15 Accounting Competitions for High School Students
If you’re a high school student interested in accounting, accounting competitions offer a great way to test your accounting knowledge and build leadership and communication skills.
What are accounting competitions for high school students?
Accounting competitions test your accounting fundamentals through objective tests, team activities, and solving case studies. At these competitions, you can network with accounting professionals and learn new concepts.
Why participate in accounting competitions for high school students?
Many competitions are accessible; they take place virtually or are free to participate in. Additionally, you can learn teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills that you can use for your own business. Participating in these competitions can also demonstrate initiative on college applications.
You should go here for free accounting programs, or here for accounting research programs for high school students.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 15 Accounting Competitions for High School Students.
Note: Some items below are accounting-oriented programs that can help you develop the skills for participating in future accounting competitions.
15 Accounting Competitions for High School Students
1. Kent State University Annual High School Accounting Case Competition
Location: Kent State University, Kent, OH
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; cash prizes awarded to winners
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: November 7
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High‑school student teams (from invited high schools)
Kent State University hosts an Accounting Case Competition for high school students interested in exploring accounting careers and learning more about the field. You’ll participate in teams to research a given accounting topic, develop a presentation, and share your findings. Past topics have included the impact of technology on accounting and trends in the accounting workforce. The panel of judges includes accounting professionals and faculty who will share their own career experiences and learnings. The winning team will receive cash prizes and recognition.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies according to program. There is need-based financial aid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective acceptance
Dates: Varies by the cohort
Application Deadline: There are three application deadlines to choose from; more details are available in the brochure.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideation, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. Illinois State University High School Accounting Challenge
Location: Illinois State University, Normal, IL
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; individual scholarships and team trophies awarded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: April 4
Application Deadline: March 4
Eligibility: High-school students; teams of up to four; multiple teams per school allowed
Illinois State University organizes a High School Accounting Challenge for you to test your accounting knowledge. You can participate individually or in teams, and the first round will test your knowledge of introductory college-level accounting topics, including the accounting cycle, depreciation, receivables, terminology, inventory, and more. If you’re participating in a team, test scores will account for individual team member scores, as well as an additional team-building activity. Winning participants will win partial scholarships to ISU’s accounting program, and teams compete for trophies.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote (work from anywhere in the world)
Cost/Stipend: Varies according to program (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Acceptance rate is around 10%
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort – Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Eligibility: high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 8–12 weeks, devoting 10 - 20 hours/week
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program for ambitious high school students. You’ll be matched with a high-growth startup and work on real-world projects in fields like accounting, economics, analysis, tech, AI/ML, marketing, and consulting. Internships typically last 8 weeks and require a commitment of 5–10 hours per week. You’ll work closely with your startup manager and a Ladder Coach, and present your work to the company at the end. The program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, as well as group sessions with other interns. Startups in the program often have raised over $1 million and are led by founders with experience at places like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.
5. Lakeland University Robert J. Martin High School Forensic Accounting Competition
Location: Lakeland University, Younger Family Campus Center, Plymouth, WI
Cost/Stipend: $90 registration for teams, and $25 for individuals
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: March 14
Application Deadline: Applications processed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Teams of 3 to 4 high school students; up to 2 teams per school
The Robert J. Martin High School Forensic Accounting Competition is a one-day event where you’ll compete in teams to solve a forensic accounting case study. You’ll be given data and information to analyze this case, after which you’ll have to determine how the fraud was committed and how it could have been prevented. You’ll present your findings to a panel of judges who are accounting professionals. Furthermore, you’ll get the chance to interact with forensic accounting professionals and explore accounting pathways. Teams go through a second round of presenting, after which the overall winners are chosen.
6. Business Professionals of America Accounting Competitive Events
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $10.95 per team member
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Competition takes place in April, with the awards ceremony taking place in June
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school FBLA members in grades 9 to 12, adviser registration required
Business Professionals of America hosts Competitive Events for students in various subjects, including finance, accounting, administration, marketing, communications, and more. The accounting-related events you can compete in include Fundamental Accounting, Advanced Accounting, and Payroll Accounting. You’ll be tested on your workplace-ready skills by questions formulated from a business education curriculum. You’ll also gain a practical understanding of accounting concepts and practices by analyzing reports, updating employee records, preparing income tax forms, and preparing financial reports.
7. Southern Illinois University Annual Accounting Challenge
Location: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate; scholarships and prizes awarded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: January 23
Application Deadline: January 19
Eligibility: High-school students and community college students; teacher-registered teams
Southern Illinois University hosts an Annual Accounting Challenge where you’ll compete in teams to test your accounting knowledge. The written competition consists of two rounds, during which you’ll be tested on your accounting fundamentals, including the accounting cycle, receivables, and terminology. The second round consists of more advanced material, and both rounds have 50 questions each in an MCQ format. You’ll then compete in teams to work on a stimulated activity. The winning teams will be determined after factoring in the scores of team members from the first two written rounds and the final team round.
8. DECA Accounting Applications Series
Location: Virtual; finals at the DECA International Career Development Conference
Cost/Stipend: Registration fee varies by state
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Finals take place in April (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: Varies by state DECA qualifiers
Eligibility: High-school DECA members in grades 9 to 12 who qualify through local and state competition
DECA hosts an Accounting Applications Series event where you’ll test your accounting knowledge by working on various accounting tasks. You’ll first sit for a written accounting and finance-related test, after which you’ll be given a business situation to make a presentation on. You’ll gain practical accounting experience by acting as an accounting consultant and working on business problems by analyzing financial data, making recommendations, and communicating your solutions clearly to the simulated client.
9. Future Business Leaders of America High School Competitive Events
Location: Varies by competition; virtual options available
Cost/Stipend: Membership and event registration fees vary by chapter
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate
Dates: Regional takes place in February–March; State competitions take place in March–April; National Finals take place in June (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: Varies by chapter
Eligibility: High‑school students in grades 9 to 12 who are enrolled in local FBLA chapters
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) organizes competitive events in various business-related areas, including accounting, business communication, finance, business law, and more. The accounting test takes place in an objective test format. It features 100 questions, where you’ll be tested on key accounting topics such as payroll, journalizing, account classification, ethics, worksheets, and depreciation. You must have completed at least one semester of high school accounting to participate.
10. Peters School of Business High School Case Competition (Accounting Track)
Location: Peters School of Business, Assiniboine College, Brandon, MB
Cost/Stipend: $75 registration fee per team
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: May 13; May 14
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: High‑school students in teams of three
Peters School of Business hosts a Case Competition where you’ll test your business and accounting knowledge by finding solutions to real business problems. You’ll compete in teams and develop forensic accounting skills by analyzing data to detect fraud. You’ll be given data to analyze, and you’ll have to work together with your team to identify discrepancies and find a solution. Teams will present their process, findings, and how to present this situation, followed by a question and answer round with a judge panel of industry professionals.
11. Peru State College High School Business Contest
Location: Peru State College, Peru, NE
Cost/Stipend: Free to participate
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate
Dates: February 11
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High‑school students from Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas
Peru State College organizes a Business Contest where you’ll be tested on various business topics, including accounting, business communications, economics, entrepreneurship, and more. Participating in the accounting contest requires having taken high school accounting and includes an objective test covering topics such as income statements, account classifications, payroll entries, and bank reconciliations. Appearing for the advanced accounting test requires having completed at least one year of accounting, and you’ll be tested on topics such as income tax, accrued income, corporation accounting, trial balance, and inventory controls. Each subject will have its own set of winners after all the tests are concluded.
12. ISCPA High School Accounting Case Competition
Location: Various locations in Iowa
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate
Dates: Dates vary by location
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High‑school students competing in teams
The Iowa Society of CPAs hosts an Accounting Case Competition where you’ll test your accounting knowledge and strategic thinking skills. The competition follows a case study format and gives you real-world accounting experience by visiting a local CPA firm first, where you’ll be briefed about the company and given time to work on the case. You’ll be expected to cover essential accounting topics such as Financial Statement Analysis, Accounts Receivable and Bad Debt Expense, and Adjusting Journal Entries before taking up the case. Teams will submit a video presentation on the case, after which the winners will be decided.
13. University Interscholastic League High School Accounting Contest
Location: In-person academic meets across Texas, culminating at the UIL State Meet in Austin, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High-school students competing through UIL district, regional, and state progression
The University Interscholastic League hosts a High School Accounting Contest where you’ll be tested on accounting principles and practices. The contest focuses on accounting, where you’ll be asked questions related to account classification, income statements, balance sheets, bookkeeping terminology, journalizing, posting, bank reconciliations, and more. You can participate individually or in teams, and qualifying students will move to the next round until the winner is decided.
14. National JA Stock Market Challenge
Location: Virtual, with in‑person finals in Boston, MA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: May 5 (Finalists announced); June 7–11 (Final round)
Application Deadline: November 28
Eligibility: High‑school students in grades 9–12; teams of 2–4; must have participated in the local JA Stock Market Challenge and completed the JA “Take Stock in Your Future” curriculum
The National JA Stock Market Challenge is a stock trading competition that tests your skills in a fast-paced market simulation. You’ll manage a stock portfolio, while responding to company news and market trends, and making quick decisions under time pressure. The competition focuses on financial literacy, risk management, and decision-making. If your portfolio has the highest net worth at the end of the competition, then you will be declared the winner.
15. Bentley University Accounting Adventures
Location: Bentley University, Waltham, MA
Cost/Stipend: Tuition applies
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate
Dates: July 6–July 10
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High‑school students interested in accounting
Bentley University offers a pre-college Accounting Adventures program, where you’ll participate in interactive workshops and learn accounting concepts through real-world simulations. You’ll explore topics such as final budgeting, accounting, and business planning, and work on activities that allow you to build budgets and create business plans. Although not a competition, the program prepares you for competition-level presenting through a shark tank-style pitch session where you’ll present your ideas on a simulated task to accounting industry experts.
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