College Board Adds AP Business and Personal Finance Course

The yearlong curriculum covers entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, and management alongside practical skills like saving and investing. Students will participate in project-based assignments, such as acting as financial advisers for a fictional family to navigate trade-offs in housing, retirement, and education. The course aligns with standards set by the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.

This expansion arrives as states increasingly mandate financial education. As of March, 39 states require personal finance coursework for graduation—a significant jump from 12 states in 2022. By integrating these topics into an AP framework, the College Board hopes to bridge the gap between abstract academic concepts and everyday financial reality. Business remains the most popular undergraduate degree in the U.S., with over 375,000 bachelor’s degrees awarded in the 2021–22 academic year. Jennifer Mulhern, the College Board’s vice president for AP program access, noted that the course is designed to sharpen student competency before they transition into college business programs or the workforce.