National Business Education Association and Career and Technical Student Organizations Join Forces with College Board to Expand AP Business with Personal Finance

College Board

• November 11, 2025

College Board announced today a strategic partnership with three of the nation's leading career and technical education organizations (CTSOs) and the National Business Education Association (NBEA). This partnership will help more students gain access to one of College Board's new AP^® Career Kickstart™ courses: AP Business with Personal Finance.

College Board's collaboration will expand opportunities for members of Business Professionals of America (BPA), DECA, and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) as they prepare for life after high school through enhanced resources that support both academic and career success. BPA, DECA, FBLA, and NBEA advisors will also benefit from access to training and resources to guide students on exam preparation, scholarships, and admissions.

Career Kickstart courses combine the decades of college-level rigor that AP is known for with industry-guided relevance and are designed to build valuable skills that prepare students for high-demand, high-wage careers. Students who complete the courses will be eligible to earn college credit and an employer-endorsed credential that opens doors for students interested in two- and four-year colleges, technical schools; apprenticeships; the military; or direct entry into the workforce.

"We're thrilled that our partnerships with BPA, DECA, FBLA, and NBEA will augment AP Business with Personal Finance classroom learning with cocurricular programming such as competitions, conferences, and other hands-on experiences focused on career and professional development," said Jennifer Mulhern, vice president of AP Program Access. "The deep expertise these organizations have in developing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs complements our work to build rigorous courses that do more than just count toward a high school diploma."

Launching in the fall of 2026, AP Business with Personal Finance is a yearlong high school business and personal finance course that aligns closely with a college-level introduction to business course. Students will explore the business disciplines of entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, accounting, and management through real-world business applications, case studies, and project based learning. In addition, students will learn and apply all the National Standards for Personal Financial Education created by the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.   

What Our Partners Are Saying

"AP Business with Personal Finance gives CTE students a powerful way to turn classroom learning into real-world readiness," said Patrick W. Schultz, executive director/CEO of BPA. "At Business Professionals of America, we're proud to champion this course and see it as an extension of what we've always believed in-equipping students with the business, financial, and leadership skills to thrive in any career and every stage of life."

"The AP Business with Personal Finance course allows DECA members the possibility to receive the benefits of Advanced Placement^® for a career and technical education course for the first time," said Christopher Young, chief program officer of DECA Inc. "The course positions business and marketing education as just as important as core academics, with the opportunities to earn a higher GPA and college credit while preparing for college and beyond. Our DECA chapter advisors who are piloting the program tell us it aligns with their curriculum and overlays tremendously with DECA's competitive events program."

"FBLA and College Board share a vision of preparing students with the knowledge and skills that today's colleges and employers demand," said Jennifer Woods, president & CEO of FBLA. "Through the launch of AP Business with Personal Finance, we are aligning rigorous academic coursework with FBLA's career-connected programming, expanding opportunity for our members nationwide, and strengthening the pipeline of future leaders."

"I've worked with more than a thousand professional education developers and have spent my career advancing high standards in business and financial education," said Joe McClary, executive director of NBEA. "College Board's AP Business with Personal Finance course is among the most thoughtfully designed and engaging I've seen. Its development process-marked by exceptional instructional design, psychometric integrity, and collaboration with leading educators-sets a benchmark for quality. This course not only exemplifies best practices in curriculum design but also equips students with the essential business and financial skills they need for lifelong success."