for structured university programs fall early, including Wharton Financial Decision Making (January 28 priority), Stevens Institute (March 16 priority), and Brown Pre-College (May 15 rolling), while self-paced programs, such as Wharton Understanding Your Money, USC Finance, and New York Institute of Finance YFS, are open enrollment year-round.
1. Dartmouth Precollege Online Program’s Finance: Investing & Market Insights Course
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895 (scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multi-length sessions available throughout the year
Application deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students, ages 13 and up
Dartmouth’s online finance summer program for high school students offers a structured introduction to how investors evaluate companies and financial markets. You will study core topics such as risk and return, market structures, investment strategies, IPOs, and the role of financial institutions. The curriculum also walks you through financial statement analysis, helping you understand how investors use company data to assess performance and future potential. As the course progresses, you will learn valuation methods such as discounted cash flow analysis and examine how debt, cash flow, and discount rates influence investment decisions. Expert-led video lessons and guided exercises help you connect finance theory to real-world business situations. The capstone project lets you take on the role of a private equity analyst, evaluating an investment opportunity and presenting a recommendation.
2. Veritas AI’s AI + Finance Deep Dive
Location: Online
Cost: Varies by program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks
Application deadline: Varies by cohort: Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter sessions available. You can apply here
Eligibility: High school students who are previous AI Scholars participants or have a background in coding
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers a range of AI-focused programs for ambitious high school students. The AI + Finance Deep Dive is designed to help you gain a deeper understanding of AI applications in finance. You will engage in lectures, code walkthroughs, and real-world projects that use AI & ML models to predict future financial patterns from past data, forecast stock prices, and more. By the end, you will have completed projects that demonstrate how finance, coding, and AI can intersect in practical ways.
3. Wharton Global Youth Program’s Financial Decision Making
Location: Online
Cost: $4,099 + $100 non-refundable application fee; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 15 – 26 | July 6 – 17
Application deadline: Rolling; Priority deadline: January 28
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in grades 9–12; international students are also eligible to apply.
Wharton’s Financial Decision Making course is an intensive program that connects personal finance, economics, and market analysis. You will learn how financial choices affect everyday life, from budgeting and credit to saving, investing, debt, inflation, and long-term wealth building. The curriculum will also cover financial markets, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, banks, central banks, and the broader economic forces that influence borrowing and investing. The course also focuses on data-based decision-making, letting you use real-world datasets and Excel exercises to evaluate financial options. Case studies will help you think through risk, return, trade-offs, and the ethical dimensions of financial choices. This online finance summer program for high school students is led by Wharton faculty and students, who will guide you throughout the program and offer early exposure to college-level finance concepts.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote! You can participate in the program from anywhere in the world.
Cost: Varies by program type; full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, spring, and winter. Available options range from 12 weeks to one year.
Application deadline: Varies based on cohort
Eligibility: Students enrolled in high school who demonstrate strong academic performance
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous program tailored for high school students. It offers extensive one-on-one research opportunities across a broad range of subjects that you can explore as a high school student. The program will pair you with Ph.D. mentors to work one-on-one on a research project. At the end, you will have developed an independent research paper! You can choose from areas such as finance, international relations, economics, computer science, data science, physics, math, engineering, chemistry, psychology, and more. You can learn more about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
5. Brown Pre-College Mathematical Modeling of Finance: An Introduction to Quantitative Analysis
Location: Online
Cost: $5,554; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 22 – July 17
Application deadline: May 15 (rolling admissions)
Eligibility: Students, ages 14 – 18, completing grades 9 to 12 with a strong Algebra background
Brown’s Mathematical Modeling of Finance course introduces you to the quantitative tools behind financial decision-making. You will begin by exploring the mathematics of how money grows over time, studying interest rates, compound interest, rates of return, annuities, loans, and present and future value. These concepts help you understand how financial planning, borrowing, and investing depend on mathematical modeling. The course then moves on to probability theory, where you explore sample spaces, discrete probability models, random variables, probability distributions, expected value, and conditional probability. You will also practice applying formulas and probability concepts to real finance-related scenarios.
6. Wake Forest University’s Investing: The Future of Finance
Location: Online
Cost: $1,595 (need-based financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple 1-, 2-, and 4-week sessions in a year, including in the summer
Application deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Wake Forest’s Investing: The Future of Finance course focuses on how financial markets operate today and how new technologies are reshaping the field. You will explore the fundamentals of investing, including equity markets, stock exchanges, savers, borrowers, and the factors that influence investment decisions. This online finance summer program for high school students also examines how companies raise capital through IPOs, bonds, venture capital, private equity, and other financing methods. The course focuses on FinTech, cryptocurrency, blockchain, smart contracts, and decentralized finance, giving you a broader view of where the industry is moving. You will additionally study ESG investing and consider how money can be used to influence companies, markets, and social outcomes. Video lessons from professionals introduce you to perspectives from investment banking, trading, portfolio management, and private equity, and your final project will let you practice writing a company’s analyst report and receive feedback.
7. Fordham University Summer Business Programs: Global Finance
Location: Online format available; in-person format hosted at Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Bronx, NY
Cost: $1,300, including a $100 non-refundable deposit
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 – 10
Application deadline: Rolling; priority consideration for applications received before April 1.
Eligibility: High school students (typically 10th – 12th graders); international students are also eligible.
Fordham’s Global Finance program offers a focused look at how financial systems, markets, and investment decisions operate across countries. You will spend the week studying finance from an international perspective, examining topics such as foreign exchange, global trade, emerging markets, and multinational business operations. The course also looks at the history of globalization and how major economic shifts affect investors, companies, and governments. Through case discussions and real-world examples, you will learn how global events, policy decisions, trade imbalances, tariffs, and currency movements can shape financial outcomes. Guest speakers from finance firms and Fordham’s broader business network will add professional context to the classroom experience.
8. Northwestern University Pre-college Online Program’s Finance: Think Like an Investor
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895 (need-based financial assistance available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple 2-week and 4-week sessions, including in the summer
Application deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students, ages 13+
This online finance summer program for high school students is designed to help you build a broad foundation in financial analysis, markets, and investment strategy. You will begin with key concepts such as financial institutions, economic forces, risk and return, and the time value of money. The curriculum then moves on to financial statement analysis, giving you practice interpreting balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements to assess a company’s health. You will also explore asset classes, investment opportunities, risk management, and the tools investors use to compare potential investments. A private equity component introduces you to deal sourcing, due diligence, value creation, and exit strategies. The final capstone will let you analyze an investment opportunity, build financial projections, and present a strategic recommendation.
9. Stevens Institute of Technology’s Quantitative Finance Virtual Summer Research Experience
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application deadline: March 16 (priority); June 15 (final)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; preference for students with some coding and Excel experience
This program, offered by Stevens Institute of Technology, provides high schoolers with an introduction to quantitative finance and research within the field through a four-week virtual learning experience. The program focuses on the overlap among finance, probability, and computer science, allowing you to learn statistical techniques, code in Python and R, and develop financial modeling skills. You will spend some time applying data to real financial decision-making. As a participant, you will also earn Capital IQ and Bloomberg Market Concepts certifications, gaining access to credentials that you can use for future career opportunities in finance and investing.
10. Stevens Institute of Technology’s Finance and Investing: 1-Week Intensive Virtual Bootcamp
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: August 3 – 7
Application deadline: March 16 (priority); June 15 (final)
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors
This week-long virtual bootcamp from the Stevens School of Business gives you a hands-on introduction to finance and investing, simulating the day-to-day work of a professional portfolio manager. Using the S&P Capital IQ academic platform, you will learn to build, backtest, and manage real and simulated asset portfolios, applying techniques for gathering data, analyzing company performance, and balancing risk and return. Throughout the week, you will also work toward earning S&P certificates such as Capital IQ Pro 101 and 201, Banking 101, and Ratings Direct 101. The schedule includes breakout sessions that pair you with teaching assistants for guided practical exercises following each lecture. By the end of the bootcamp, you will have gained direct experience in portfolio construction and management.
11. Babson College’s Arthur M. Blank School Summer Program
Location: Online format available
Cost: $1,608/week + $75 non-refundable application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 – 31; multiple one- and two-week sessions within this window
Application deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are at least 15 years old
This virtual program at Babson College lets students enroll in short courses focused on finance and business. Depending on the track you choose, you will practice stock pitching, learn how to manage a simulated $100,000 portfolio, use professional trading software in Babson's finance lab, or explore working with a real startup to come up with financial projections. All sessions are led by Babson faculty and follow the college's entrepreneurship-focused hands-on learning approach. You may also find opportunities to boost personal financial literacy and investing skills. The schedule primarily includes lectures and hands-on activities, such as researching a real public company to develop an investment thesis and negotiating venture funding as either a founder or an investor.
12. Wharton Global Youth Program’s Understanding Your Money
Location: Online
Cost: $329
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Self-paced; typical commitment of 13 – 15 hours in total
Application deadline: Open enrolment
Eligibility: High school students
Wharton’s Understanding Your Money program is a self-paced online course that helps you build a clear foundation in economics, money management, and basic investing. You will work through core concepts such as supply and demand, opportunity cost, global currencies, interest, financial institutions, and personal financial decision-making. This online finance summer program for high school students also covers budgeting, saving, spending trade-offs, financial wellness, and the habits that shape long-term money management. Investment lessons will cover aspects like why people invest, how asset allocation works, and how basic strategies can support future financial goals. Video lectures, readings, activities, glossary terms, and quizzes will help reinforce the material as you move through the course.
13. USC Pre-college Program’s Finance: From Personal Literacy to Global Markets
Location: Online
Cost: $1,990 + $35 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Self-paced; 4-week suggested pace with 90-day access
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students, ages 14 and up
USC’s Finance: From Personal Literacy to Global Markets course is designed to help you progress from everyday financial planning to broader corporate and global finance concepts. You will begin with personal finance, learning how to plan, save, manage risk, and think about financial goals. The course then moves on to investing, stocks, bonds, interest rates, risk and return, and the time value of money. You will study how companies raise money and how financial markets support business activity across the global economy. Later modules will introduce digital currencies, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and the technologies changing the financial industry. Recorded lectures, readings, calculations, industry-connected activities, and assignments will help you apply concepts as you learn them.
14. New York Institute of Finance’s Young Finance Scholar (YFS) Program
Location: Online (self-paced)
Cost: $950
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Self-paced; 1-year access to complete 50 hours
Application deadline: Open enrollment
Eligibility: High school students, ages 13 – 17
The YFS Program offers a broad introduction to business, economics, financial literacy, and capital markets. You will study entrepreneurship and ethics, learning about business structures, startups, organizational structures, financial statements, and responsible decision-making. The personal finance section will help you understand budgeting, saving, credit, debt management, and basic investing. You will then move on to capital markets, where lessons will cover stock markets, financial instruments, trading processes, risk, and the larger financial system. Additional modules will introduce banking, insurance, mergers and acquisitions, and finance-related career pathways. Quizzes and structured lessons will help you review each topic as you work through the program.
15. Georgetown University’s Becoming an Investor: An Inside Look at Finance
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895; need-based scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 1-week, 2-week, and 4-week sessions available throughout the year
Application deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
This online course breaks down the basic mechanics of financial markets and how investors build wealth. You will learn how valuation models are used to determine a company's worth, explore how stocks are traded and priced, and study emerging fintech topics like cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Throughout the course, you will build your own investment portfolio while considering your personal investment goals, risk tolerance, and diversification strategy. The fully online format includes 20 to 30 hours of video lessons, simulations, and assignments that you can complete on your own schedule, along with guidance from a personal mentor throughout the course. You will finish with a capstone project analyzing a public company's investment potential and receive a Certificate of Completion from Georgetown University upon finishing the course.
Frequently asked questions
1. What online finance programs are available for high school students?
Options include investment and market analysis programs, such as Dartmouth Pre-College, Northwestern Pre-College, and Wharton Financial Decision Making, quantitative and AI finance programs, such as Stevens Institute Quantitative Finance and Veritas AI AI and Finance Deep Dive, FinTech and global markets programs, such as Wake Forest Investing and Fordham Global Finance, personal finance programs, such as Wharton Understanding Your Money and USC Finance, and research programs, such as Lumiere Research Scholar Program.
2. Which online finance programs are most technical or quantitative?
Stevens Institute's Quantitative Finance program is the most technically rigorous, covering Python, R, statistical modeling, and Bloomberg and Capital IQ certifications. Veritas AI's AI and Finance Deep Dive applies machine learning to stock price forecasting, and Brown's Mathematical Modeling of Finance covers probability theory and quantitative methods applied to financial scenarios.
3. Do any online finance programs offer certifications or college credit?
Yes, Stevens Institute's Quantitative Finance and Finance Bootcamp both award Capital IQ and Bloomberg Market Concepts certifications. Georgetown University's Becoming an Investor awards a Certificate of Completion, and Brown Pre-College and Wharton programs provide formal documentation of participation that can strengthen college applications.
4. When should I apply to online finance summer programs for high school students?
Wharton Financial Decision Making has a priority deadline of January 28, and Stevens Institute closes priority applications March 16. Fordham Global Finance gives priority to applications before April 1, and Brown Pre-College closes May 15 on a rolling admissions. Programs, such as Wharton Understanding Your Money, USC Finance, Georgetown Becoming an Investor, and New York Institute of Finance YFS, are open enrollment and available year-round.