15 Finance Extracurriculars for High School Students
If you plan to study finance or business, or entrepreneurship, getting involved outside of class can show colleges that this interest is not just something you mention in an essay.
What are finance extracurriculars for high school students?
Finance extracurriculars give you room to explore markets, budgeting, investing, and many other topics that usually stay far from textbooks. Some activities need a bit of planning, like starting a club or joining an investing competition. Others are simple, like tracking market headlines or learning how companies share earnings.
Why should you pursue finance extracurriculars for high school students?
Finance can be helpful to make you understand how money moves in the real world. A NACAC research says nearly 50% of colleges consider extracurriculars important, so work in finance can support your chances. Finance extracurriculars also help you learn important skills that can be important in building your business.
If you’re also looking for finance competitions, go here, or check here for finance bootcamps for high school students.
With that, here are 15 finance extracurriculars for high school students!
15 Finance Extracurriculars for High School Students
1. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Cost: Varies by the program. Financial aid is available
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective program where high school students work with real start-ups. These companies come from many fields, including tech, AI, health, marketing, journalism, and more. Most of the start-ups are growing fast, and many have raised significant funding, sometimes over a million dollars, with founders from places like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. During the program, you work on real projects and present your work to the company team. You get guidance from your manager and a Ladder coach while you learn how start-ups actually operate day to day. The internship is remote and usually lasts eight weeks.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
The Young Founder’s Lab is a 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 complex problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, X, and other global firms. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideations, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. Join an Established Finance Club (School-Based or Online)
Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium
Location: School Chapters or Online Programs
Resources/Experience Required: No Prior Experience, Laptop Helpful
Joining a finance club is a direct way to learn how money works. FBLA, DECA, and Junior Achievement run finance tracks that many high school students use. A club gives regular meetings where you can learn basic ideas in investing, budgeting, and financial systems. These programs are already available in many schools, and you can also look for online chapters when a school chapter is not present.
In meetings, you might review company information, prepare a simple stock pitch, follow market news, or run a small investing simulation. These activities help you practice financial thinking and show colleges that you spent time on finance outside of class. This record can support future study in business, finance, or entrepreneurship.
4. Participate in an Investment or Trading Simulation
Difficulty Level: Medium
Location: Online
Resources/Experience Required: Laptop, Understanding of Markets (can be learned independently)
Investment simulations such as the SIFMA Stock Market Game, MarketWatch Virtual Trading, and HowTheMarketWorks let students test portfolio decisions without real money. These platforms show price changes in real time and allow students to read charts, follow the news, and place trades with virtual capital. Most simulations run for several weeks or months and include public rankings, so students can compare results with others.
In a simulation, you follow earnings, market moves, and economic reports, then adjust your virtual positions. You learn how companies react to events and how markets shift from day to day. This activity shows colleges that you worked with financial data outside of class and that you can follow markets over time.
5. Compete in Finance or Economics Competitions
Difficulty Level: Medium to Hard
Location: Online and U.S. Regional Competitions
Resources/Experience Required: Team Collaboration, Preparation Time, Research Tools such as Excel or Google Sheets
Finance and economics competitions let students use market knowledge in a structured setting. Events include the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, FBLA finance events, DECA Finance Series, the National Economics Challenge, and Knowledge at Wharton. You will work in teams, study companies, build simple strategies, and present findings to judges. These competitions follow clear rules and are open to high school participants through schools or online registration.
During a competition, you’ll read company reports, answer case questions, and show results through short presentations or written material. This activity records measurable work that colleges can verify, and it shows that you can work with finance topics over time. It can also lead to certificates or awards that document performance.
6. Take a Specialized Finance Course or Certification
Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium
Location: Online
Resources/Experience Required: Laptop, Some Courses May Have Fees
Online platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, Wall Street Prep beginner tracks, and Khan Academy give students basic training in investing, accounting, valuation, and financial modeling. You might work through modules on discounted cash flow, corporate finance, or personal finance. Many platforms give certificates after completion, which creates proof of learning that colleges can review.
These courses are self-paced and use video lessons and exercises. You can begin without prior study and build skills step by step. This activity shows that you spent time learning finance outside of school and that you can finish structured material on your own.
7. Start a Student-Led Personal Finance Initiative
Difficulty Level: Medium
Location: School or Online
Resources/Experience Required: Basic Finance Knowledge, Presentation Tools, Google Workspace, or Canva
Starting a personal finance group or small workshop lets students share basic money ideas with classmates. This can take the form of a club, a short newsletter, or a simple session on budgeting. You can design basic templates, explain taxes or inflation, and collect questions from peers. The goal is to make finance topics clear for other students in the school or online.
In this activity, you plan short lessons, prepare simple examples, and speak to groups. It shows colleges that you spent time applying finance knowledge and that you took responsibility for a project. It also builds a public record of your work that you can show in future applications.
8. Join a Youth Investment or Finance Nonprofit
Difficulty Level: Medium
Location: Online
Resources/Experience Required: Laptop, Willingness to Participate Regularly
Youth groups in finance give students a structured way to learn investing and financial literacy. Examples include Young Investors Society, Girls Who Invest programs, and the Teen Investment Club Network. You take part in webinars, mentorship circles, and stock pitch discussions. Some groups publish student work, so you can submit short research pieces or simple company notes. In these programs, you follow market events, learn basic portfolio ideas, and speak with peers from different places. This activity shows colleges that you worked with finance beyond school and that you joined a regular program with clear tasks.
9. Start a Finance or Investing Blog/Newsletter
Difficulty Level: Medium
Location: Online
Resources/Experience Required: Basic Writing Skills, Publishing Tools (mostly free)
A blog or newsletter lets students explain finance topics in simple language. This can include compounding, inflation, market trends, or company updates. You can publish short notes each week, post reactions to economic news, or share what you are learning. Platforms such as Substack, Medium, or LinkedIn allow easy posting and make the work public.
In this activity, you plan posts, write clear explanations, and build a record of your progress. Over time, the writing shows colleges that you spent regular time on finance outside of school. It also gives you material you can link to applications or use when speaking about your interest in business or entrepreneurship.
10. Volunteer as a Financial Literacy Tutor
Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium
Location: Local Community Centers or Online
Resources/Experience Required: Basic Personal Finance Knowledge, Presentation Materials
Financial literacy programs let students teach basic money topics to younger students or local groups. This can happen in community centers, libraries, NGOs, or online platforms such as Nepris and UPchieve. Common topics include budgeting, saving, compound interest, and credit scores. Students prepare short lessons and answer questions from participants.
In this activity, you explain ideas in simple terms and check that others understand the steps. It shows colleges that you used your finance knowledge in a community setting and that you took responsibility for teaching. It can also lead to a longer project that you can document in an application.
11. Join a Finance Mentorship Program
Difficulty Level: Medium to Hard
Location: Online or Hybrid
Resources/Experience Required: Application May Be Required, Strong Interest in Finance
Finance mentorship programs match high school students with professionals in fields such as investment banking, corporate finance, or financial planning. Examples include the Girls Who Invest Insight Program, AFEA financial education programs, and local CFA Society outreach initiatives via your nearest society. You will meet mentors to discuss career paths, review simple valuation ideas, and plan courses that match future goals in finance.
In this activity, you speak with professionals, work on small tasks, and track your progress. It shows colleges that you spent time learning from people in the industry and that you followed guidance outside of school. It can also lead to long-term contacts who understand your interests and may support future applications.
12. Contribute to a Student Finance Magazine or Research Publication
Difficulty Level: Medium
Location: Online
Resources/Experience Required: Writing Samples, Ability to Conduct Basic Financial Research
Student finance magazines accept articles from high school writers and give a space to practice research and clear writing. Examples include The Teen Financial Journal, FinxTeen, The Investment Journal, and school economic journals. You can write on company performance, market news, or basic investing ideas and submit short pieces for publication. These platforms usually share guidelines and provide an editor who reviews the work.
In this activity, you collect data, write short explanations, and revise based on feedback. The published articles form a record that colleges can read, and they show that you spent time building knowledge in finance. They also help you organize your thinking for future essays or interviews in business and related subjects.
13. Build a Personal Finance or Investing App (No-Code or Low-Code)
Difficulty level: Medium–Hard
Location: Online
Resources/experience required: Laptop; willingness to learn no-code tools
Developing a simple finance app using tools like Glide, Bubble, Thunkable, or Notion + automation helps you apply financial logic in a technical setting. You could build budgeting trackers, savings calculators, expense dashboards, or even a mock robo-advisor that categorizes risk profiles. This pushes you to convert financial concepts into rules, formulas, and workflows, which deepens your understanding of how tools like Mint or Robinhood operate. It also demonstrates initiative and technical competency, two qualities that stand out in business or CS-leaning college applications. Many students turn these projects into portfolio pieces or pitch them during business competitions.
14. Analyze Real Companies Through 10-K Reading or Equity Research Practice
Difficulty level: Medium
Location: Online/self-guided
Resources/Experience Required: Access to SEC filings or investor relations websites
Reading company filings such as 10-Ks, 10-Qs, earnings calls, or annual reports introduces you to real corporate finance, accounting, and business strategy. You can pick one or two companies, break down their revenue streams, margins, risks, and competitive advantages, and then present your findings as a short equity report. Many students use templates inspired by Wall Street Prep, Mergers & Inquisitions, or CFA-style summaries. This activity strengthens analytical reasoning, attention to detail, and financial vocabulary, skills essential for future coursework in finance, economics, or business analytics. It also serves as a strong writing sample for competitions or internships.
15. Join or Start a Micro-Entrepreneurship Project (With Finance at the Core)
Difficulty level: Easy–Medium
Location: School or local community
Resources/Experience Required: Minimal startup funds; basic spreadsheets for tracking
A small student-run venture, like selling handmade products, offering tech-repair services, running a school snack cart, or managing a digital service, teaches you real-world finance through budgeting, pricing, inventory planning, and profit analysis. You’ll track expenses, calculate margins, project cash flow, and make decisions based on cost–benefit trade-offs. Many students use tools like Google Sheets, QuickBooks SimpleStart, or Wave to manage these operations. This kind of hands-on experience demonstrates practical financial judgment and responsibility, and colleges value it as a form of applied leadership. Over time, you build a portfolio of real numbers and insights that show maturity and business acumen.
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