15 Online Finance Programs for High School Students
If you are a high school student thinking about building a career in finance or considering it as a possible college major, enrolling in an online finance program can be a smart early step.
What do online finance programs for high school students involve?
Online finance programs let you explore topics such as personal finance, investing, financial markets, budgeting, and basic financial analysis while continuing with your regular school schedule. As all these programs are fully remote, you do not need to worry about travel or housing costs, which makes them easier to manage alongside classes and other commitments.
Why pursue online finance programs for high school students?
Pursuing these programs can help in developing skills that you can use to develop your own ventures. These programs give you a chance to explore the field before making long-term decisions and help you understand what studying finance actually involves beyond surface-level ideas.
If you’re also looking for finance extracurriculars, check here, or go here for paid finance internship opportunities.
With that in mind, here are 15 online finance programs for high school students worth exploring!
15 Online Finance Programs for High School Students
1. Financial Decision Making – Wharton Global Youth
Location: Online
Cost: $4,099
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; limited enrollment
Dates: June 15 – June 26 or July 6 – July 17
Application Deadline: Priority deadline January 28; rolling admission thereafter
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Financial Decision Making is a rigorous two-week online program that helps you develop a structured understanding of finance, economics, and data-driven decision-making. You will examine how everyday financial choices, such as budgeting, saving, borrowing, and investing, connect to larger concepts, including interest rates, inflation, and financial markets. The curriculum emphasizes applied learning through case studies and hands-on analysis of real financial datasets. You use Excel to evaluate trade-offs, measure risk versus return, and assess investment decisions using quantitative methods. The program also introduces ethical considerations in finance and explores how financial systems influence broader economic and social outcomes. Upon completion, you earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
2. Young Founders Lab (YFL)
Location: 100% virtual with live, interactive sessions
Cost: Varies by program; need-based financial aid available
Dates: Offered multiple times per year; schedules vary by cohort
Application Deadline: Rolling, depending on cohort
Eligibility: Open to high school students
Young Founders Lab is a work-learn program where you explore finance, economics, and entrepreneurship by developing a real-world venture idea. Throughout the program, you apply financial reasoning to decisions such as pricing, cost structures, market sizing, and resource allocation. You work through structured modules that emphasize economic trade-offs, customer demand, and business sustainability while receiving feedback from experienced mentors. The program incorporates live workshops, case discussions, and collaborative exercises that simulate how founders and investors evaluate opportunities. By combining venture-building with applied finance concepts, YFL helps you develop analytical, strategic, and communication skills that are relevant to future studies in finance, business, or economics.
3. Young Finance Scholar (YFS) Program – Online
Location: Fully online; self-paced
Cost: $950
Dates: On-demand; approximately 50 hours of coursework
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Students ages 15–18
The Young Finance Scholar (YFS) Program is a self-paced online course that helps you build a structured foundation in finance, economics, and business fundamentals. You explore how companies are formed and financed, analyze financial statements, and examine how capital markets function, including IPOs and stock exchanges. The curriculum also covers personal financial management topics such as saving, credit, debt, and long-term wealth planning, helping you connect financial theory to everyday decision-making. In addition to technical concepts, the program emphasizes ethics in business and finance, encouraging you to evaluate financial decisions through both analytical and ethical lenses. You gain exposure to the global financial system, banking, insurance, mergers and acquisitions, and potential career pathways in finance.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Fully remote; you can participate from anywhere
Cost: Varies by placement; need-based financial aid may be available
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year (typically 8–12 weeks)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students able to commit 10–20 hours per week
The Ladder Internship Program places you in a structured, remote internship with a fast-growing startup, allowing you to gain direct exposure to real-world business and finance operations. Depending on your placement, you may work on projects related to market research, financial analysis, operations, strategy, or growth planning. You work closely with startup team members and receive ongoing guidance from a dedicated Ladder Coach who helps you manage timelines, communicate professionally, and refine deliverables. The program also includes cohort-based workshops where you develop transferable skills such as project execution, analytical thinking, and stakeholder communication. By the end of the internship, you will present your work to the startup, gaining experience that mirrors professional finance and business environments.
5. Wall Street 101 – Bentley University
Location: Bentley University, Waltham, MA (in-person, commuter, residential, and online options available)
Cost: $1,490 (online); $2,450 (commuter); $3,380 (residential); limited need-based scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Competitive; small, faculty-led classes
Dates: One-week sessions offered throughout the summer (multiple course options available)
Application Deadline: Applications open January 15; rolling admission until June 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who have completed at least two years of high school coursework
Wall Street 101 is an intensive, hands-on finance program that introduces you to investing, financial markets, and economic decision-making at the college level. You select from focused one-week courses covering topics such as stock market analysis, personal finance, macroeconomics and financial markets, fintech for startups, or global finance and trade. Through small-group, faculty-led instruction, you analyze real market data, evaluate stocks and bonds, and develop investment pitches. In in-person formats, you gain access to Bentley’s trading room and work with professional-grade tools such as Bloomberg terminals and FactSet. The program emphasizes applied analysis, teamwork, and presentation skills, allowing you to engage directly with how financial decisions are made in real-world contexts.
6. Young Equity Analyst (YEA) Program
Location: Fully virtual (live online classes)
Cost: $1,990
Dates: August 10 – August 21
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment until seats are filled
Eligibility: Students ages 15–18
The Young Equity Analyst (YEA) Program is a live, online program that introduces you to the fundamentals of stock analysis, investing, and financial decision-making. You learn how industry cycles and broader economic conditions affect company performance, while examining the key drivers that influence markets over time. The program also focuses on financial statement analysis, helping you interpret income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements using core financial ratios. As you progress, you explore the relationship between time and the value of money, including how companies raise capital through equity versus debt. A major component of the program involves learning valuation techniques, where you apply free cash flow models to estimate the intrinsic value of stocks.
7. Understanding Your Money – Wharton Global Youth Program
Location: Fully online and self-paced
Cost: $329
Dates: On-demand; you can start at any time
Application Deadline: None; rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Open to high school students
Understanding Your Money is a flexible, self-paced online course that helps you build foundational knowledge in personal finance, economics, and investing. Through concise video lessons led by Wharton faculty, you examine how money moves through the economy and how individuals make financial choices in real-life contexts. The course focuses on practical topics such as budgeting, saving, earning income, and evaluating spending decisions, with examples grounded in everyday scenarios. Interactive quizzes and applied exercises reinforce key concepts and allow you to check your understanding as you progress. The on-demand format makes this program well-suited if you want structured finance learning while balancing school or other commitments.
8. Excel, Finance, & Investing Summer Program
Location: New York City (in-person), with live online and self-paced options available
Cost: $1,395 (early bird rate)
Cohort Size: Small class sizes with limited enrollment
Dates: One-week in-person summer sessions (10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. daily); online option meets three hours per day over two weeks
Application Deadline: Rolling admission until sessions reach capacity
Eligibility: Open to high school students; college students may also enroll
The Excel, Finance, & Investing Summer Program introduces you to core business tools and foundational investing concepts through a structured, applied curriculum. You begin with focused Excel training that moves from basic data organization and charting to more advanced tools such as PivotTables, VLOOKUP, and introductory automation. The finance portion focuses on understanding financial statements, valuation metrics, and stock analysis using real company data to illustrate how investors evaluate firms. Instruction is led by certified trainers and finance professionals, with an emphasis on practical application rather than theory alone. You receive access to relevant software, session recordings, and proprietary learning materials to support independent practice. By the end of the program, you will have developed technical and analytical skills that are directly applicable to future coursework, internships, or finance-related projects.
9. Entrepreneurial Finance and New Venture Management
Location: Virtual (online, Summer B session)
Cost: Varies; check the program website for current pricing
Dates: July 20 – July 31
Application Deadline: Rolling admission until full
Eligibility: Open to high school students; prior coursework in business, economics, or entrepreneurship is recommended
Entrepreneurial Finance and New Venture Management is a two-week online course that introduces you to the financial and strategic foundations of launching and scaling new ventures. You examine the startup lifecycle, from opportunity identification and idea validation to business model design and early growth decisions. The curriculum covers essential entrepreneurial finance topics, including valuation methods, term sheets, convertible notes, and different funding pathways. Daily sessions combine lectures, applied exercises, and case discussions to strengthen your ability to assess early-stage opportunities. The program culminates in a final pitch that simulates an investor presentation, helping you build skills in financial reasoning, strategic thinking, and professional communication.
10. Finance and Investing 1-Week Intensive Virtual Bootcamp
Location: Virtual (live, synchronous online format)
Cost: $1,500
Dates: July 7 – July 11
Application Deadline: December 20 - March 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors entering the upcoming academic year
The Finance and Investing 1-Week Intensive Virtual Bootcamp provides a concentrated introduction to investing and portfolio management in a professional-style learning environment. You work directly with the S&P Capital IQ academic platform to construct, backtest, and manage simulated investment portfolios while applying concepts such as equity analysis, diversification, and risk management. Daily live sessions combine structured lectures with small-group breakout exercises led by teaching assistants, allowing you to practice interpreting market data and financial metrics. By the end of the bootcamp, you will have gained hands-on experience with financial analytics platforms and a clearer understanding of how investment decisions are evaluated in real markets.
11. Finance Institute: Wall Street in the Classroom
Location: Virtual format available
Cost: $1,300; need-based discounts available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Small class sizes
Dates: June 16 – 20 | June 23 – 27 | July 21 – 25 | July 28 – August 1
Application Deadline: Applications open in January; rolling admission
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10–12
Fordham University’s Finance Institute: Wall Street in the Classroom is a one-week program that introduces you to core concepts in finance through an applied, market-focused curriculum. You study foundational topics such as the time value of money, investment vehicles, and monetary policy while gaining exposure to advanced areas, including hedge funds, private equity, and risk management. Instruction is led by faculty from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business and supplemented by guest speakers from the finance industry. In addition to market-focused content, the program covers personal finance topics such as budgeting, saving, and investing, helping you connect financial theory to everyday decision-making. You also examine the structure and evolution of financial systems, providing a broader context for how markets function.
12. Finance Course – Wake Forest University
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,595; scholarships available
Dates: Multiple sessions offered year-round, with varying program lengths
Application Deadline: Rolling; applications typically close about one week before a session begins
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Wake Forest University’s Finance Course introduces you to the fundamentals of investing and financial markets through a flexible, online format. Over one to four weeks, you examine how financial markets operate and how economic forces affect savers, borrowers, and investors. The program combines self-paced video lessons with insights from professionals such as investment bankers, portfolio managers, traders, and private equity executives. A central component of the course is a final project in which you take on the role of a financial analyst. You evaluate a publicly traded company and prepare an analyst-style report that considers market conditions and future financial trends.
13. Wall Street Skills – Virtual Finance Bootcamp for Teens
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by course; early bird discounts available (up to $212 off)
Dates: Multiple cohorts offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: Early bird pricing available through December 31
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 9–12 with an interest in investing, trading, or business
Wall Street Skills is a multi-stage virtual finance bootcamp designed to build your understanding of investing and financial markets in a structured progression. The program is organized into three modules: Wall Street 101, Investing & Trading, and an Investing Competition, which guide you from foundational concepts to applied portfolio management. You learn how stock markets function, how to evaluate companies using both fundamental and technical analysis, and how macroeconomic factors influence asset prices. Throughout the program, you work with simulated trading platforms to construct and manage investment portfolios while practicing risk management strategies. Instruction is led by experienced finance educators who emphasize practical decision-making rather than passive theory.
14. Finance: From Personal Literacy to Global Markets – USC Pre-College
Location: Fully online; self-paced
Cost: $1,990 (plus $35 application fee)
Dates: Rolling monthly start dates available throughout the year; approximately 20–25 hours of coursework
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Students ages 14 and up; must be enrolled in a high school or secondary program
Finance: From Personal Literacy to Global Markets is a self-paced online course that builds foundational knowledge in finance across three interconnected domains: personal financial management, corporate finance, and emerging digital currencies. You will explore how to manage personal finances through planning and investing for future goals, then examine the fundamentals of how companies raise capital through stocks and bonds. The program concludes by introducing you to the exciting frontier of digital currencies and blockchain technologies. Instruction is led by Michael Paranal, a CPA and assistant professor of clinical accounting at USC's Marshall School of Business. Throughout the course, you analyze financial formulas, engage with real-world industry connections, and complete assignments that reinforce your understanding of key concepts, terms, and financial technology.
15. Finance: Think Like an Investor – Northwestern University Pre-College
Location: Fully online; flexible, self-paced with structured modules
Cost: $1,895
Dates: Rolling start dates; choose between 2-week or 4-week sessions (20–30 hours of total instruction and coursework)
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies’ Finance: Think Like an Investor course walks you through how investors actually evaluate companies and make decisions. You start by learning how financial markets work and why ideas like risk, return, and time value of money matter, then move into how economic forces and consumer behavior shape investment outcomes. A big focus is learning to read financial statements the way investors do. You work with balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements to judge a company’s health and potential. As the course progresses, you explore different investment strategies, asset classes, and risk management approaches. Everything leads to a capstone project where you analyze a real private equity case, build projections, and present an investment recommendation.
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