15 Online Finance Courses for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 48 minutes ago
- 12 min read
If you're thinking about a career in business, finance, banking, or launching a startup someday, finance is something you'll have to understand one way or another. Choosing an online finance course can be a genuinely smart decision. Unlike long pre-college programs, you don't need to worry about travel or housing with an online course. You work through it on your own schedule, at your own pace, without giving up your whole summer. Along the way, you start to figure out what actually makes sense to you, and what part of finance you'd genuinely want to keep exploring.
Why should I do an online course in high school?
An online finance course helps you understand how the world of finance actually works before you commit to studying it seriously in college. You get into topics that never really come up in a regular classroom, like how markets actually move, why a company makes the financial decisions it does, or how compound interest quietly changes outcomes over time. Many courses are also taught by people who've actually worked in finance, or are currently working in it, which gives you a much more honest picture of the field than a textbook ever could.
To help you get started, we've compiled a list of 15 online finance courses for high school students!
If you’re looking for online summer research programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These courses span personal finance, investing, behavioral finance, corporate finance, fintech, sports analytics, and entrepreneurship, so students with a wide range of interests within finance can find a relevant starting point.
Several programs are free or low-cost, including Duke's Behavioral Finance course, Wharton's Understanding Your Money ($329), and Financial Foundations: Invest in Girls (free), while more structured live programs, such as Wharton Financial Decision Making and Babson Summer Study, carry higher tuition.
Programs range from short self-paced courses of five to fifteen hours (Duke, Wharton Understanding Your Money) to two-week live virtual programs with daily instruction (Wharton Financial Decision Making, Northwestern Think Like an Investor), so students can choose based on how much time they want to invest.
Most self-paced courses accept rolling applications year-round, while live programs, such as Wharton Financial Decision Making and Wharton Moneyball, have priority deadlines in late January, so students planning to enroll in those should apply early in the spring.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application Deadline: Varies by 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. 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
Cost: $950 for the Self-Paced Online track (50 hours); $1,990 for the Live Virtual Classes track (2 weeks, 10 sessions)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; 1-year access to complete 50 hours
Eligibility: High school students aged 15–18 (open to pre-college students aged 13–17)
This online finance program from the New York Institute of Finance (NYIF) includes about 50 hours of structured lessons covering entrepreneurship, personal finance, capital markets, and financial services. You study how companies are organized and how startups operate, along with how to read and interpret financial statements. The course also covers personal finance topics such as budgeting, saving, credit, debt, and basic investing concepts. You further explore how stock markets work, along with introductory ideas in microeconomics and macroeconomics, trading processes, and the structure of the broader financial system. Additional lessons introduce banking, insurance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and common career paths in finance. You will receive a certificate of completion and may become eligible for the advanced YFS program and selected NYIF scholarships.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application deadline: Rolling. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply to the program here.
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: High school students. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students looking to get started in AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and have the opportunity to work on real-world projects. Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students have the opportunity to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895; scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Application Deadline: Varies depending on session
Dates: Multi-length sessions available throughout the year
Eligibility: Ages 13+; need-based scholarships available
This course introduces you to how financial markets work and how companies are evaluated by investors. You study topics such as risk and return, market structure, initial public offerings (IPOs), discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis, and basic company valuation methods. The course uses real-world case examples to show how financial information is reviewed and how different factors are used to assess a company’s performance and potential risks. Throughout the program, mentors provide support as you work through the lessons and complete assignments. You also finish a capstone project where you take on a simplified private equity analyst role and apply the concepts covered in the course. The program is designed to take about 20 to 30 hours in total and can be completed at your own pace within a flexible schedule.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,595; scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Varies depending on session
Dates: Year-round enrollment with flexible, self-paced course completion options
Eligibility: Ages 13+; high school or gap-year students
In this online finance program for high school students, you study how financial markets operate and how new technologies such as cryptocurrencies and FinTech are changing parts of the financial system. You learn about different ways companies raise capital, including IPOs, venture capital, private equity, and bonds, using practical examples to understand how each method works. The course also covers topics such as ESG investing, how shareholders make decisions, and how finance can be applied to social and environmental goals. You are introduced to blockchain technology, smart contracts, decentralized finance, and how these developments are affecting industries like insurance and lending. After finishing the program, you receive a certificate from Wake Forest University.
Location: Online
Cost $329
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced; 13–15 hours of content
Eligibility: High school students
This introductory online finance program for high school students covers basic topics in economics and personal finance. You study concepts such as supply and demand, opportunity cost, global currencies, interest rates, and the role of financial institutions across four structured modules. The course also introduces budgeting methods, financial planning habits, and foundational investing ideas such as asset allocation and long-term money management. The program includes around 55 video lectures along with readings, activities, and quizzes that help you practice and review each topic. You complete the material at your own pace through an online format. After finishing all modules and assessments, you will receive a certificate from Wharton Global Youth.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,990 + $35 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Dates: Self-paced; 4-week suggested pace with 90-day access
Eligibility: Ages 14+; high school students
This USC online finance program for high school students introduces you to core topics in personal finance, investing, corporate finance, and global financial markets. You study how to create basic financial plans, evaluate risk, and understand concepts such as interest rates and the time value of money. The course also covers how different financial assets work, including stocks, bonds, and other common investment types. You further explore topics such as digital currencies, blockchain applications, and newer financial technologies, and how they fit into the broader financial system. The coursework includes video lectures, readings, calculations, and applied exercises, with an estimated completion time of about 20–25 hours. You complete the program at your own pace within a 90-day access period.
Location: Online
Cost: $4,099
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Priority: January 28 | Final: Rolling
Dates: June 15 – 26 | July 6 – 17
Eligibility: High school students enrolled in grades 9–12
This two-week online program introduces you to topics in personal finance, financial markets, economic decision-making, and basic data analysis. You attend daily live lectures for about two hours, along with an additional one-hour recitation session led by a teaching assistant at a scheduled time that fits your availability. Throughout the program, you work with real datasets to examine topics such as stocks, bonds, inflation, credit, and basic market behavior. You also complete a group capstone project that brings together the concepts covered in class. The curriculum includes discussions on budgeting, saving, diversification, long-term planning, and ethical considerations in financial decision-making. You use Excel to complete exercises and apply the concepts you learn to practical scenarios. After finishing the program, you receive a Wharton certificate and gain access to the Wharton Youth Network.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,895; scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: Varies depending on session
Dates: Multiple 2-week and 4-week sessions
Eligibility: Ages 13+; high school students
This online finance program introduces you to foundational topics such as financial markets, financial institutions, risk and return, and the time value of money. You learn how to read and interpret financial statements and use basic economic and accounting concepts to assess a company’s financial position. The course also covers different asset classes, common investment strategies, and introductory ideas related to private equity, deal flow, and value creation. You complete exercises that involve applying these concepts to real examples and structured problems. At the end of the program, you complete a capstone project where you evaluate a private equity investment opportunity, create basic financial projections, and present your findings. After finishing all requirements, you receive a certificate from Northwestern University.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,299 + $100 application fee (Scholarships and application fee waivers are available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadline: January 28
Dates: June 22 – 26; July 13 – 17
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in grades 9–12
The Wharton Moneyball Training Camp at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School introduces you to sports analytics through statistics and data analysis. Over the course of one week, you explore topics such as statistical modeling, introductory coding in R, and data-driven decision-making using structured datasets. You work with real sports data to practice applying statistical methods in a practical setting, with guidance from instructor-led lectures and group discussions. The program includes both live instruction and independent assignments that focus on interpreting data and building basic analytical models. While examples are drawn from sports, the statistical tools you learn are also used in areas such as economics, finance, and policy analysis. After completing the program requirements, you receive a Wharton Global Youth certificate of completion.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free (without a certificate); paid after free trial (for a verified certificate) — financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: None
Application Deadline: Open enrollment
Dates: 5 hours of self-paced learning
Eligibility: Open to high school students
Duke University’s Behavioral Finance program introduces you to how psychological factors influence financial decision-making. You study concepts such as heuristics, cognitive biases, and probability errors that can affect choices in investing, saving, and assessing risk. The course also covers ideas like prospect theory, loss aversion, and framing effects, and how these concepts relate to behavior in financial markets. You work with examples and basic data analysis to see how these biases appear in real financial decisions. Through case discussions and guided analysis, you learn how decision-making models can be used to identify patterns in behavior. The program focuses on building skills in interpreting data and understanding how behavioral factors influence outcomes in finance and economics.
Location: Online
Cost: $6,295 + $95 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Application Deadlines: February 13
Dates: July 8 – 28
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors; age 16+; English proficiency required
In this program, you take the course EPS 1110: Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Experience at Babson College and earn four college credits. The course introduces you to entrepreneurship and related areas such as leadership, finance, marketing, and business communication, while also focusing on problem-solving and teamwork skills. You examine global issues through the lens of the U.N. Global Goals and work on projects that connect these topics to social-impact ideas. Throughout the program, you engage in discussions with entrepreneurs and professionals from different industries to learn how they approach business challenges. Babson faculty and academic mentors guide you as you develop and refine a group project, and you also take part in events such as presentations and panel discussions within the Babson community.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; open enrollment
Dates: Multiple sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students who identify as girls
The Financial Foundations: Invest in Girls program is a three-part series focused on personal finance and investing for high school girls. In the first course, “Be the Chief Financial Officer of Your Life,” you study topics such as budgeting, credit cards, interest rates, taxes, and student loans. The second course, “Be the Chief Investment Officer of Your Life,” introduces concepts like saving versus investing, stocks, funds, and building a basic investment portfolio. The final course, “Be the Chief Executive Officer of Your Future,” covers workplace skills such as interviewing, negotiation, financial planning, and building a personal safety net. You learn through structured live classes, both online and in-person, alongside other students, with instruction from teachers and finance professionals.
Location: Online
Cost: $2,995
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Maximum of 6 students
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Dates: June 8 – 19 | July 6 – 17
Eligibility: High school students aged 15–18
This two-week online program covers introductory topics in economics and business across 10 interactive classes. You study areas such as microeconomics, macroeconomics, competitive strategy, basic finance, marketing, game theory, and data analytics. You also take part in a business case simulation where you apply the concepts from the classes to structured decision-making scenarios. The program concludes with an entrepreneurial-style project that brings together the material from across the course. You receive access to class recordings and study materials for review, and you earn a certificate upon completion. A letter of recommendation may be provided based on your level of participation.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,299
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; small cohorts
Application Deadline: Rolling
Dates: June 29 – July 7 | August 10 – 14
Eligibility: High school students
This live online program focuses on developing Excel skills and introducing basic finance concepts. You learn tools such as Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP, and simple macro automation while working through structured exercises. The course also covers topics like stock price movements, company valuation methods, and how to read and interpret earnings reports. You apply these concepts by analyzing valuation metrics and working through examples using real companies such as Google and Apple. Instruction is delivered over approximately 25 hours by Microsoft Certified Trainers, along with finance instructors from institutions such as Wharton and NYU Stern. You also receive access to software tools, a workbook, recorded sessions, and a certificate upon completion.
Frequently asked questions
What online finance courses are available for high school students?
Options include structured university programs, such as Dartmouth Investing and Market Insights, USC Finance, Northwestern Think Like an Investor, and Wharton Financial Decision Making, introductory personal finance courses, such as Wharton Understanding Your Money and Financial Foundations: Invest in Girls, and research and AI-focused programs, such as Lumiere Research Scholar Program and Veritas AI.
Are there free online finance courses for high school students?
Yes, Duke's Behavioral Finance course is free to audit, and Financial Foundations: Invest in Girls is free for eligible students. Several other programs, such as Dartmouth, Northwestern, and Wake Forest's finance courses, offer need-based scholarships to reduce tuition costs.
Which online finance programs offer college credit or formal certification?
Babson Summer Study awards four college credits upon completion. Most other programs, such as Wharton Financial Decision Making, Northwestern Think Like an Investor, and USC Finance, award a university certificate rather than transferable credit. Students should verify credit transferability directly with their high school or future college.
When should I apply to online finance courses for high school students?
Self-paced courses, such as Duke Behavioral Finance, Wharton Understanding Your Money, and USC Finance, accept rolling applications year-round. Live programs with fixed cohorts have earlier deadlines, including Wharton Financial Decision Making and Wharton Moneyball (priority deadline January 28) and Babson Summer Study (February 13).
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.