What happens when you give young minds actual financial challenges to solve? They create models that surprise even seasoned analysts.
Our students aren't building hypotheticals. They're working with datasets from Australian businesses, economic trends from 2024, and scenarios that mirror what professionals face every day.
Some projects look at household budgeting during inflation spikes. Others model small business cash flow through seasonal changes. A few dive into investment strategies for first-time property buyers.
Explore Our ProgramsPrograms starting September 2025 will include expanded project options focused on sustainable finance and climate-related economic modeling.
Financial modeling sounds intimidating until you realize it's just organized thinking about money over time. Our students start with simple questions—what if interest rates change? How does wage growth affect savings goals?—and build from there.
The process involves gathering data, identifying variables, testing assumptions, and seeing what breaks. It's messier than textbooks suggest. Sometimes a model reveals something unexpected. Other times it confirms common sense with numbers backing it up.
One recent project examined grocery spending patterns across different Canberra suburbs during 2024. Students found that price sensitivity varied less by income than by household size and shopping frequency. Their model helped a local co-op adjust its discount structure.
Another team looked at transport costs for students commuting to university. They modeled scenarios involving fuel prices, public transport changes, and car-sharing options. The findings informed budgeting workshops we now offer to incoming university students.
Students learn to find reliable sources, clean datasets, and spot inconsistencies that could skew results.
Running multiple what-if scenarios reveals which factors have the biggest impact on outcomes.
A great model means nothing if you can't explain it. Presentations focus on clarity over jargon.
These projects came from our 2024 autumn cohort. Each took roughly three months from initial concept to final presentation. Students worked in pairs or small groups, with weekly check-ins from mentors.
Three students examined rental affordability across inner Canberra over the past five years. They modeled how income growth, rental increases, and shared accommodation affected take-home pay and savings capacity.
Their model included variables for utilities, transport costs, and lifestyle spending. The team presented findings to a local housing advocacy group, which used the data in submissions to government committees.
A pair of students partnered with a local café to model cash flow across different seasons. They analyzed how tourism patterns, weather, and local events affected daily revenue and monthly expenses.
The model helped the business owner plan for slower periods without panic. It also identified opportunities for targeted promotions during shoulder seasons when foot traffic dipped.
Students come from different backgrounds and bring varied perspectives to their projects. Some have economics coursework behind them. Others approach modeling from mathematics or computing angles. A few come with no formal training but strong curiosity about how money works.
I joined because I wanted to understand my own finances better before university. The project work turned into something bigger—modeling budget scenarios for students facing similar decisions about accommodation and part-time work. Learning to build models that actually help people make choices felt more useful than memorizing formulas.
My background is in environmental science, so approaching finance from a sustainability angle made sense. Our project looked at household energy costs and payback periods for solar installations across different Canberra suburbs. The modeling revealed that financial viability depends on factors most online calculators ignore—like roof orientation and household consumption patterns during peak generation hours.