High school is a good time to start taking your interest in economics more seriously, especially if you want to understand how financial systems and policies shape everyday life. Economics Programs can help you move beyond theory and study the subject in a more applied way.
In Louisiana, several institutions offer economics programs designed for high school students. These programs allow you to explore topics like budgeting, market trends, and economic decision-making while working through practical examples and guided learning sessions.
Why should you choose a program in Louisiana?
Louisiana provides a useful setting for economics because of its diverse economy and strong academic presence. Programs often draw from real-world economic conditions in the region, which helps make learning more grounded. At the same time, staying within the state can make these programs easier to attend, reducing additional costs while still offering a good experience for your college applications.
With that, here are 15 economics programs for high school students in Louisiana! You can also consider these free economics programs and economics research opportunities for high school students!
15 Economics Programs for High School Students in Louisiana
1. Southern University and A&M College’s Dual Enrollment Program
Location: Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA
Cost: $50 – $300, depending on the course
Program dates: Available during the fall and spring semesters
Application deadline: Varies by the session
Eligibility: Students enrolled in a Louisiana high school who meet at least one of the given criteria
Southern University’s Dual Enrollment Program gives high school students the chance to take undergraduate courses while still in high school and earn college credits in the process. There are several courses to choose from and students interested in economics can opt for the Principles of Economics course, which covers fundamental concepts of micro and macro economics. You will explore topics like the role of demand and supply, competitive and monopolistic markets, income distribution, economic fluctuations, and international trade. The program allows you to explore higher education pathways by experiencing a college curriculum and learning from college professors.
2. University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Dual Enrollment Program
Location: University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA
Cost: $200 per 3-credit course in person, $300 per 3-credit virtual course
Program dates: The program takes place in the summer, spring and fall. More details here
Application deadline: May 23 for the summer program, August 20 for the fall program, December 12 for the spring program
Eligibility: Students who have completed their junior year, are 15 years of age, have a minimum 2.5 GPA, and meet these criteria
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Dual Enrollment Program is for high school students who want to get a head start on their college education. Through this program, you can take up to 7 credit hours per academic semester and get the opportunity to step into the shoes of an undergraduate student. There are numerous courses to choose from, including topics within the field of economics like Principles of Macroeconomics, Money and Banking, Fundamentals of Economics, and Industrial Economics and Finance. Depending on which you choose, you will learn about concepts like price, value, distribution of wealth, fiscal policies, capital growth, and more.
3. Tulane Summer Enrichment Institute
Location: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Cost: $995. Need-based financial aid is available
Program dates: June 15 – 18
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising 9th-12th graders who attend school in the city of New Orleans
Tulane University’s Summer Enrichment Institute offers weeklong courses that will take you beyond high school curricula to explore advanced topics. One of these courses is Entrepreneurship in the Big Easy and Beyond, which introduces high school students to the basics of entrepreneurship. As a participant, you will learn about idea generation, business models, and the entrepreneurial mindset through hands-on activities. You will also have a chance to connect with local founders and industry leaders and gain insights from their experiences. At the end of the program, you will take part in a live pitch competition and showcase your business idea. At the same time, you will also have the benefit of studying on campus and receiving access to university resources.
4. University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Entrepreneurship & Career Exploration Program
Location: University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA
Cost: Not specified
Program dates: Not specified
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle and high school students from the Lafayette Parish School System
University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Entrepreneurship & Career Exploration Program is a 3-day immersive program for middle and high school students to learn about entrepreneurship and business. It begins with team building exercises and learning about the entrepreneurial mindset, which is followed by lessons on marketing and creating customer value. On the third day, you and your peers will operate a pop-up market to apply the concepts in a practical scenario. The last cohort sold beverages and snacks during the university’s orientation session. However, keep in mind that this program accepts only 20 students and can be a little selective.
5. Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance’s Financial Literacy Program
Location: Collaborating institution/school
Cost: Free
Program dates: It can take place in the spring or fall semesters
Application deadline: NA
Eligibility: Students from the 6th grade to post-secondary studies
Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance’s Financial Literacy Program is designed for a wide range of students, allowing them to gain a basic understanding of money management. Over five sessions, you will learn how to prepare funds for short and long-term goals, use your cell phone as a budgeting tool, search and apply for scholarships, and navigate loans. You will also have the opportunity to speak with local vendors and learn how they manage money while running businesses. However, this program generally runs in collaboration with schools or other institutions and you might need to check with your teachers about reaching out to LOSFA.
6. Junior Achievement of North Louisiana’s Entrepreneurship Program
Location: Collaborating institution/school or virtual
Cost: Free
Program dates: Depending on the collaboration between JA and your school
Application deadline: NA
Eligibility: All high school students
Junior Achievement is a non-profit that focuses on educating students and preparing them for future careers, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship and finance. Through the organization’s Entrepreneurship Program, you will develop the basic skills required to become an entrepreneur and innovator. You will learn about business planning processes, fixed and variable costs, competitive advantage, and the importance of testing. By the end of the program, you will use a concept known as Design Thinking to develop new business ideas. This program will require someone from your school to collaborate with Junior Achievement, after which a JA presenter will deliver lessons either at your school or virtually.
7. Junior Achievement of North Louisiana’s Financial Literacy Program
Location: Collaborating institution/school or virtual
Cost: Free
Program dates: Depending on the collaboration between JA and your school. The program will take place over the course of one semester
Application deadline: NA
Eligibility: All high school students
Similar to the previous entry, Junior Achievement’s Financial Literacy program requires schools to reach out and ask for JA presenters to teach the program. This is a longer, 16-session program that focuses on personal finance skills and work readiness. It is structured through a combination of lessons, guest speakers, case studies, and project work. You will learn how to earn money, save it, create and use a budget, and manage bank accounts, insurance, investments, and more. After diving into taxes, loans, and credit scores, you will review the current stock market and build a financial portfolio. You can go through the details here.
8. Economics for Leaders – Virtual
Location: Virtual
Cost: $900. Some financial aid is available
Program dates: Multiple sessions available from June to August
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors
Organized by a non-profit called the Foundation for Teaching Economics, Economics for Leaders is a week-long summer program that dives into the fundamentals of economics while also developing leadership skills. As a participant, you will learn about topics like economic growth, scarcity, opportunity cost, open markets, incentives, property rights, inflation, international markets, and more. This is a synchronous course that consists of live interactive lectures, activities based on applications like Moblab and Pear Deck, and economic simulations that help you understand real world applications. By the end of the program, you will have learned how to apply economic analysis to public policies.
9. Wharton Global Youth Program – Introduction to Behavioral Economics
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,387
Program dates: July 2 – August 7
Application deadline: May 6
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors with a minimum 3.5 GPA
Wharton Global Youth Program allows high school students to explore and learn about fields like business, entrepreneurship, economics, and more. The Introduction to Behavioral Economics program is an online, credit-bearing course that applies psychological insights to economic decision-making processes of individuals and groups. This includes sub-topics like welfare economics, market power, asymmetric information, inequality, taxation, pricing to biased consumers, and behavioral workers and managers. You will learn through a combination of live synchronous lessons, readings, assignments, discussions, and end the course with a final exam.
10. Wharton Global Youth Program’s – Understanding Your Money
Location: Virtual
Cost: $329
Program dates: Self-paced
Application deadline: You can enroll at any time
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 – 12. International students can apply as well
Understanding Your Money is another option from the Wharton Global Youth Program, which is meant to help high school students understand money management and become more financially responsible. The coursework includes concepts like supply, demand, utility, compound interest, currency, the role of banks, investing, risk, asset allocation, and more. In the process, you will gain budgeting skills and learn how to develop investing strategies. As an asynchronous, self-paced program, this course includes instructional videos made by Wharton faculty members that you can watch at your own time.
11. New York Institute of Technology High School Business Bootcamp
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Program dates: Multiple sessions available from March to December, you can any number of sessions
Application deadline: You can sign up any time
Eligibility: All high school students
The New York Institute of Technology offers this free business bootcamp that aims to prepare high school students for college life and careers. The program includes ten virtual workshops, and you can attend any or all of them. The workshops cover various topics like communication, leadership, conflict resolution, and marketing. Students interested in economics can opt for the financial literacy workshop, which dives into budgeting, financial planning, credit scores, loans, insurance, and more. Another option is the investing in real estate workshop, which covers the basics of selling and purchasing real estate as well as topics like stocks and bonds.
12. Building-U High School Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Program dates: 3 months during the summer but can be extended through the year
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12
Offered by a non-profit called Building-U, this internship is a 3-month virtual opportunity for high school students to get work experience as part of a professional organization. As an intern, you will contribute to Building-U, which is dedicated to providing students with useful databases and resources. There are various departments available and for those interested in economics, you can choose the business and development team, which focuses on cultivating partnerships, organizing data, and developing and diversifying funding streams. Alongside this, you will also develop communication and leadership skills.
13. Loyola University New Orleans’ High School/Concurrent Enrollment
Location: Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Cost: $1,072 per course + part-time university fees
Program dates: Fall, spring, and summer terms are available
Application deadline: August 15 for the fall term, December 15 for the spring term, May 15 for the summer term
Eligibility: All high school students with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Loyola University New Orleans’ High School/Concurrent Enrollment program gives high school students the chance to attend college-level courses and earn college credit in the process. While the program’s website mentions that the available courses differ from term to term, they should be similar to the courses offered to undergraduates. Economics is one of these offered majors, including courses that cover topics like macroeconomics, microeconomics, international economics, econometrics, law and economics, and more. There are also business and accounting courses for students interested in those subjects.
14. National Economics Challenge
Location: Virtual (state-level rounds), with national finals in Atlanta, GA
Cost: Free
Program dates: Competition runs annually through the spring semester
Application deadline: Varies by state
Eligibility: All high school students; no prior economics coursework required for the David Ricardo Division
The National Economics Challenge, organized by the Council for Economic Education, is America’s premier economics competition for high school students, with close to 10,000 students participating each year. The competition is structured across two divisions: the David Ricardo Division for first-time competitors with no more than one prior economics course, and the Adam Smith Division for students in advanced placement, honors, or baccalaureate programs. Competing in teams, you will be tested on key principles of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and the international economy, starting at the state level before the top teams advance to the national competition. The national finalists earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in person, where the top four teams take home cash prizes of $1,000, $500, $250, and $200 respectively.
15. High School Fed Challenge
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Program dates: Registration opens in September; paper submissions are due in March; publication notifications are released in May
Application deadline: Registration typically closes in February; a faculty advisor from your school must register on your behalf
Eligibility: All students in grades 9–12; no prior study of economics is required
The High School Fed Challenge is a national economics research competition organized by the Federal Reserve System and open to all high school students across the country, including those in Louisiana. Each year, the competition centers on a new theme, the latest theme is the Economics of Music, and student teams research and write an academically grounded paper or podcast script exploring an economic topic that relates to that theme. You will apply economic thinking to real-world questions, practice data literacy and analytical writing, and develop the skills that underpin future study in economics and policy. The strongest submissions are selected for publication in the Journal of Future Economists, and all participating schools receive formal recognition from the Federal Reserve.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This selective virtual research program enables you to conduct advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choice. 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!
Image Source: Loyola University New Orleans