For over 30 years, StockTrak has been the #1 portfolio simulation platform used in investing classes.
Today, universities are taking it further.
More institutions are expanding beyond the classroom by launching campus-wide stock pitch competitions or investing challenges — giving all students, not just those in finance courses, the opportunity to participate in hands-on, real-world learning.
From Classroom Tool to Campus Experience
What was once used in a single class of 30–50 students is now being used to reach hundreds or even thousands of students across campus.
These initiatives are designed to:
- Promote financial literacy across all disciplines
- Increase student engagement outside the classroom
- Provide practical, real-world investing experience at scale
What a Campus-Wide Investing Challenge Looks Like
(Becca Schwartz\UNLV)
Successful programs typically combine academic leadership with campus-wide promotion.
Many universities:
- Host a faculty-led kickoff session
- Partner with student clubs and organizations to drive participation
- Promote through campus marketing channels
Some also bring in external sponsors — including banks, credit unions, and investment firms — to support prizes and increase visibility.
To build momentum, schools often expand this into a larger initiative:
- A campus-wide investing challenge (often launched early in the week)
- Followed by a financial literacy week
- Extended to include high school students as part of recruitment efforts
Stock Pitch Competition vs. Investing Challenge
While the terms are often used together, they offer different learning experiences.
A stock pitch competition challenges students to research a company, analyze its financial performance, evaluate risks and opportunities, and present an investment recommendation to a panel of judges. The focus is on critical thinking, equity research, and communication skills.
An investing challenge is centered on portfolio management over time. Students actively trade securities, respond to changing market conditions, manage risk, and compete based on the performance of their simulated portfolios.
Both experiences help students develop practical investing skills, and many universities are beginning to incorporate both into a single campus-wide initiative.
Why Choose One? StockTrak Lets You Run Both.
With StockTrak, you don’t have to choose between a stock pitch competition and an investing challenge.
Every participant is already managing a simulated investment portfolio, making it easy to incorporate stock pitch presentations at any point during the competition. Universities can hold a pitch competition before trading begins, midway through the challenge, or as a capstone event near the end.
By combining long-term portfolio management with research and presentation skills, StockTrak provides a more complete experiential learning experience—all from a single platform.
How StockTrak Supports Campus-Wide Challenges
While approaches vary by institution, StockTrak provides the structure and scalability to make such initiatives easy to run.
With StockTrak, you can:
- Launch and manage a campus-wide investing challenge from a single platform
- Track participation and performance across large groups of students
- Provide a consistent, educational experience for all participants
- Support both classroom and non-classroom initiatives
Not Just for Students
These initiatives aren’t limited to students.
Many universities are also using platforms like StockTrak for:
- Employee and staff financial education programs
- Campus-wide engagement initiatives
This reflects a broader shift: experiential learning tools are no longer confined to a single classroom — they are becoming part of the overall campus experience.
Bringing This to Your Campus
If you’re looking for new ways to increase engagement, improve financial literacy, and create meaningful learning experiences, a campus-wide investing challenge is a proven model.
With StockTrak, you can:
- Engage students across all majors
- Support recruitment initiatives with high school outreach
- Partner with industry sponsors
- Run scalable, repeatable programs each year
If you already have a site license or a branded site and would like to take advantage of this offer, please fill out the form on the bottom on this page (Campus-Wide Investing Challenge Registration), to let us know of your intentions to run a Campus-Wide Investing Challenge.
If you don’t have a site license with Stock-Trak and would like to learn more, please click one of the buttons below to either learn more or fill-out the form and one of our sales managers will contact you.