Economics Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 62 economics programs for high school students. Of these, 31 are free to participate in and 31 offer virtual participation. Examples include Advanced Economics for Leaders (FTE), Berkeley Economic Review High School Essay Contest, and Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition.
- 62
- listed
- 31
- free
- 31
- virtual
- 61
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are economics programs for high school students?
- Economics Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in economics. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 61 of the 62 programs listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these programs free?
- Yes — 31 of the 62 programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 31 of the 62 programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are economics programs good for a college application?
- Yes — economics programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in economics on college applications.
Related Categories
62 activities found·Browse by category
Advanced Economics for Leaders (FTE)
More rigorous version of EFL for students who have already taken high school/AP Economics, diving deeper into models and policy.
Berkeley Economic Review High School Essay Contest
Annual essay competition where students analyze economic issues and policy questions, with winning essays published in Berkeley Economic Review.
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition
A large virtual pitch competition where high schoolers worldwide identify an unmet need and record a video pitch for an original business idea grounded in Blue Ocean Strategy principles.
Boston Global Investment Competition (BGIC)
An international stock-pitching competition judged by hedge fund managers and Wall Street professionals, where middle and high schoolers research companies and present investment ideas in a live final round.
CaseCatalyst
A fully virtual four-week case competition in which high school teams solve real challenges submitted by partner startups, mentored by university students and consulting professionals, with top teams earning startup internships.
CCEE National Economics Challenge – California State Round
California Council on Economic Education's state portal for NEC, used to register California teams and run the state-level contest.
Chicago Summer Business Institute
Summer business and economics program at University of Chicago Booth School covering finance, economics, and entrepreneurship.
Council for Economic Education – Student Programs Hub
Central page listing CEE's student-facing econ opportunities (NEC, personal finance challenge, stock market game, etc.).
DECA Competitive Events & International Career Development Conference
Business and marketing competitive events covering nearly 60 role-play, case-study, prepared, and online events across marketing, finance, hospitality, management, entrepreneurship, and personal financial literacy. Top state competitors advance to the International Career Development Conference (2026: Atlanta).
Economics for Leaders (EFL – Foundation for Teaching Economics)
Selective, one-week summer program teaching microeconomic principles and leadership, hosted at campuses including UC Berkeley and other universities.
Economics Policy Academy at Georgetown
Summer program at Georgetown University offering intensive courses in economics, policy analysis, and quantitative methods.
Economics World Cup (EWC)
International economics competition with online qualifiers and continental/world rounds, covering theoretical and applied economics.
FBLA Competitive Events & National Leadership Conference
Future Business Leaders of America's competitive events span 50+ business and career-related areas (accounting, marketing, public speaking, business plan). Students compete at state conferences, then top placers advance to the National Leadership Conference each summer (2026 NLC: Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio).
FEE Seminar Series
Seminars held throughout the year by the Foundation for Economic Education that introduce high school and college students to free-market economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship principles, with programming and travel typically covered for accepted students.
Foundation for Teaching Economics – Advanced Economics for Leaders
Week-long residential program for students who've completed HS/AP economics, covering college-level micro/macroeconomic theory alongside leadership development.
Foundation for Teaching Economics – Economics for Leaders
Selective residential/live-online summer program where sophomores/juniors learn to integrate economic reasoning into leadership decisions using FTE's Five Economic Reasoning Principles.
Foundation for Teaching Economics – Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy
Week-long FTE summer program where students explore how economic systems support innovation, developing their own business idea, pitch, and funding plan.
Freelance Jobs for Students – Sparrow
Online platform for HS/college students to find paid freelance work (tutoring, design, tech, writing, etc.).
Georgetown Entrepreneurship Academy
A two-week residential Georgetown University summer program where high schoolers learn startup fundamentals, prototype testing, and market research, culminating in a team pitch competition.
Girls Inc. of Metro Denver – Summer Internship Program
Career exploration and workforce development program for Denver-area high school girls, placing them with employers across healthcare, business, technology, nonprofit, and government sectors, plus professional development workshops, mentorship, and resume/interview prep. Runs early June through late July.
Harvard Crimson Global Case Competition (HCGCC)
A fully virtual global business case competition where teams of high schoolers act as consultants to solve a real company's strategic challenge and pitch solutions to judges, with mentorship from top consulting firms and universities.
Harvard Pre-Collegiate Economics Challenge
Online economics case competition where teams analyze real-world economic scenarios and present solutions, hosted by Harvard undergraduates.
High School Fed Challenge
Teams research an assigned economic theme (2025-26: "economics of music") and write podcast scripts, with top entries published in the Fed's Journal of Future Economists.
High School Fed Challenge (Federal Reserve Bank of New York)
Macro and monetary policy competition where teams act like the FOMC: analyze the U.S. economy, develop a policy recommendation, and submit to the New York Fed.
High School International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC)
Global essay competition where students analyze contemporary economic issues and policy questions with international perspectives.
Hoover Institution Student Fellowship
Selective fellowship at Stanford's Hoover Institution where students work with scholars on economic policy research projects.
Hoover Institution Summer Policy Boot Camp
Intensive 4-day residential program at Stanford for college students and recent graduates focusing on U.S. policy, economics, and governance taught by Hoover fellows, with free meals and housing.
IEOx Essay Challenge
International economics essay competition covering topics in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and global economic policy.
Institute of Economic Affairs Essay Competition
UK-based economics essay competition covering classical liberal economics, market theory, and policy analysis, open to international students.
International Economics Olympiad (IEO)
Global olympiad combining economics theory, data analysis, and business case problem-solving; participants reach IEO via their country's national selection.
InvestWrite Essay Competition
SIFMA Foundation essay competition where students research investments and write reports on stock market strategies and portfolio management.
Ithaca College High School Investment Competition
A free virtual stock market simulation in which teams of high schoolers nationwide manage a simulated $1 million portfolio on the StockTrak platform for cash prizes.
Lumiere Education – Economics Research Mentorship
Selective 1:1 mentorship program where you design and execute an original research project in economics and produce a paper or similar output.
National Economics Challenge
Teams tested on micro/macroeconomic principles and world economy knowledge across state, semifinal, and national rounds.
National Economics Challenge (Council for Economic Education)
Nationwide high school economics competition where teams of 3-4 students answer questions in micro, macro, and international economics, advancing from state to national finals.
National High School Sport Business Case Competition
An in-person case competition at Kutztown University where teams of high schoolers analyze a real-world sport business scenario and present recommendations to judges over a weekend event.
National Personal Finance Challenge
National competition testing knowledge of personal finance topics including budgeting, saving, investing, and credit, hosted by the National Financial Educators Council.
Neel Somani Young Innovators Scholarship
Scholarship recognizing students who led innovative projects, often in STEM or entrepreneurship.
NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
The flagship business plan and pitch competition of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, where students advance through local, regional, and national elimination rounds to compete for cash prizes.
Northwestern Economics Tournament
Team-based economics competition featuring quiz bowl rounds and case presentations on economic theory and current events.
NYIT High School Business Competition
A team-based competition run by New York Tech's School of Management where high school juniors and seniors spend four weeks solving a real business problem posed by a partner company and present findings to its executives.
Polygence – Economics Projects
Online mentorship program where you choose an econ topic (e.g., inequality, macro, development) and build a project such as a paper, data analysis, or policy brief.
Seed Scholars Honors Program
Year-round entrepreneurship program for Bay Area students featuring mentorship, workshops, and startup project development.
SFUSD Summer Internships – Industry Partners
SFUSD's Summer Internships connect San Francisco high-school students with paid positions across career sectors (tech, health, arts, business, public sector) through partner organizations and city agencies.
St. John's University High School Pitch Competition
A Shark Tank-style event at St. John's University's Tobin College of Business where high schoolers pitch original business ideas to judges for seed-funding prizes, with no prior business experience required.
Stanford Young Investigators Program
Summer research program at Stanford where high school students work with faculty on economics and social science research projects.
Stevens Trading Day Competition
A combined virtual-and-in-person investing competition where high school sophomores and juniors trade in a month-long simulator before the top portfolios compete live using Bloomberg terminals at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Stock Market Game
Virtual stock trading competition where students manage investment portfolios and learn about markets, economics, and financial literacy.
Summer Springboard – Economics at UC Berkeley
Two-week pre-college program on the Berkeley campus teaching microeconomics, markets, and applied econ through projects and site visits.
Teen Investor Cup
An online guided investing competition in which students in grades 8-12 manage a simulated $100,000 portfolio over several weeks, with optional coaching calls and cash prizes for top performers.
Tri-Counties Bank Scholarship Program
Scholarships for students in Tri-Counties Bank's service area emphasizing academics, leadership, and community involvement.
UCLA Economics Pre-College Program
Intensive pre-college program introducing students to college-level economics through lectures, problem sets, and research projects.
UCLA Economics Summer Courses
Summer economics courses at UCLA covering microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics for high school students.
UCLA Economics Summer Institute
Three-week academic program at UCLA focusing on core tools of economic analysis, markets, and policy evaluation.
USC Philosophy of Economic Markets
Summer course at USC exploring philosophical foundations of economics, market behavior, and economic ethics.
Wharton Essentials of Entrepreneurship
An intensive two-week residential program at Wharton where high schoolers in grades 9-11 learn startup fundamentals like marketing and venture creation and pitch an original business idea for feedback.
Wharton Global Youth Investment Competition
A free 10-week investment challenge in which teams of high schoolers use Wharton's stock simulator and a real business case study to build and defend a portfolio strategy, with top teams presenting at a finale in Philadelphia.
Young Americans Center Youth Advisory Board
Leadership board that advises Young Americans Bank and the Young Americans Center for Financial Education's nonprofit programs. Members (rising 8th-12th graders from any Colorado school) gain hands-on knowledge of banking, business, philanthropy, and PR; volunteer at Young Americans events; and develop presentation, networking, and leadership skills. Monthly meetings on the second Saturday of each month, August through May. Application + interview process; applications open April 1 - June 26.
Young Entrepreneurs Academy
Year-long entrepreneurship program where students develop business plans, pitch to investors, and launch real businesses with mentorship.
Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP)
4-week paid summer internship where high school juniors and seniors work with companies on real business projects combining economics, marketing, finance, and engineering with mentorship and scholarship.
Young Founders Lab – SF Economics Internships (real roles)
Compilation of specific, real San Francisco economics internships, many of which are paid.
Young Investors Society Global Stock Pitch Competition
A global investing competition where high school students or pairs research a publicly traded company and submit a written stock pitch, presentation, and video, with top teams presenting at a New York City summit before finance professionals.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.