Updated November 2026
TL;DR
The Wharton Global Youth Program is a catalog of more than a dozen business, finance, analytics and entrepreneurship tracks run by the Wharton School, each with its own format, selectivity and price. For summer 2027, in-person programs on Penn's campus cost $8,599 to $12,299 and online programs $579 to $4,799. Most tracks need a 3.3 unweighted GPA (3.5 for LBW and M&TSI), and the priority deadline is January 27, 2027.
If you're curious about business, the Wharton Global Youth Program (often shortened to Wharton Global Youth) lets you test it with Wharton faculty before you pick a college major. You could spend a week learning R through sports data, three weeks building a physical product in Penn's design studios, or two weeks analyzing a public company online. If you're still comparing options, see the best leadership summer programs for high school students or free finance programs for high school students.
Want hands-on business experience instead of a course? Browse our list of prestigious entrepreneurship internships for high school students, or try one of these business project ideas for high school students.
Wharton Global Youth Program at a glance
|
Detail |
What you need to know |
|
Host |
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania |
|
Formats |
In-person (Philadelphia campus), live online, self-paced online, and the credit-bearing Pre-baccalaureate Program |
|
Length |
One to four weeks for summer programs; self-paced courses run on your own schedule |
|
Cost (2027) |
In-person: $8,599 to $12,299 · Online: $579 to $4,799, plus a $100 application fee |
|
Eligibility |
Grades 9 to 11 for in-person programs, grades 9 to 12 for online programs; most tracks need a 3.3 unweighted GPA |
|
Priority deadline |
January 27, 2027, 5:00 p.m. ET (LBW and M&TSI close that day) |
|
Acceptance rate/cohort size |
Not published; LBW admits about 120 students per session and M&TSI selects 75 participants |
|
Financial aid |
Need-blind admission; limited scholarships, applied for by February 3, 2027 |
|
Best for |
Students who already know which area of business they want to explore and want structured, faculty-designed teaching |
Which programs does the Wharton Global Youth Program offer in 2027?
Wharton's 2027 fee list covers nine in-person programs on the Philadelphia campus and seven online programs. The Cambridge, UK, and San Francisco programs ran in 2026 but have no 2027 dates or fees yet.
|
Program |
Format |
Grades (currently enrolled) |
Length |
2027 fee |
|
In-person |
9–11 |
2 weeks |
$8,599 |
|
|
In-person |
9–11 |
2 weeks |
$8,599 |
|
|
In-person |
9–11 |
2 weeks |
$8,599 |
|
|
In-person |
9–11 |
2 weeks |
$8,599 |
|
|
In-person |
10–11 |
3 weeks |
$10,999 |
|
|
In-person |
10–11 |
3 weeks |
$10,999 |
|
|
In-person |
10–11 |
3 weeks |
$10,999 |
|
|
In-person |
Rising seniors |
3 weeks |
$11,999 |
|
|
In-person |
11 |
3 weeks |
$12,299 |
|
|
Self-paced online |
Ages 15+ |
16–18 hours |
$579 |
|
|
Mostly self-paced online |
9–12 |
4 weeks |
$2,099 |
|
|
Live online |
9–12 |
1 week |
$2,299 |
|
|
Live online |
9–12 |
2 weeks |
$4,099 |
|
|
Live online |
9–12 |
2 weeks |
$4,099 |
|
|
Live online |
9–12 |
2 weeks |
$4,099 |
|
|
Online |
10–11 |
3 weeks |
$4,799 |
The separate Pre-baccalaureate Program lets juniors and seniors with a 3.5 unweighted GPA take credit-bearing Wharton courses online for $4,230 per course.
Who can apply to the Wharton Global Youth Program?
High school students in grades 9 to 11 can apply to in-person programs, and grades 9 to 12 to online programs, with at least a 3.3 unweighted GPA. Wharton's application page and program pages add these rules:
Higher GPA bar: 3.5 unweighted for LBW, M&TSI and the Pre-baccalaureate Program.
Narrower grades: LBW takes current 11th graders only, M&TSI takes rising seniors, and Data Science Academy, Moneyball Academy, Product Design Academy and Sports Business Academy take grades 10 and 11.
International students: welcome; non-native English speakers need a TOEFL iBT of 100, an IELTS of 7 or a Duolingo score of 130, unless their school teaches in English.
Wharton doesn't publish an acceptance rate, but LBW "receives many more applications than there are available places" and admits about 120 students per session, and M&TSI selects 75 participants. Meeting the GPA cutoff gets you considered, not admitted.
How long does the Wharton Global Youth Program take, and can you do it during school?
Most Wharton Global Youth programs run one to four weeks over the summer, so you won't miss school. Here's what each format asks of you:
In-person: two or three weeks, living on campus, with classes Monday through Friday.
Live online: usually two weeks at about three hours a day (two hours of lecture plus an hour of TA-led recitation), in a fixed morning or afternoon block on Eastern time.
Moneyball Training Camp: one intense online week, about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
During the school year: the self-paced investing course (16 to 18 hours) and Pre-baccalaureate fall sessions.
If you'd rather build real work experience around school, Ladder Internships offers remote, eight-week start-up internships at 5 to 10 hours a week.
8 things to weigh before you apply to the Wharton Global Youth Program
1. Wharton Global Youth Program selectivity depends on the track
LBW and M&TSI are the most selective tracks, with small published cohorts and a 3.5 GPA bar. Other tracks are easier to get into:
Several online programs admit on a rolling basis after the priority deadline.
The self-paced investing course needs no application at all.
2. Each Wharton Global Youth Program track needs its own application
You can apply to more than one program, but each needs a separate application and its own $100 fee, and you can apply to each program only once per cycle. Pick the one or two tracks that fit your interests and tailor each set of answers.
3. What you learn at the Wharton Global Youth Program varies by track
Match the track to the field you want to test, because the catalog ranges from broad introductions to coding-heavy programs:
Essentials of Finance: personal and corporate finance, fixed income, equities, the cost of capital and valuation.
Data Science Academy: data wrangling and statistics through regression, machine learning and large language models, mostly in R.
Moneyball Training Camp: probability, regression and R through sports.
LBW: organizational strategy, negotiation, customer centricity and management.
4. Some Wharton Global Youth Program tracks are far more hands-on than others
Look at what you'll produce by the end, not just the topic list:
LBW: an analytical report on a publicly listed company and a capstone case competition.
Data Science Academy: a data-driven solution to a real-world problem, presented to peers and mentors.
Product Design Academy: a physical product, built with CAD, laser cutting and 3D printing in Penn's Venture Labs studios.
Moneyball Academy: a sports analytics capstone; the best may be published in the Wharton Sports Analytics Journal.
Essentials of Finance: mainly an introduction, ending with a team market recommendation on a public company.
5. In-person and online Wharton Global Youth Program tracks offer different experiences
Choose in-person if you want a college-style community, and online if you want the content at a lower cost:
In-person: you live in Penn residence halls, work in teams all day and join supervised evening and weekend activities.
Online: group projects and live discussion over Zoom, plus summer-long membership in the Wharton Youth Network.
Time zones: live sessions are set in Eastern time, which can mean very early or late classes if you live abroad.
6. The Wharton Global Youth Program costs $579 to $12,299, before extras
In-person fees run from $8,599 to $12,299 for 2027, and online fees from $579 to $4,799.
Included in person: tuition, Penn housing, two meals each weekday plus Sundays, activities and a certificate.
Not included: travel to campus, visa fees, off-campus meals and the $100 application fee.
Aid: admission is need-blind, but scholarships are limited; online awards typically range from $500 to $4,000.
Aid deadlines: program application by January 27 and a separate scholarship application by February 3, 2027.
7. The Wharton Global Youth Program application asks for more than grades
You'll need a transcript, at least one recommendation from a teacher, counselor or advisor, and short essays from Wharton's 2027 prompts:
Most programs: a 150 to 300-word introduction (or a 60-second video) plus a 150 to 200-word program question.
LBW: a 90-second video or a 300-word response about a leadership experience.
M&TSI: a 500-word essay on a problem you solved with technical or business skills.
Two recommendations: required for M&TSI, Moneyball Academy, Moneyball Training Camp and Sports Business Academy.
8. The Wharton Global Youth Program's final deadline isn't a guaranteed last chance
Wharton accepts applications through the final deadline "only if space remains" and stops reviewing once a session fills. Rolling online programs can also close at capacity, so apply by the priority deadline, especially if you'll need a U.S. visa.
Is the Wharton Global Youth Program prestigious, and is it worth it?
It's worth it if you've already narrowed your interest to finance, entrepreneurship, leadership or analytics and want faculty-designed teaching, but it isn't a back door into Penn. Weigh these points:
Prestige varies by track: the Wharton name is widely recognized, but only LBW and M&TSI are clearly selective.
No admissions edge: Wharton says participation "does not guarantee admission to the University of Pennsylvania."
What colleges notice: a capstone you can explain, a skill you kept building, or a question it led you to pursue.
Ladder Internships places high school students in remote, eight-week start-up internships, where they work on a real project with a company coach. Interns choose from fields such as finance and fintech, consulting, technology and AI, and full financial aid is available.
How do you apply to the Wharton Global Youth Program, and when are the 2027 deadlines?
Applications for summer 2027 open in November 2026; submit each program's application, transcript, recommendations, essays and $100 fee by January 27, 2027, 5:00 p.m. ET, for the best chance at your preferred session. Wharton's application page lists every requirement.
|
Program |
Priority deadline |
Final deadline |
|
Leadership in the Business World, M&TSI |
January 27, 2027 (applications close) |
None; applications close at the priority deadline |
|
Other in-person programs |
January 27, 2027 |
March 17 or 19, 2027, depending on the program, if space remains |
|
Sports Business Academy |
January 27, 2027 |
March 17, 2027 |
|
Financial Decision Making, Future of the Business World, Leadership in Action, Moneyball Training Camp |
January 27, 2027 |
Rolling until full |
|
Moneyball FLEX |
2027 deadline not posted; last cycle's priority deadline was January 28, 2026 |
Rolling until full |
|
Understanding Investing and Portfolio Management |
No application; enroll anytime |
No application; enroll anytime |
|
Scholarship application |
February 3, 2027 |
February 3, 2027 |
LBW's own page still lists a March 19 final date, but Wharton's application page says LBW and M&TSI close on January 27, 2027, so plan around January 27. Pre-baccalaureate summer 2027 sessions run June 1 to July 8 and July 9 to August 13, with deadlines to be announced; questions go to whartonyouth@wharton.upenn.edu.
Common questions about the Wharton Global Youth Program
What does a typical day look like in a Wharton Global Youth Program?
In Essentials of Finance, a weekday mixes a morning content review, lectures or guest speakers, group work and a TA office hour, with optional evening and weekend activities. Live online programs usually run about three hours a day: two hours of lecture and an hour of TA-led recitation.
Does the Wharton Global Youth Program offer financial aid?
Yes, but scholarships are limited and not guaranteed. Admission is need-blind, scholarship decisions arrive within 48 hours of admission, and you must apply for aid by February 3, 2027. Philadelphia public school students may also qualify for application fee waivers.
Can international students apply to the Wharton Global Youth Program?
Yes. Non-native English speakers need a TOEFL iBT of 100, an IELTS of 7 or a Duolingo score of 130, unless their school teaches in English. Application fee waivers aren't available to international applicants, and Wharton advises applying by the priority deadline to allow time for a visa.
What if you want real work experience instead of a Wharton course?
A start-up internship lets you apply business skills to a real project. Ladder Internships places high school students in remote, eight-week start-up internships with a company coach, at 5 to 10 hours a week, with full financial aid available. The next deadline is November 15, 2026, for the Winter I cohort starting December 7, 2026.
Contact us at contact@ladderinternships.com if you have any questions!