15 Competitive Economics Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 40 minutes ago
- 10 min read
Structured, rigorous programs are a good way to test your academic interests before you apply to college. If you are interested in economics, a program in the field can be an opportunity to explore college-level economics academics, learn from experts, connect with like-minded peers and university students, and move beyond the high school curriculum. For instance, instead of reading about a subject on your own, a structured economics program could help you engage in seminar-style classes, work through problem sets, and discuss policy questions with peers. Economics programs typically dive into concepts like labor, demand, supply, policy making, finance, global markets, and more through research projects, case studies, or simulations that mirror undergraduate coursework.
Why should I participate in a competitive economics program in high school?
Participation in a competitive economics program can signal to college admissions officers your intellectual curiosity and academic seriousness. Engaging in advanced coursework, contributing to a research project, or working on policy analysis shows colleges that you can handle material beyond the standard high school curriculum. If you are considering economics as a potential major, a competitive program can help you test your skills, learn about different pathways, and explore the specific aspect of economics you enjoy, whether that’s theory, data analysis, public policy, or even finance.
We have compiled a list of 15 competitive economics programs for high school students to help you get started. We have narrowed down the top programs based on their academic rigor, competitive acceptance, and mentorship and networking opportunities. We also have a blog covering free economics summer programs here.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
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, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: Online and in person at various locations; check available sites here
Cost: $900 (virtual) | $2,800 (in person); scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 25 – 40 students/site
Dates: Multiple sessions between June and August
Application deadline: Rolling enrolment
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors
Economics for Leaders (EFL) is a selective summer program for high school students interested in understanding how to apply economic reasoning to real-world decisions. Conducted virtually and on various university campuses across the U.S., the weeklong program covers concepts in economics and leadership. You will study topics like incentives, labor markets, property rights, and public policy through lectures, exercises, and simulations. Instructors will help you connect exercises to current national and global issues. You also work in teams and learn about personal, relational, and contextual leadership, developing teamwork and communication skills in the process.
Location: Various sites, including Cambridge, London, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Tokyo
Cost: Varies according to program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Two weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students, ages 13 – 18
Immerse Education’s Economics summer school is a two-week academic program for high school students. As a participant, you will study core economic principles focused on markets, incentives, and policy, and apply them to understand contemporary global issues. Classes run in small groups and include discussions, case studies, and presentations. You will also complete research tasks, learning how to analyze an economic question and present your insights to your peers. Tutors will provide individual feedback on your arguments, structure, and use of evidence. By the end of the program, you will complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and earn a certificate of completion. You can learn more about the application here.
Location: Virtual
Cost: One undergraduate course: $5,601 | Two undergraduate courses: $10,202 + $70 non-refundable application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application deadline: March 10
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are at least 16 years old by June 29 and have a GPA of 3.5 or higher
The Boston College Experience Honors Six-Week Credit Program allows you to enroll in undergraduate interdisciplinary courses during Boston College’s summer session. You will attend online classes with current Boston College students taking courses in economics and related fields. For instance, tracks in entrepreneurship and mass communication cover concepts in economics. You will also have access to faculty-led mentorship sessions focused on academic writing, study strategies, and college readiness. At the end, you will earn 4 to 8 college credits, which will be recorded on an official transcript from the college.
Location: Treasury Departmental Offices, Washington, D.C.
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Spring: January – May | Summer: May – August; Fall: September – December
Application deadline: Varies; Spring applications are open in October, Summer applications are open in December, and Fall applications are open in June.
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and graduate students who are U.S. citizens enrolled in or accepted to an accredited institution for the entire duration of the internship
The U.S. Department of the Treasury places students within various departments, where they can gain exposure to real-world tasks within economics, finance, and public policy. You will join a departmental office in areas like Domestic Finance, Economic Policy, or International Affairs, and assist the staff with research, data analysis, and drafting of internal reports. You may also help prepare briefing materials and talking points for senior officials and external stakeholders. You may additionally get to attend congressional hearings, interagency meetings, or public events, and summarize key discussions.
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Cost: $5,675 (commuter) | $13,274 (residential); scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application deadline: March 9
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10 and 11 with a minimum 3.80 academic weighted GPA; academically gifted 9th-grade students may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
UC Santa Barbara’s RMP pairs students with faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, or graduate student mentors to work on an original project in a field of choice. Placements span several disciplines, including economics. Over the course of the program, you will develop a research question and investigate it through data analysis and scientific writing. You will attend writing workshops and seminars, which will guide you through drafting a formal research paper and preparing a final presentation. The curriculum also includes two university courses focused on research methods and academic writing. Successful completion will earn you eight university credits.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: $7,000 + $80 application fee; need-based aid available covering up to 100% of tuition
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 21 – July 3 | July 5 – 17 | July 19 – 31
Application deadline: October 15
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors, ages 16 to 18
Yale Young Global Scholars is a two-week program designed to introduce high schoolers to advanced coursework in STEM, social science, humanities, or interdisciplinary tracks. The Politics, Law, and Economics track at Yale Young Global Scholars allows you to explore how governments, legal systems, and markets interact through lectures and seminars led by Yale faculty and graduate instructors. Topics of study range from development economics, game theory, and constitutional interpretation to public policy and market regulation. You will engage in discussions and draw connections between economic models and real political or legal debates. Throughout the session, you will analyze case studies and contemporary issues using frameworks from economics, politics, and law.
Location: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Cost: $150 enrollment fee + $75 application fee; application fee waivers availableAcceptance rate/cohort size: ~150 students
Dates: July 18 – 29
Application deadline: January 21
Eligibility: Current high school juniors who will be at least 16 years old by August 1 and have demonstrated leadership experience in church, school, community, and/or social organizations; admitted students are generally in the top 10% of their class.
University of Notre Dame’s Leadership Seminars is a selective, low-cost 10-day program designed for high school students interested in building leadership skills and exploring various social science disciplines. You will attend instructor-led sessions, engage in discussions, and practice critical thinking while taking seminar-style courses led by Notre Dame faculty. You will study topics ranging from global peace and social and economic inequality to financial literacy and data innovation, gaining exposure to how leadership connects with societal issues. You will engage in research projects, debates, and workshops. Additionally, you will live in residence halls, connect with current university students, and receive one transferable college credit upon program completion.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost / Stipend: $9,300 (residential) | $6,100 (commuter); need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective; limited to 80 students
Program dates: June 15 – July 2
Application deadline: Priority: February 11 | Regular: March 12
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 11 | Must have taken pre-calculus
UChicago’s Pathways in Economics pre-college program introduces high schoolers to research methods and analytical approaches in economics. Led by full-time UChicago faculty, the program covers topics in microeconomics, game theory, macroeconomics, and experimental economics. You will explore these areas through lectures, labs, group discussions, and problem-solving exercises led by UChicago students. The curriculum combines theory with application, allowing you to examine how economic principles are used to understand and tackle real-world challenges.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,099 + $100 non-refundable application fee; need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 15 – 26 | July 6 – 17
Application deadline: Priority deadline: January 28; rolling admissions thereafter
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in grades 9 to 12
Future of the Business World is a two-week online program offered by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School that helps you examine how companies adapt to economic, technological, and social change. You will attend live weekday lectures and recitations led by Wharton faculty and teaching assistants to explore how businesses bring change in societies and economies. You will use digital tools and platforms found in Wharton’s undergraduate courses. Throughout the program, you will participate in business simulations and engage in group discussions to analyze economic and managerial strategies.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost / Stipend: $10,050; scholarships available for School District of Philadelphia public or charter school students
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective
Program dates: July 11 – August 1
Application deadline: Rolling; applications open on December 1
Eligibility: Current 9th – 11th-grade students
The Economics Academy at UPenn is designed to introduce high school students to key economic concepts in a global context. As a participant, you will spend three weeks learning about scarcity, competition, markets and their failures, and monopolies while applying models to real issues. You will learn through lectures, workshops, and guest speaker sessions. You will also work on a project, for which you will assess an economic issue and propose solutions to it. Field trips and group activities are part of the experience. Additionally, you will experience life on a university campus and connect with peers from across the world.
Location: Virtual or Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost / Stipend: Residential: $12,837 | Commuter: $6,380 | Online: $4,017; need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: 20 students (in-person class) | 18 students (online class)
Program dates: In-person: June 29 – July 17 or July 21 – August 7 | Online: July 6 – 17; dates vary by year
Application deadline: Residential: March 2 | Commuter/Online: April 2
Eligibility: High school students
This Columbia University pre-college course introduces you to Game Theory, which is the study of strategic decision-making. Over the course of two to three weeks, you will explore the principles of rational choice and optimal decision-making between independent agents and rival actors. You will learn through case studies and problem-solving exercises, exploring how game theory affects real phenomena, such as pricing strategies, negotiations, and policy decisions. You will study the foundational work of theorists and link their ideas to business, economics, and political science. You will additionally gain insights into how game theory shapes choices across industries and learn how to apply these insights to improve your own decision-making.
Location: Remote or George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost / Stipend: $1,299 + $25 application fee; waivers available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Competitive
Program dates: June 18 – August 12
Application deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students | At least 15 years old (16+ for in-person or wet-lab internships)
ASSIP is a summer research experience where you will work one-on-one with a faculty mentor on an original project. Placements are available across disciplines, including economics, finance, or business, with mentors often researching markets, technology, and data. Past research areas have included cryptocurrency, financial technology, ETF performance, market structure, and the economics of artificial intelligence. Over eight weeks, you will work on a focused research question, meet regularly with your mentor, and refine your analysis. The program concludes with a formal research product, such as a poster or presentation.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost / Stipend: $9,300 (residential) | $6,100 (commuter); need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate / Cohort size: Selective
Program dates: July 7 – 23
Application deadline: Priority: February 11 | Regular: March 12
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 11
Offered under UChicago’s Summer Session pre-college program, this three-week course focuses on examining economic questions through an experimental approach. As a participant, you will learn about experimental economics and how it uses unique methods to analyse current economic systems. You will also gain insight into the factors influencing individuals' decisions about environmental conservation and charitable giving. The course provides practical learning experiences through opportunities to engage in lab-based experimentation, allowing you to work individually or in groups to address specific economic challenges.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,354 – $6,520 (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Courses of varying lengths offered between June 15 and July 24; check options here.
Application deadline: May 8
Eligibility: Students, ages 14 – 18, finishing grades 9 – 12
Brown Pre-College Online offers various college-level courses in economics and finance through a mostly asynchronous format. You can choose subjects such as quantitative finance, macroeconomics, behavioral game theory, or accounting. Each course follows an undergraduate structure with regular assignments and applied exercises. You may learn how to work with economic models, analyze strategic decisions, or study how financial statements are constructed. In some classes, you will complete an independent project. Instructors will provide written feedback on your work throughout the program.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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