How Much is a Financial Modeling Course?

Because there are many different types of financial modeling classes available, the upfront price of attendance can vary substantially from course to course. Nonetheless, price isn’t the only factor that contributes to the overall cost of training. When weighed alongside your time and potential benefits that come from training, the cost may look different. For example, vocational training can increase your earning potential, sometimes outweighing the initial price. However, if you can’t spare the cash for a comprehensive training program at all, you can’t access that benefit. 

On the whole, financial modeling classes are priced in proportion to their length along with the breadth and depth of their content. Pricier options, such as finance degree programs, offer the most immersive and comprehensive training and take longer to complete. Extra costs may be added to account for program benefits such as portfolio workshopping, career support, and real-time instruction. Meanwhile, the cheapest courses tend to be short and cursory, leading to a need for more training. 

College Finance Degrees (The Most Expensive Choice)

A financial degree program will give you the most comprehensive training on the block—for the highest price and the greatest time commitment. Before embarking on a finance degree, be aware that you’ll need to sacrifice tens of thousands of dollars and several years of study. Though financial aid is available, it can be challenging to qualify for, often requiring you to maintain a full-time course load every semester. 

There are two main levels of finance degrees, and each can qualify you for higher-level job roles. On average, a Bachelor of Finance (BBA) degree costs between $9,600 and $37,000 over four years of study. After obtaining an undergraduate degree, you’ll be eligible to pursue a Master of Finance (MBA) degree. However, this will require an additional two to three years of study. If you attend a private institution, your MBA may only cost around $9,800, but if at a public university such as Harvard, it could cost as much as $75,000. 

Immersive Professional Training Programs (The Most Efficient Route to Career Success)

Perhaps you want to start a finance career without blowing your bank account on a college degree program. Certificate-granting courses and bootcamps like the ones at Noble Desktop can provide you with skills training and professional experience in a matter of weeks. In contrast to college attendance, these courses typically cost between $5,000 and $10,000 and can help you start your finance career much more quickly. 

To accomplish this, financial modeling certificates focus on quickly building practical skills that you can implement into your career right away. The assignments you complete during your training can be added to a professional portfolio to demonstrate your abilities and win over hiring managers. Taking a certificate course is a bit like a compressed BBA degree in that it can only offer enough experience for entry-level job roles. However, being able to start your finance career quickly is a major advantage in today’s competitive job market, and can even allow you to build your experience base while you work to fund a more advanced training degree. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics even shows that graduates who go on to earn an additional certification receive a salary boost, making it that much easier to afford whatever dream is on the horizon. 

Short Live Classes (Great for Beginners and Undecided Learners)

With 49% of adults experiencing career uncertainty (according to the American Psychological Association), it’s normal to feel a bit unsteady around goals. Fortunately, beginner financial modeling classes make it possible to experiment with new skills without investing thousands of dollars into something that you might not like. These courses also offer a care-free environment that’s ideal for amateurs to learn financial modeling unhindered by the rigors of a vocational training program. The majority of short financial modeling courses require just a few hours’ commitment and cost several hundred dollars. 

Short On-Demand Classes (Supplementary Training for Cheaper Prices)

If you’re looking for a way to add supplementary training to an existing regimen, on-demand courses are a budget-friendly option. When you purchase a financial modeling course from an on-demand provider like Coursera, Udemy, or Skillshare, what you’re getting is a package of pre-prepared self-study materials that may include reading lessons, video lectures, and other resources. 

Most often, these packages focus on topics that are small in scope, making them more appropriate for beginner learning and supplementary study than thorough career preparation. You may find on-demand financial modeling classes helpful if:

• You’re a casual learner who doesn’t need comprehensive training.
• Your current class doesn’t offer enough information on a niche topic and you want to supplement it with additional material. 
• You’re working on a financial modeling project and come across a new problem that you need to solve. 

Keep in mind that since every on-demand platform relies on a unique pricing strategy, on-demand financial modeling classes can vary substantially in price. 

Free Resources: Are They Worth It?

Working with a limited budget often means more creative problem-solving, and fortunately, there are a lot of free financial modeling resources to help with that. However, while you can learn some basic skills this way, you won’t build a financial modeling career for free in today’s job market. For this reason, free education resources are best treated as a starting point and can even provide the preparation needed to keep up at the beginning of a paid financial modeling class (get your money’s worth, right?). Similarly, free resources are great for answering questions and working through problems when you don’t have an instructor handy to help you out. 

To ensure you’re getting information from the best free resources, experts recommend opting for resources published by well-known finance companies and dependable educators. You’ll find a wealth of great examples in Noble Desktop’s free Stock Market Fundamentals class and Financial Modeling Blog. 

Learn Financial Modeling Skills with Noble Desktop

Regardless of your budget, Noble Desktop can help make your financial modeling goals a reality with its diverse catalog of finance classes and flexible financing options. Join the Financial Analyst Training Program for expert-guided training that will have you professional-grade creating financial models before you know it. Working side-by-side with a finance guru, you’ll develop skills in financial reporting, accounting, Excel, market forecasting, and valuation, as you practice applying them to real-world situations. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model and three-statement financial model you create in this course will also feature impressively in your portfolio, making it easier to land jobs. 

Noble Desktop also offers a variety of amateur-inclusive financial modeling courses, including an Excel Bootcamp that will give you the skills to perform for your home and business. With one of the world’s most user-friendly software tools, you’ll learn how to analyze numerical data and generate data visualizations. In addition, you’ll also cover Excel’s other essential features, giving you a more versatile set of tools.

If you love Excel and want to level up, the Financial Modeling Bootcamp can broaden your skills even further. With a combination of advanced Excel skills and techniques borrowed from corporate finance, you’ll create DCF and three-statement financial models. All the while, you’ll build financial literacy as you familiarize yourself with applications for concepts like leveraged buyouts, enterprise value, market capitalization, and accrual versus cash accounting.