12 Finance Summer Programs for High School Students
Finance is a promising field to pursue as a career. However, high school classrooms don’t really dive into the subject. In this article, we present a list of 12 finance summer programs for high school students through which you can explore this field. These programs provide a solid foundation in financial principles and offer exposure to real-world scenarios. Note that the following information is based on the most recent program, with dates subject to change but generally similar from year to year.
Whether you want to understand the stock market, navigate corporate finance, or explore the intersection of finance with business and math, these programs can help you get there. Each entry on this list offers a unique experience and you should choose the one that best fits your interests as well as your academic and professional goals.
Let’s dive in!
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Application deadline: April 3
Eligibility: All high school students, including international applicants, with a minimum GPA of 3.3
Program dates: Session 1 from June 9 – June 22, Session 2 from June 23 – July 6, Session 3 from July 14 – July 27, Session 4 from July 28 – August 10
Location: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Fee: $7,599. Limited need-based scholarships are available.
Covering the basics of personal and corporate finance, this program will give you a fundamental introduction to the subject. You will attend lectures, examine case studies, and complete an analysis project in small groups. The curriculum includes topics like equities, capital structure, valuation models, risk, and the cost of capital. At the end of the program, you will receive a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion. If you cannot make it to the Philadelphia campus, you can consider Understanding Your Money, a self-paced, online program.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
If you’re interested in both AI and finance, this program is a great way to study how one influences the other. Throughout 10 sessions of 2.5 hours each, you will learn about the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning in fields like banking, asset management, fraud detection, and more. Exploratory Data Analysis, Regressions, and Convolutional Neural Networks are a few of the key topics you will dive into. The program is entirely virtual and structured using a combination of lectures and group sessions. You will also work on a group project featuring hands-on work, such as developing a model to predict stock prices or other financial patterns.
Application deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Students who have completed grades 9, 10, and 11
Program dates: Six sessions available from July to August
Location: New York University (Residential, commuter, and online versions available)
Fee: $2,495 (an additional $607 per week for housing and dining)
Financial assistance: Not available
NYU offers this one-week program that covers various aspects of the finance industry. The curriculum aims to provide an introduction to the subject that will help students thinking of pursuing this field. You will learn the foundations of financial analysis and investment management, the role of the Federal Reserve System, the use of financial derivatives, techniques for measuring risk, and more. Previous students have visited Federal Hall and the Finance Museum as well as explored Wall Street. You will receive an NYU transcript.
Application deadline: June 1
Eligibility: All high school students aged 14 – 18, international students can apply as well
Program dates: Three weeks in June and July (tentatively, based on previous years)
Location: University of California, Los Angeles (residential program)
Fee: $461. Limited full and partial scholarships are available.
This three-week UCLA summer program offers a focus on investments and career paths related to investing. Through lectures and discussions led by UCLA students and faculty, you will learn about financial markets, stock ownership, valuation styles, financial panics, private equity, and more. The curriculum also includes case studies. You will be graded on the basis of your class participation, homework, and exams. The bonus point is that you will also earn transferable college credit! As this is a residential program, you will get a taste of university life.
Application deadline: April
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors
Program dates: 4-5 days in June (tentatively, based on previous years)
Location: University of Houston
Fee: Free
If you are interested in experiencing college life on campus as a finance major while learning how to manage your personal finances, consider applying to this program. It’s free of cost, and by the end, you will have learned about budgeting, money management, goal setting, and more. The aim of the program is to equip you with the tools to plan your financial future.
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Current juniors and seniors who are at least 17 years of age and a US citizen or permanent resident
Program dates: June 16 – August 1
Location: Texas Tech University (Residential)
Stipend: $750
Only twelve high-achieving students are accepted into this prestigious research program. You will engage in research in a specific field, and one of the available research areas is Economics/Business/Finance/Marketing. This is ideal for students looking to complete a research project in the field of finance. It is a very competitive program (standardized test scores are also required in the application), but it comes with a high level of prestige, which means it can boost your college applications.
Application deadline: April 1
Eligibility: All high school students
Program dates: Three one-week sessions are available to choose from in June and July
Location: Fordham University (commuter)
Fee: $1,000. Limited need-based scholarships are available.
Along with learning the fundamentals of finance, this program will allow you to interact with business officials in NYC. The syllabus includes investment analysis formulas, asset management, risk theories, ethics, market manipulation, microfinance, and more. Hosted by the university’s Gabelli School of Business, this program is geared towards students who want to study finance further. Previous students say the coursework helped their understanding of broader subjects like economics and business as well.
Application deadline: Applications open on November 1 and are accepted on a rolling basis.
Eligibility: All high school students
Program dates: One week in June or July
Location: Wake Forest University (Residential)
Fee: $2,800. Need-based scholarships are available.
This summer program does a deep dive into investing, covering everything from market analysis to the power of compounding and the time value of money. The institute is one of the offerings of the university’s summer immersion. The highlight is the curriculum’s hands-on experiences—you will visit financial institutions and tour companies and even participate in a mock investment competition! Additionally, you will learn how to pitch prospective investments, practice public speaking, and build your investment portfolio. If an in-person program is not feasible, you can consider this online immersion program instead.
Application deadline: Applications open on November 1 and are accepted on a rolling basis
Eligibility: All high school students
Program dates: Session 1 from June 24 – July 12, Session 2 from July 8 – 26
Location: Gann Academy/ Bentley University in Waltham or the institute’s Boston location
Fee: $2,200 for tuition and $2,097 for the residential fees. Limited scholarships are available for rising seniors.
This program is ideal for students who want to learn about math and business alongside finance. As a participant in this three-week intensive, you will learn what financial analysts do as well as the mathematical concepts and techniques used in the field. Topics covered include bond valuation, dividends, developing forecasts, cash flow, and spotting trends. Previous students participated in a stock game where they made trades daily. BLI’s programs are known for their in-depth curriculum as well as research experience. You can read our review of the Boston Leadership Institute here.
Application deadline: April (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Current sophomores and juniors, with 25-40 students accepted at each site
Program dates: Varies with each location, but the program runs for a week between June and August
Location: Various locations available
Fee: $2,100. Limited partial scholarships are available.
Economics for Leaders is a well-known program that trains students in the field of economics and leadership. This makes it an ideal choice for students who would like to study finance in a broader sense while honing their leadership skills. Topics like economic growth and scarcity, open markets, opportunity costs, incentives, money, and inflation are covered in the economics section. The coursework includes studying theoretical concepts through simulations and implementing economics analysis in practical situations. Keep in mind that only one student per high school is admitted to this six-day residential program, making it quite competitive.
Application deadline: May (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: All rising high school students
Program dates: June and July (tentatively, based on previous years)
Location: Online
Fee: $50 registration fee
Prizes: $600 for the first place, $500 for the second, $400 for the third, $300 for the fourth, and $200 for the fifth
Competitions can lead to just as much learning as academic programs. As a participant in this contest, you will manage your stock portfolio using a virtual trading platform. You will start with a sum of one million dollars and then must increase the value of your portfolio by investing in stocks and ETFs. Educational videos and quizzes will help you learn about the subject, and you can also earn Investment and Personal Finance Knowledge certificates through the process. This program takes place online, and you can participate from anywhere in the world. If you’re interested in investment management in particular, this program is a great way to put theory into practice. However, if you’re happy to take on a program outside of the summer months, consider the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, which is a more prestigious option.
And for those of you who read this far, here is a bonus program!
Application deadline: January (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: High-achieving graduating seniors in New York City
Program dates: Four years
Location: New York City
Pay: You get a paid four-year internship and a full-tuition scholarship
While this isn’t a summer program, we have included it on this list because of the immense value it offers. This is particularly helpful for graduating seniors who plan to pursue a career in finance. Officially titled the Thomas G. Labrecque Smart Start Program, this program is a long-term internship that also offers a full four-year scholarship to an approved college or university. You will work part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer in one of J.P. Morgan’s businesses or corporate functions. The internship will give you a head start on your career while teaching you technical and soft skills. Each year, you will move to a different department to get a comprehensive experience. More than 300 alumni of this program are still working at the company.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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