15 Free Finance Programs for High School Students
If you’re a high school student interested in finance, programs are a great way to build financial literacy, learn about finance topics, and explore various career pathways in the field. You’ll discover various financial tools and gain practical experience by working on projects. Finance programs allow you to explore topics such as budgeting, financial analysis, investing, and risk management. Participating in a finance program can also make your college applications stand out if you’re planning to major in economics or finance.
Free finance programs, provided by top universities and reputable organizations, are a solid option for high school students interested in finance. They eliminate the financial barrier of many summer programs while offering skill development and experience with industry tools like Bloomberg. Crucially, they enable you to develop connections with professors, mentors, and peers, creating a professional network that can help you secure future opportunities. Below, we’ve narrowed down the top 15 free finance programs for high school students.
1. Fidelity Investments Asset Management High School Summer Internship
Location: Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; typically small cohorts
Dates: 5 weeks between July – August
Application Deadline: Typically, in early March
Eligibility: All high school students
This finance internship provides an in-depth exploration of asset management, translating financial theory into investment strategies. You will develop quantitative and analytical skills by utilizing Excel-based modeling and economic forecasting to analyze large datasets. Key activities include designing sample portfolios, assessing market risk, and back-testing diverse investment techniques. Experienced mentors from Fidelity will provide guidance on financial decision-making, regulatory adherence, and industry best practices. Through interactive workshops focused on equity, fixed-income markets, and portfolio construction, you will gain the confidence to apply real-world finance tools and sharp analytical thinking.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote (work from anywhere in the world)
Cost/Stipend: Cost varies depending on the program type; financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 10%; 70 – 100 students
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and gap year students who can work for 8 – 12 weeks, devoting 10 – 20 hours/week
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students interested in gaining experience with fast-growing start-ups. Start-ups that offer internships span across fields such as finance, tech/deep tech, AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies that have raised over a million dollars on average, backed by Y Combinator. The program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, plus group sessions with other interns. Startups in the program often have raised over $1 million and are led by founders with experience at places like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. You can apply here.
3. 1435 Capital Management’s Venture Analyst High School Internship
Location: Princeton, NJ
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 3 – 4 students
Dates: 10 weeks between June – August
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 – 18
The highly selective 1435 Capital Management Venture Analyst Internship offers high school students an intensive 10-week summer immersion into the world of finance and venture capital. You work with partners and analysts, focusing on crucial tasks such as scouting emerging startups and conducting deep analysis of market trends. Key responsibilities include contributing to sophisticated financial modeling and crafting compelling professional presentations. This opportunity is designed to sharpen competencies in research, data analysis, and professional communication, concluding with a comprehensive final presentation to demonstrate the advanced, hands-on financial strategy expertise gained during the program.
4. Veritas AI + Finance
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: 100% financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; AI Scholars: student-to-mentor ratio of 5:1; AI Fellowship: 1:1 mentoring
Dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Application Deadline: Rolling basis; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November)
Eligibility: AI Scholars: All high school students | AI Fellowship applicants should either have been AI Scholars participants or have some familiarity with AI concepts or Python
Veritas AI is an AI program for ambitious high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. Through the AI + Finance Deep Dive, students gain a deeper understanding of AI applications in the financial field. They get a chance to engage in lectures, code walkthroughs, and real-world projects using AI & ML models to predict future financial patterns using past data, forecasting stock prices, and more. Here is the program brochure and the application form.
5. The University of Chicago MoneyThink
Location: Chicago, IL
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not selective; student-to-mentor ratio of 5:1 or less
Dates: Runs during academic year (weekly sessions)
Application Deadline: Not applicable for individual students; high school students typically access the program through their school or partnering organization
Eligibility: 11th–12th grade high‑school students in participating schools in Chicago belonging to underserved communities
MoneyThink is a University of Chicago initiative where college volunteers serve as financial coaches to low-income high school students. The program covers personal finances, college and career readiness, and an entrepreneurship-focused module where you get to brainstorm ideas that solve community issues. You participate in activities like hands-on budgeting simulations where you manage hypothetical incomes, track expenses, and make trade-offs to learn smart money habits. You also engage in a comprehensive "College and Career Readiness" module, which involves calculating the Return on Investment (ROI) for various career and education paths, and learning the fundamentals of accessing financial aid and managing future debt. The program culminates in an Entrepreneurship challenge,
6. Chicago Summer Business Institute (CSBI)
Location: Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: None / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; around 100 students
Dates: 6 weeks between June and August
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors residing in Chicago, who have a “B” or 3.0 average, and belong to families whose income is below $80,000/year
The Chicago Summer Business Institute (CSBI) delivers a structured pathway into finance by combining academic study with practical business projects for high school students. This program cultivates expertise in investment research and financial analysis through the exploration of market simulations and real-world case studies. You benefit from expert-led workshops covering banking, corporate finance, and capital markets, complemented by mentorship from finance professionals. Beyond technical acumen, the institute emphasizes vital career readiness skills, including effective networking, professional reporting, resume development, and clear communication, establishing a solid foundation for further studies in business or economics.
7. McCombs School of Business High School Programs
Location: McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; cohort size not publicly disclosed
Dates: McCombs Future Executive Academy (MFEA): May 31 – June 5 | Subiendo: The Academy for Rising Leaders: June 14 – 18 | DYNAMC: Discover Yourself in Accounting Majors and Careers: June 21 – 28
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors
The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business offers a six-day experiential program for high school students to explore business and leadership and experience college life. You participate in a case competition, working in teams to analyze a business challenge and develop a final recommendation or presentation. You receive instruction and learning from world-renowned faculty and keynote speakers, who provide deep dives into business fields such as finance, marketing, and accounting. You also network with industry professionals and current UT student leaders, where you build connections, gain mentorship, and explore potential career paths.
8. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Local nonprofit organizations + Washington, D.C. (Summit)
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend provided, and all travel expenses paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 300 students selected nationwide
Dates: Eight-week program in the summer, including the Student Leaders Summit (July 21 – 26)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are first-time applicants and are legally authorized to work in the U.S., who reside in eligible locations
The Bank of America Student Leaders Program offers a fully sponsored, eight-week internship focused on community finance and leadership. It places you at a local nonprofit organization, where you acquire firsthand experience by supporting crucial projects in areas like grant administration, budgeting, and social entrepreneurship. This highly competitive program highlights the real-world impact of financial tools on community development and equity. The experience culminates in the Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., enabling you to network with civic leaders and peers while engaging in discussions on public policy, economic mobility, and social innovation.
9. Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP KC)
Location: Kansas City, Missouri (mostly in-person; limited remote options available)
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend of $12–14/hour + $2,500 scholarship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small cohorts matched to startups
Dates: Session 1: June 2 – June 27; Session 2: July 7 – August 1
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors from the Kansas City metro area
The Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP KC) connects students with innovative Kansas City startups for a four-week paid internship experience. You dedicate roughly 30 hours weekly to projects in areas like finance, marketing, and strategic planning, simultaneously enhancing crucial analytical and business acumen. The curriculum features weekly company visits, allowing you to observe operational logistics, funding rounds, and leadership styles firsthand. YEP KC ensures a personalized, real-world experience by aligning you with a startup that matches your interests for focused mentorship. This blend of payment, skill development, and exposure to entrepreneurial finance makes YEP KC an excellent opportunity among free finance programs.
10. Invest in Girls – Financial Foundations
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not publicly disclosed
Dates: Various cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students identifying as girls
Invest in Girls offers a Financial Foundations Program that will teach you the basics of personal finance, investment strategies, and professional development skills to help you navigate life after high school. The program covers topics such as credit cards, paying taxes, pathways in finance, creating a budget, building an investment portfolio, and much more. You’ll delve into finance topics through workshops and activities, with like-minded peers and a mentor teacher to guide you. The program also focuses on professional development, where you’ll gain insight into interviewing skills, professional etiquette, and how to build a financial safety net for yourself.
11. Everfi Financial Literacy for High School
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Annual scholarship contests may be available to students who complete the course or related financial literacy programs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Everfi offers a Financial Literacy course where you’ll learn about various finance topics through interactive lessons. The program gamifies everyday finance topics such as budgeting, credit building, and planning, where you’ll understand these concepts by immersing yourself in simulation-based gameplay. You will create a budget using strategies such as the 50-30-20 rule, virtually help a character file their taxes electronically, practice opening and effectively using a checking account, and compare ROI on different educational options and simulate the process of navigating financial aid. Past participants stated that the interactive format helped them retain what they were learning.
12. FoolProofMe’s Financial Literacy Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not applicable
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Not applicable for students
Eligibility: All high school students
FoolProof offers a Financial Literacy Curriculum that teaches high school students the basics of financial literacy through building better habits. The program focuses on consumer skill development along with building good financial habits and becoming smart consumers by avoiding scams, resisting impulse buying, and recognizing manipulative marketing tactics. The curriculum features a variety of graded self-tests and randomized post-tests embedded within modules to test your understanding of core topics like checking accounts, credit cards, budgeting, and investing. You’ll learn how to be smart with your money and learn how to build a financial net for yourself through investments, savings, and assets.
13. Summer at Waynflete - Personal Finance Summer Institute
Location: Personal Finance Summer Institute, Portland, ME
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 3 students per school
Dates: July 15 – 19
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students based in Maine and nominated by their school
In this program, you'll learn about financial topics such as credit, taxes, saving, budgeting, education, investing, and economics. You engage in activities such as hands-on investment analysis and mock stock market simulations, learning how to research companies, evaluate risk, and construct a basic portfolio. You also participate in interactive budgeting and debt management workshops where you use tools to create personal budgets, understand the impact of credit scores, and develop strategies for navigating student loans. The program also includes a community-based service project where you’ll be working with a mentor to give back to your community.
14. Junior Achievement (JA): Financial Literacy Programs
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not applicable; cohort size is determined by the partner school
Dates: Year–round
Application Deadline: Not applicable for individual students. Enrollment is managed by the student's school or teacher, who opts to use the JA curriculum
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 to 12
The Junior Achievement (JA) Financial Literacy program is a comprehensive, semester-long course designed to equip high school students with foundational personal finance skills essential for future economic success. It covers vital topics such as earning and saving money, creating and using a budget, managing bank accounts, investments, and credit, assessing risks and using insurance, and addressing financial problems like identity theft and debt. You participate in activities like working through case studies, completing projects that synthesize concepts, and receiving coaching and guest speaking from community volunteers, including business professionals. Through this experiential approach, you learn crucial problem-solving, critical thinking, and financial decision-making skills.
15. Wharton Global Youth Program Essentials of Finance
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Applies, but full scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; around 140 students
Dates: June 7 – 20; June 21 – July 3; July 12 – 25; July 26 – August 8
Application Deadline: March 18
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 to 11, including international students
Essentials of Finance is an exploratory finance program that introduces high school students to basic financial literacy concepts and even advanced concepts such as investment, venture capital, alternative investments, and corporate valuation. The program explores the foundations of building good financial decisions by covering topics such as saving for retirement, compounding, interest rates, and evaluating loans and investments. You’ll also strengthen your critical thinking and gain practical experience by working on collaborative projects, interactive exercises, and real-world case studies. You will receive a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion at the program’s end.
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