If you’re curious about finance but don’t want travel, location, or rigid schedules to get in the way, virtual finance programs are a solid place to start. From your laptop, you can explore how money actually moves through investing, corporate finance, market research, fintech, and economic analysis while working on real projects instead of just reading about concepts.
What You’ll Actually Do in a Virtual Finance Program
Most online finance programs are designed to be practical and hands-on. You might analyze a company’s financials, run investment simulations, build models in Excel or Google Sheets, or even experiment with Python and virtual trading platforms. Many programs also pair you with mentors who work in finance, so you get feedback and guidance as you work through realistic case studies.
Even though everything is remote, you won’t be learning alone. You’ll collaborate with other students, present your ideas, and get structured feedback, so the experience feels interactive and career-focused, not passive.
To help you get started, here are 15 virtual finance programs for high school students. You can also check out our blog on finance internships for high school students.
15 Virtual Finance Programs for High School Students
1. Columbia Pre-College Online Summer Program
Cost: 1-Week Online Program Cost: $2,815, 2-Week Online Program Cost: $3,965 + approximately $50 for textbooks and field trip-related costs + $80 application fee; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically, small course sizes
Dates: Session AA – 1 Week: June 22 – 26, Session A – 2 Weeks: July 6 – 17, Session B – 2 Weeks: July 20 – 31
Application Deadline: April 2
Eligibility: All high school students
The Columbia Pre-College Online Summer Program allows you to explore academic interests from anywhere while experiencing a virtual version of Columbia’s classroom environment. You’ll join live online sessions that include discussions, debates, simulations, and group projects, along with Student Life workshops that help you strengthen academic and communication skills. The program offers a wide range of courses, including business and finance options such as Introduction to Business, Finance, and Economics, Corporate Finance, and Finance & Investment Management. These classes introduce you to financial markets, valuation, investment strategies, and risk, with some courses offering hands-on portfolio-building and practical analysis.
2. Wharton Global Youth Program – Financial Decision Making
Cost: $4,099 + $100 application fee; need-based limited scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically, large cohorts
Dates: June 15 – 26, July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 – 12, including international students
In this program, you explore the foundations of personal finance, budgeting, saving, credit, debt, and interest, while also learning how financial markets work, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and risk-return trade-offs. The curriculum explores money, banking, inflation, and monetary policy, giving you a clearer understanding of the broader economy. You also work with real financial datasets to strengthen your analytical skills, evaluate trade-offs, and make informed decisions. With themes such as wealth-building, diversification, long-term planning, and financial ethics, the program develops your ability to analyze real scenarios and communicate financial decisions with confidence. Students who complete all requirements earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
3. Georgetown University Pre-College Programs: Becoming an Investor: An Inside Look at Finance
Cost: $1,895; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; typically, large cohorts
Dates: Multiple 1, 2, and 4-week sessions are offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the session start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 years or older
Georgetown University’s Pre-College Investing Track is an online program that introduces you to the fundamentals of finance, investing, and financial markets through 20–30 hours of video lessons, simulations, and mentor-guided assignments. You’ll learn how valuation models work, what drives stock prices, how different investors manage portfolios, and how fintech innovations like cryptocurrencies are shaping the future of finance. The course also covers market mechanics, risk, diversification, and the steps involved in buying and analyzing stocks. By the end, you’ll build your own investment portfolio and complete a capstone project evaluating a public company’s risks, returns, and long-term potential, giving you a structured, practical foundation for future studies or careers in finance, fintech, or investing.
4. Rice University – Entrepreneurship: From Ideas to Impact in Fintech
Cost: $1,795; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; typically, small cohort sizes
Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the session start date
Eligibility: Students ages 13 and up
Rice University’s Entrepreneurship: From Ideas to Impact in Fintech course introduces you to how financial technologies are transforming payments, lending, investing, and global economic systems. You’ll learn the fundamentals of traditional financial services, study digital disruptions like blockchain, cryptocurrencies, robo-advising, and online lending, and analyze case studies of companies such as PayPal, Venmo, and Robinhood. The course highlights how fintech startups scale, navigate regulatory frameworks, and expand access to financial tools. With guidance from a mentor, you’ll also complete a capstone project where you design a simple business plan for a fintech product or service. By the end, you gain a clear understanding of fintech innovation, entrepreneurial opportunities, and potential career paths in the finance-tech landscape.
5. UPenn Wharton Global Youth Program: Understanding Your Money
Cost: $329
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: Self-paced, can start anytime
Application Deadline: Self-paced, no deadline
Eligibility: All high school students enrolled in grades 9–12, including international applicants
Understanding Your Money is a self-paced online course that introduces you to core economic and money-management concepts. Guided by Wharton faculty, you’ll learn the basics of budgeting, earning, saving, and investing through video lessons, readings, activities, and quizzes. The program focuses on helping you understand how money works, how financial decisions impact your well-being, and how to build smart investing strategies. Since it’s entirely online and on-demand, you can move through the material at your own pace. You’ll finish with a stronger grasp of everyday financial choices and earn a Wharton Global Youth certificate of completion.
6. Brown Pre-College Mathematical Modeling of Finance: An Introduction to Quantitative Analysis
Cost: $5,554; scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not publicly disclosed
Dates: June 22 – July 17
Application Deadline: May 8
Eligibility: High school students who have a strong basic algebra background
Brown’s Mathematical Modeling of Finance introduces you to the quantitative tools that drive modern financial decision-making. Over four weeks, you will study how money grows over time through topics like interest rates, compound interest, annuities, and loan calculations. You’ll then move into probability theory, learning how concepts such as random variables, probability distributions, expectations, and conditional probability help model risk and uncertainty in finance. The course emphasizes applying these mathematical ideas to real financial scenarios, giving you a practical foundation in quantitative analysis. By the end, you will understand how to calculate returns, evaluate probabilities, and interpret financial outcomes using mathematical models.
7. Northwestern Pre-College Online Program – Finance: Think Like an Investor
Cost: $1,895; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; cohort size not publicly disclosed
Dates: Multiple 1, 2, or 4-week sessions are offered year-round
Application Deadline: One week before the program start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and up
This course offers a comprehensive dive into the financial industry from an investor’s perspective. Key topics explored include economic foundations of finance, interpreting financial statements, various investment strategies, and the complex world of private equity. You will engage in activities such as analyzing a balance sheet, evaluating market trends, and applying your knowledge to a crucial Final Capstone Project, which involves presenting a strategic investment recommendation based on a real-world private equity case study. By the end, you gain vital skills in financial analysis, risk evaluation, and critical thinking necessary to make informed investment decisions.
8. Dartmouth Precollege Online Program: Finance: Investing & Market Insights
Cost: $1,895; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; cohort size details not publicly available
Dates: Multi-length sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the session start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and up
This Dartmouth Precollege Online course immerses students in the world of finance, teaching them how to evaluate companies and make savvy investment choices. Key topics covered include Finance Foundations, Financial Statement Analysis, the mechanics of IPOs and Investment Banking, and the core method of Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation. You will analyze financial statements, evaluate an investment opportunity, and produce a Final Capstone Project where you act as a private equity analyst to pitch an investment recommendation. The program involves dedicated mentor support provided by experts, ensuring you learn practical skills like financial modeling, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of market operations.
9. USC Pre-College Programs: Finance: From Personal Literacy to Global Markets
Cost: $1,990 + $35 application fee; scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; cohort size details not publicly disclosed
Dates: Multiple, year-round start dates
Application Deadline: Five days before the program start date
Eligibility: Students who are currently enrolled in a high school or secondary program and who are at least 14 years old
This USC Pre-College online program provides high school students with a foundational understanding of finance, spanning both personal literacy and global markets. The curriculum covers essential topics such as credit cards, paying taxes, creating budgets, stock analysis, corporate finance, and an introduction to digital currencies. You engage in practical activities like analyzing financial statements, calculating their personal net worth, and evaluating investment strategies to build a portfolio. You gain key skills in financial analysis, budgeting, investment evaluation, and the ability to confidently navigate complex economic concepts after high school, along with a USC Pre-College Certificate of Completion from the Marshall School of Business.
10. Bentley University Wall Street 101 Courses
Cost: $1,490 + $75 application fee; limited scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; typically, 45 students
Dates: June 8 – 12
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students entering junior or senior year of high school who have completed at least two years of college preparatory coursework at the high school level before entering the program; if not completed, they should demonstrate English language proficiency | Must be 16 years old by September 1
The Wall Street 101 Program at Bentley University gives you a rigorous, hands-on introduction to financial markets through trading simulations, valuation exercises, industry software like Bloomberg and FactSet, and guest lectures from professionals. You’ll explore how finance, macroeconomics, and financial technology shape today’s markets, with online course options such as Stock Market and Investment Research and Macroeconomics and Financial Markets. Whether you’re analyzing companies, building stock pitches, or studying how global events move markets in real time, the program helps you build practical analytical skills that are useful no matter what major you choose. It’s designed to help you think like a financial analyst and understand how technology and data drive modern finance.
11. Invest in Girls Financial Foundations 3-Course Series
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
The Invest in Girls Financial Foundations Series is a three-part program that helps you build essential personal finance and career skills through live, online workshops with other high school girls and a dedicated instructor. Across the series, you’ll learn how to budget, use credit responsibly, understand interest rates, and handle taxes, before moving into core investing topics like saving vs. investing, stocks, bonds, funds, and building a portfolio. The final part focuses on preparing you for college, internships, and early career opportunities by covering interviewing, workplace communication, and financial safety planning, giving you a structured and confidence-building introduction to managing your financial life.
12. Economics for Leaders (EFL) Virtual
Cost: $900 + $35 application fee; scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Various sessions from June to August; check details here
Application Deadline: Rolling basis until the final deadline of April/May
Eligibility: Students who are currently in their sophomore or junior year of high school
Economics for Leaders (EFL) Virtual helps you build a strong understanding of core economic concepts while developing practical leadership skills through lectures, group activities, and real-world problem-solving. Taught by experienced economics professors and leadership instructors, the program introduces you to the “economic way of thinking” and shows you how to apply economic reasoning to public policy decisions and everyday challenges. You’ll practice teamwork, decision-making, and communication while exploring how economic forces shape the global economy, all within an active and engaging online environment that encourages collaboration and long-term connections.
13. Fordham University – Global Finance
Cost: $1,300; financial aid is available; need-based discounts are available for students with family incomes below $50,000 per year
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective; cohort size not publicly disclosed
Dates: July 6 – 10
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: All high school students
The Global Finance program at Fordham University introduces you to how international markets, currencies, and cross-border investments operate. Over one week, you’ll study major global finance themes, from exchange rates and foreign stock markets to trade imbalances and multinational business strategy, while learning directly from finance professionals and alumni. You’ll also explore how global events shape economic trends, what opportunities exist in emerging markets, and how globalization continues to influence investment decisions worldwide. By the end, you will have honed skills in strategic analysis, understanding currency risk, and evaluating investment opportunities within emerging markets.
14. Fordham University – Finance Institute: Wall Street in the Classroom
Cost: $1,200; financial aid is available; need-based discounts are available for students with family incomes below $50,000 per year
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; typically small to moderate cohorts
Dates: Week 1: June 16 – 20; Week 2: June 23 – 27; Week 3: July 21 – 25; Week 4: July 28 – August 1
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-12
The Fordham University – Finance Institute: Wall Street in the Classroom program gives you a one-week introduction to core finance concepts through interactive classes and guest speakers from leading finance firms and Gabelli School alumni. You’ll explore economic basics, the time value of money, financial markets, personal finance, and investment principles, including stocks, bonds, and monetary policy. The program also introduces you to hedge funds, private equity, asset allocation, risk management, and cryptocurrency, helping you build a clear understanding of how different areas of modern finance work.
15. Wake Forest University Pre-College Online Program: Investing: The Future of Finance
Cost: $1,595; need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; cohort size not publicly disclosed
Dates: Multiple 1, 2, and 4-week sessions throughout the year
Application Deadline: One week before the session start date
Eligibility: Students aged 13+
This Wake Forest University online program, “Investing: The Future of Finance,” guides high school students through the foundational principles of smart investing and the evolution of financial technology. Core topics covered include financial statement analysis, the concept of risk and reward, the power of compound interest, and an exploration of modern FinTech innovations. You participate in engaging activities such as analyzing a company’s financial health, evaluating different investment strategies, and building a mock investment portfolio to gain practical experience. Upon completion, you will possess vital skills in financial statement interpretation, investment evaluation, and making data-driven decisions about your financial future.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like investment analysis, financial markets, behavioral finance, fintech, or economic policy, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
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