More reasons to enroll early: Save $250 on tuition + 50% off your deposit. Enroll by Oct 31.
Build and test financial models in this 2-week corporate finance program for high school students on UCLA’s campus.
Rated 4.3 out of 5 for classroom experience by students who took this course in 2026.
Course Description
A company may be growing and still face a poor financial decision. Look behind the headline to see what a choice means for cash, risk, and long-term value.
In this course you will read financial statements, compare ratios, and build models in spreadsheets. Accounting, budgeting, and forecasting show how a company tracks and plans its resources. Time value of money, capital budgeting, and capital structure introduce how the timing of cash, investment choices, and financing affect decisions.
Applied problem sets and cases put those concepts to use. Compare investment opportunities, analyze company performance, and try stock-market simulations and group decisions around risk and return.
For your final project, investigate how AI is used in financial modeling, forecasting, investment analysis, or decision support. Evaluate a real application and present its benefits and limits. Questions from classmates ask you to connect the claims with finance concepts and explain where the tool needs human judgment.
This two-week course for high school students takes place at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. The program is developed by UCLA and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery. Residential and commuter options are available.
What You Will Do
• Read financial statements and calculate performance ratios
• Build budgets, forecasts, and time-value-of-money calculations
• Compare capital investments and corporate financing choices
• Create and test financial models in spreadsheets
• Try financial cases and stock-market simulations
• Research and present an AI application in finance
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Use financial statements and ratios to evaluate company performance
• Build budgets and models for investment and financing decisions
• Evaluate the benefits and limits of AI in financial analysis
You’ll leave with your applied financial models, AI-in-finance presentation and a certificate of completion.
Why Corporate Finance Skills Matter
Corporate finance skills help students understand how businesses translate strategy into measurable choices. Financial statements show where resources came from and how they were used. Ratios make comparison possible. Time-value and capital-budgeting calculations reveal why the timing and risk of cash flows matter.
Modeling develops precision because assumptions must be visible and calculations must remain consistent. Case work adds judgment: the best numerical result may still depend on financing constraints, market conditions, or a company’s goals. Presenting an AI application requires students to explain where technology supports analysis and where human review remains necessary. Together, these skills strengthen quantitative reasoning, business judgment, and clear communication.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
Numbers can tell a story about what is happening inside a business. If you enjoy working out that story, this course connects your interest with real financial decisions. Accounting, investing, economics, technology, and entrepreneurship each offer a direction to explore.
You should be comfortable with arithmetic, percentages, formulas, and spreadsheets. Expect applied problem sets, company information to interpret, case discussions, and a research presentation.
Recommended by More Than 4 out of 5 Students
Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 UCLA high school program.
Your Summer at UCLA
UCLA gives high-school students the opportunity to explore an academic interest while experiencing university life in Los Angeles, a city where entertainment, technology, business, science, and culture constantly intersect. The campus has its own community and rhythm while connecting students to a wider environment built around creativity and new ideas.
Students learn alongside peers, navigate a large campus, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class expands the experience through friendships, campus life, and opportunities to notice which subjects and settings hold their attention. For families, UCLA offers a valuable combination of substantive academics, personal growth, and clearer direction about what a student may want to study, experience more deeply, or pursue next.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive