15 Online Economics Pre-College Programs for High School Students
High school schedules can be rigid. Even if you like economics, it’s hard to go beyond what your school offers. Online pre-college programs simply solve that problem. You can explore economics from home, learn at a faster pace, and still keep your summer or school-year schedule manageable.
What do online economics pre-college programs cover?
These programs usually cover topics like markets, supply and demand, inflation, interest rates, and global trade. Some also introduce basic finance and investing concepts. The best ones include assignments that make you apply what you’re learning, like analyzing real economic events, working with datasets, or building small business-focused projects.
Why pursue online economics pre-college programs?
These programs can also give you a strong edge later. They help you build a clearer direction for your applications, and help you build the skills for building your business. If you work on a project or case analysis, that becomes a real talking point.
If you’re also looking for in-person options, you can have a look at economics summer programs for high school students. If you’re interested in getting work experience in economics, you might be interested in economics internships for high school students.
Below, we’ve listed 15 online economics pre-college programs for high school students!
15 Online Economics Pre-College Programs for High School Students
1. Understanding Your Money Wharton
Location: Online
Cost: $329
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Open enrollment (non-selective)
Dates: Self-paced; approximately 13–15 hours total
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment (no application required)
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 (international students welcome)
The Understanding Your Money program is a self-paced online course delivered through the Wharton Online learning platform, allowing you to explore core economics and personal finance concepts at your own pace. Designed for high school students, the program helps you understand how money functions in everyday decision-making, from earning and budgeting to investing and financial well-being. Throughout the course, you will work through structured modules that introduce key economic principles, financial decision-making frameworks, and real-world applications of money management. Each unit ends with a short quiz to assess your understanding, and you can retake quizzes as needed to achieve a passing score and progress through the program.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: Online (100% virtual with live, interactive workshops)
Cost: Varies by program type; full financial aid available
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year (summer, fall, winter, and spring)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Young Founders Lab is a virtual startup boot camp designed to help you build a revenue-generating business while developing a strong foundation in entrepreneurship and applied economics. Founded and led by Harvard entrepreneurs, the program guides you through identifying a real-world problem, validating a market opportunity, and developing a sustainable business model. You will gain hands-on experience with concepts such as pricing, market research, unit economics, and financial decision-making, skills that directly connect economics to entrepreneurship. Throughout the program, you will participate in live workshops, case studies, and skill-building sessions focused on business fundamentals and strategic thinking. You will also receive mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and professionals from companies such as Google, Microsoft, and X, giving you insight into how economic principles guide real startup and business decisions.
3. The Business of Economics – Rice University Precollege Program
Location: Online
Cost: $1,795
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Minimally selective
Dates: 4 weeks (multiple sessions offered throughout the year)
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
The Business of Economics is an online pre-college course that helps you understand how economic principles directly shape business decisions, markets, and industries. Designed by Rice University faculty, the program explores how firms respond to market fluctuations, policy changes, labor conditions, and energy supply challenges. You will hear from experts in the field as you develop a strong foundation in how economics informs real-world business strategy. Throughout the course, you will study core topics such as supply and demand, inflation, labor markets, loanable funds, and energy economics, all through the lens of business applications. Lessons are built around real-world case studies and professional insights, helping you see how companies assess costs, pricing, hiring decisions, and investment strategies.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Online (remote; work from anywhere)
Cost: Varies. Financial aid is available
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Highly selective
Dates: 8–12 weeks, Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students able to commit 10–20 hours per week
The Ladder Internship Program offers a competitive virtual internship experience that allows you to work directly with a high-growth startup on real-world projects. Startups span industries such as economics, finance, consulting, and fintech, many of which are founded by experienced entrepreneurs, including Y Combinator alumni and former professionals from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta. This structure gives you firsthand exposure to how businesses operate, scale, and make strategic decisions in fast-moving markets. During the internship, you will collaborate closely with startup managers while also receiving guidance from a dedicated Ladder Coach. Your work often involves problem-solving, research, strategy, or execution tasks that require you to think critically about markets, users, and business constraints. You will also present your final work to the startup team.
5. How a Nation’s Economy Works: An Introduction to Macroeconomics – Brown University Pre-College
Location: Online (mostly asynchronous)
Cost: Varies by enrollment type (see Brown Pre-College tuition details)
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: June 15 - July 24
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students; no prior economics coursework required (Algebra II–level math recommended)
How a Nation’s Economy Works: An Introduction to Macroeconomics is an online pre-college course that helps you understand how national economies function and how policy decisions shape real-world economic outcomes. Offered through Brown University’s Pre-College Program, the course introduces macroeconomic data, institutions, and frameworks that influence fiscal and monetary policy. You will learn how economists analyze inflation, unemployment, growth, and economic shocks while developing the analytical tools used in policy and research settings. Throughout the course, you will work with real economic data, models, and simulations to explore how policymakers respond to changing economic conditions.
6. Principles of Economics – Brown University Pre-College
Location: Online
Cost: $3,364 - $6,520; Varies by program length
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: June 15 - July 31
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students eligible for Brown Pre-College programs
Principles of Economics is an online pre-college course that gives you a comprehensive introduction to economic theory, institutions, and real-world applications. Offered through Brown University’s Pre-College Program, the course is designed to help you understand how individuals, businesses, and governments make decisions in the face of scarcity. You will develop a strong foundation in economic vocabulary and analytical frameworks that are essential for further study in economics and related fields. Throughout the program, you will explore both microeconomic and macroeconomic principles while applying economic analysis to current social and economic issues.
7. Economics, Finance, and Public Policy – Harvard Summer School
Location: Online (7-week SSP Online option)
Cost: Varies by program type and credit load. Check here. Financial aid available
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: 7 weeks (summer session)
Application Deadline: Varies by program and enrollment option
Eligibility: High school students accepted into Harvard’s Secondary School Program
Economics, Finance, and Public Policy through Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program allows you to design a rigorous, college-level summer experience focused on how economic systems, financial decision-making, and public policy shape societies. In the 7-week online format, you can take one or two courses, giving you the flexibility to either build a broad foundation in economics or explore specialized areas such as finance, data analysis, or public policy before college. You can choose from a wide range of courses, including microeconomics and macroeconomics, financial and managerial economics, accounting, econometrics, statistics, and public finance.
8. Georgetown Pre-College Online Program
Location: Online (year-round)
Cost: Enrichment courses $1,895; College credit courses $3,995
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by course
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
The Georgetown Pre-College Online Program lets you explore subjects like investing, entrepreneurship, and business concepts through flexible online courses designed by Georgetown University faculty. You can choose from shorter enrichment options or longer college credit courses to fit your interests and schedule. Whether you want to learn the basics of finance, understand what drives markets, or explore how economics intersects with business decisions, Georgetown’s online pre-college offerings help you build foundational knowledge before college. Courses feature dynamic video lessons, guided assignments, and support from mentors or teaching assistants. In enrichment courses, you earn a Certificate of Completion to showcase your college applications, while college credit options allow you to earn official credits and a transcript from Georgetown University.
9. Game Theory: A Course in Mathematical Economics
Location: Online
Cost: Varies by enrollment type (see Columbia Pre-College tuition details)
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: 2 weeks (Summer session)
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students eligible for Columbia University Pre-College Programs
Game Theory: A Course in Mathematical Economics is an online pre-college course that introduces you to the science of strategic decision-making and how individuals and institutions make choices under uncertainty. The course explores how rational agents interact in competitive and cooperative settings, with applications that span economics, business, political science, and negotiation strategy. You will study how game theory informs real-world decisions such as pricing products, entering markets, negotiating agreements, and allocating resources. Throughout the course, you will engage with foundational game theory concepts, including payoff matrices, probability-based decision-making, and equilibrium analysis. You will analyze classic and modern case studies as you work through problem sets that challenge you to evaluate incentives, risks, and outcomes from multiple perspectives.
10. Introduction to PPE: Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation – University of Pennsylvania Pre-College Online Program
Location: Online
Cost: Varies by units (approximately $8,462 for 1 course unit)
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: Summer Session I (May 26 – July 1)
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students eligible for Penn’s Pre-College Online Program
Introduction to PPE: Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation is an interdisciplinary online pre-college course that helps you explore how markets generate wealth, and why they sometimes fail to do so. The course combines perspectives from philosophy, politics, and economics to examine how economic systems interact with ethical principles and political institutions. You will develop a nuanced understanding of how markets function, how resources are allocated, and what conditions promote or limit prosperity. Throughout the course, you will study the economic logic behind market exchange while also engaging with ethical and political questions related to inequality, distributive justice, and public policy.
11. Globalization: Challenges in International Economics & Politics – Columbia University Pre-College Program
Location: Online
Cost: Varies by enrollment type (see Columbia Pre-College tuition details)
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: 2 weeks (multiple summer sessions offered)
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students eligible for Columbia University Pre-College Programs
Globalization: Challenges in International Economics & Politics is an online pre-college course that helps you examine how global economic integration interacts with national political interests. Offered through Columbia University’s Pre-College Program, the course explores major international economic and political challenges, including globalization, trade, sovereign debt, monetary systems, and geopolitical competition. You will analyze how forces such as populism, nationalism, and shifting power dynamics influence global growth, foreign relations, and international cooperation. Throughout the course, you will study international political economy through real-world case studies and comparative analysis. Topics include global trade and capital flows, foreign aid and development, international financial institutions, energy sustainability, and the relationship between domestic economic policy and foreign policy.
12. The Global Political Economy: Power and Inequality – University of Chicago
Location: Online (remote)
Cost: $4,980
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: July 7 – July 23 (Summer Session)
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11
The Global Political Economy: Power and Inequality is an intensive online pre-college course at the University of Chicago that helps you examine the structural causes of economic inequality from a global perspective. The course challenges the idea that inequality is inevitable, instead exploring how political power, institutions, and historical forces shape who gains and who loses in the global economy. You will analyze how wealth concentration has evolved since the 1970s and why disparities are especially pronounced in countries such as the United States. The curriculum draws on interdisciplinary sources from economics, history, political science, and social theory, helping you connect economic trends to broader social and political dynamics.
13. Investing: The Future of Finance – Wake Forest University Pre-College Program
Location: Online
Cost: $1,595
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: 1-, 2-, or 4-week sessions offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Investing: The Future of Finance is an online pre-college course that helps you understand how modern financial markets operate in an era shaped by volatility, FinTech innovation, and cryptocurrencies. Offered through Wake Forest University, the program introduces you to how companies raise capital, how investors evaluate risk and return, and how emerging technologies are reshaping traditional finance. You will learn directly from industry professionals such as investment bankers, traders, and portfolio managers while building a strong foundation in contemporary finance. Throughout the course, you will explore key topics including equity markets, IPOs, bonds, venture capital, ESG investing, decentralized finance, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies.
14. Introduction to Microeconomics – Columbia University Pre-College Program
Location: Online
Cost: Varies by enrollment type (see Columbia Pre-College tuition details)
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Moderate selectivity
Dates: July 20 – July 31 (Summer session)
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: High school students eligible for Columbia University Pre-College Programs
Introduction to Microeconomics is an online pre-college course that helps you understand how individual choices and constraints shape larger economic outcomes. The course focuses on microeconomic decision-making, showing how everyday choices made by consumers, workers, and businesses aggregate into broader market behavior. You will explore how trade-offs, incentives, and resource limitations influence economic systems. Throughout the course, you will study foundational concepts such as opportunity cost, scarcity, comparative advantage, and economic rent.
15. Capital Markets and Investments – Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
Location: Online
Cost: $3,080 (financial aid available)
Acceptance Rate / Selectivity: Selective
Dates: Session One: June 15–26; Session Two: July 13–24
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: High school students in grades 8–11 (international students welcome)
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes’ Capital Markets and Investments teaches you how money moves through markets and how investors decide what a company is worth. You study how businesses raise capital from early startup funding to an IPO, and you work through the same core valuation tools used in finance, including P/E, NPV, IRR, WACC, and DCF. The course uses lectures, discussions, and structured activities to make the concepts stick, instead of treating finance like pure theory. You also work in a team on a capstone where you build a basic company financial model and present your investment analysis, which forces you to explain your assumptions clearly.
Image source - Harvard logo