15 Economics Programs for High School Students in Singapore
- Stephen Turban
- 3 hours ago
- 10 min read
Structured academic programs are one of the most effective ways to explore a subject before college. As a high school student, participating in a structured program allows you to experience college-level academics, build practical skills, interact with faculty and peers, and gain exposure to real-world applications—often at a fraction of the cost of overseas summer schools. You will also gain greater clarity about your academic interests while building credentials that stand out on university applications.
Why should I do an economics program in high school?
If you are interested in economics, joining a specialized program in the field can help you understand core concepts like market structures, public policy, behavioral economics, and financial systems in a hands-on setting. Singapore, being home to universities, a global financial ecosystem, and a policy-driven governance model, offers a particularly rich environment for studying economics.
Below, we have narrowed down 15 economics programs for high school students in Singapore. We have focused on factors like rigor, selectivity, networking opportunities, institutional prestige, and, where applicable, funding support to help you choose from meaningful yet accessible opportunities.
Location: National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
Cost: Singaporean/Permanent Resident: SGD 2,725 | ASEAN (non-Singaporean/PR): SGD 3,978.50 | International: SGD 5,450
Dates: June 21 – 27
Application deadline: Rolling (usually January – May)
Eligibility: High school or pre-university students aged 15–18 with basic economics knowledge
The Youth Programme: International Economics and Finance at NUS introduces high school students to key development and macroeconomic issues affecting ASEAN and East Asian economies. Designed as a non-technical, analytically rigorous course, it explores economic growth, financial crises, trade dynamics, and policy responses using empirical evidence and regional case studies, including Singapore’s development model. Over 15 hours of face-to-face instruction, you will engage with real-world development challenges, analyze policy effectiveness, and develop structured policy recommendations. The course includes formative quizzes and a graded group presentation, culminating in a final project presentation.
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: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions across multiple summer cohorts
Program Dates: Two weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students aged 13–18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from eminent top universities like Oxford and Cambridge.
Participants can explore a wide range of subjects, spanning over 20 options, including Architecture, AI, Business Management, Computer Science, Economics, Medicine, Philosophy, and more. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, participating in a moot court for law, or building creative writing portfolios and business case studies.
By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Singapore
Cost: Fee-based; financial aid available
Dates: June 21 – 27
Application Deadline: Rolling until capacity is reached
Eligibility: Students aged 12–19; Junior track: 12–15, Senior track: 15–19
The PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) Summer School by the John Locke Institute is a selective, one-week academic program designed for high-achieving students interested in interdisciplinary analysis. Hosted in Singapore, the program explores the intellectual foundations of ethics, political theory, and economics through an integrated curriculum that emphasizes rigorous reasoning and structured debate. You will engage with topics such as moral philosophy, political economy, game theory, micro- and macroeconomics, epistemology, and mathematical reasoning for economics. The program focuses less on memorizing content and more on cultivating analytical depth, persuasive argumentation, and intellectual humility.
Location: Singapore (in-person competitions, talks, and events)
Cost: Varies by event; many are free or low-cost
Dates: Annual events throughout the year (e.g., SGNEO in May, Estimathon in February)
Application Deadline: Varies by competition
Eligibility: Secondary school and junior college students in Singapore
JESS is a student-led organization dedicated to promoting economics among youth through national competitions, policy discussions, and speaker events. JESS runs structured academic initiatives designed to deepen economic reasoning and quantitative skills. Its flagship programme, the Singapore National Economics Olympiad (SGNEO), serves as the official selection platform for Team Singapore at the International Economics Olympiad. Held annually in May, SGNEO challenges students with rigorous theoretical and applied economics questions across microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international trade. High-performing students get to represent Singapore on the international stage.
Location: Online
Cost: USD 900 (SGD 1,146); scholarships available
Dates: Multiple sessions between June and August
Application deadline: Rolling enrolment
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors; Singapore students need to have English proficiency.
Economics for Leaders (EFL) offers a virtual summer learning opportunity to high school students interested in exploring how to apply economic reasoning to real-world decisions. The weeklong program covers various concepts in economics and leadership through online sessions. You will learn about topics like property rights, incentives, labor markets, and public policy through lectures, exercises, and simulations. Instructors will guide you in connecting exercises to national and global issues. You will also work with peers and learn about relational, personal, and contextual leadership, developing teamwork and collaboration skills in the process.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $3,200; need-based financial aid available
Dates: Session I: June 15 – 26 | Session II: July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 11 who have completed an algebra course
Stanford’s pre-college course in macroeconomics focuses on the broader economy, including concepts such as the money supply, price levels, employment, and the impact of government policies. The course provides an in-depth exploration of core macroeconomic concepts, including financial and labor markets, GDP, inflation, unemployment, and economic growth. The course is designed to help you develop analytical skills to evaluate economic conditions, make informed decisions, and engage in discussions about global economic dynamics. Classes are conducted live online Monday through Friday, with an additional hour set aside for virtual office hours. Assignments and projects are also part of the experience.
Location: Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Cost: SGD 4,900 (two weeks in Singapore) | SGD 7,500 (four weeks in Singapore + Malaysia, GST and accommodation included)
Dates: June (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: International high school and pre-university students
The Asia Summer School Programme offers a multi-country academic and cultural immersion experience across Singapore and Malaysia, two of Southeast Asia’s most influential business hubs. The curriculum combines classroom instruction, corporate exposure, and structured field visits to help you understand business practices, cultural norms, and economic systems within ASEAN. A key feature of the programme is a two-day Career Immersion Programme with Deloitte Singapore, providing exposure to consulting in the Asia-Pacific region. Activities include a case challenge, mock interviews with HR consultants, CV and LinkedIn workshops, and networking sessions with industry professionals. The program also introduces you to professional pathways within global consulting and multinational corporate environments.
Location: Virtual format available
Cost: USD 4,018 (SGD 5,110); need-based financial aid available
Cohort Size: Up to 18 students per class
Dates: July 6 – 17 (dates may vary by year)
Application Deadline: April 2
Eligibility: High school students (domestic and international)
This Columbia University pre-college course focuses on Game Theory, which is the study of strategic decision-making. Over two weeks, you will study the principles of rational choice and optimal decision-making between independent agents and rival actors. You will learn core concepts through case studies and problem-solving exercises, developing an understanding of how game theory affects real phenomena, such as pricing strategies, negotiations, and policy decisions. You will study the work of theorists and connect their ideas to economics, business, and political science. You will also gain insights into how game theory influences choices across industries and how these insights can help improve your own decision-making.
Location: Singapore Management University (SMU), City Campus, Singapore
Cost: SGD 3,500 (includes tuition, twin-sharing accommodation, meals, and program activities; excludes airfare, insurance, and personal expenses)
Dates: July 13 – 18
Application Deadline: April 30 (rolling admissions; may close earlier if program fills)
Eligibility: High school students, ages 16 – 18 by July, with strong academic records and English proficiency
The SMU Young Leaders Summer Programme is a selective, one-week academic enrichment experience designed for high-achieving high school students from Asia and around the world. Hosted on SMU’s city-campus in Singapore’s central business district, the programme focuses on developing leadership potential and strengthening core competencies identified in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023. The curriculum focuses on helping you build analytical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. You will participate in interactive, seminar-style classes that reflect SMU’s undergraduate pedagogy, emphasizing discussion, teamwork, and experiential learning rather than exam-based evaluation.
Location: Virtual
Cost: USD 8,973 (SGD 11,433); financial aid available
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: May 8
Eligibility: High school students
Brown University’s Pre-College Program offers various online courses to domestic and international high schoolers looking to explore a field of interest before committing to a college degree. The Principles of Economics course covers core economic issues and the concept of economic analysis, helping you explore how to examine social problems. As a participant, you will learn about the various economic institutions and the vocabulary used in the field. This course is also designed to serve as a foundation for pursuing an economics major in college or as an introduction to the field if you are just exploring your options.
Location: Online
Cost: USD 4,018 (SGD 5,110); need-based financial aid available
Dates: July 6 – 17 | July 20 – July 31
Application Deadline: April 2
Eligibility: High school students
This Columbia University pre-college course allows high schoolers to take university-level courses across a range of disciplines, including economics. The Introduction to Business, Finance, and Economics course covers foundational concepts in economics, business, and finance through a structured exploration of firm behavior, financial markets, and investment decision-making. You will study the mechanics of the stock and bond markets, sources of capital, valuation models, and microeconomic theories focused on how firms operate in competitive environments. The curriculum also emphasizes case studies, financial modeling, and discussions on accounting statements, risk, and market strategy.
Location: Virtual
Cost: USD 4,099 (SGD 5,223) + USD 100 (SGD 127) non-refundable application fee; need-based financial aid available
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 (U.S. and international students eligible)
Future of the Business World is a two-week virtual program offered by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School that is designed to help you learn how companies adapt to economic, technological, and social change. You will attend live lectures led by Wharton faculty and teaching assistants, who will guide you in exploring the link between businesses and changes in societies and economies. You will learn how to use digital tools and platforms typically utilized in Wharton’s undergraduate courses. Throughout the program, you will participate in simulations and engage in group discussions to analyze economic and managerial strategies.
Location: Virtual
Cost: USD 1,795 (SGD 2,287); need-based financial aid available
Dates: Courses run year-round; lengths vary by session
Application deadline: Varies by session; typically one week before start date
Eligibility: Students ages 13+ (international and domestic)
Rice University’s pre-college economics course introduces you to the link between economic theory and business practice. Through online sessions and discussions on case studies, you will learn how firms react to market fluctuations, policy tweaks, and changes in labor and energy markets. The program focuses on the role of economics in helping businesses make informed decisions and sustain growth. You will study key topics at the intersection of business and economics, such as labor market dynamics, investment decisions, supply and demand, inflation, and energy economics. The course also emphasizes how economic conditions impact business strategy and policymaking. The program ends with a capstone project focused on stagflation, where you will recommend policies to boost economic welfare.
Location: SP Jain Singapore Campus, Singapore
Cost: SGD 3,200; includes food and accommodation
Dates: June 29 – July 6
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students
The Singapore Summer School Program at SP Jain School of Global Management is an eight-day, on-campus business immersion designed for high school students seeking early exposure to global business education. Led by international faculty, the program introduces foundational concepts in management, marketing, finance, artificial intelligence, design thinking, and business communication, with an emphasis on practical application and experiential learning. You will participate in case discussions, brand-building workshops, Excel-based business exercises, AI-focused sessions, and design thinking simulations. The curriculum blends academic instruction with hands-on activities, including team-building exercises and a visit to Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for urban planning.
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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