The best consulting internships fully prepare and equip undergraduate and MBA students with everything they need to know before entering the challenging and fulfilling world of management consulting.

 

In this article, we’ll share with you the top 10 consulting internships, what these consulting internships look like, and the consulting internship application process.

 

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Why Get a Consulting Internship?

 

A consulting internship provides numerous benefits including: hands-on training, building relationships and networks, potential for a full-time offer, and an opportunity to see if consulting is right for you.

 

Hands-on training

 

Consulting is a fast-paced and challenging career. Although classes in school can provide students with business knowledge, applying theoretical learnings to real-life situations can be challenging. 

 

Consulting internships allow you to learn and improve the actual skills needed for management consulting, such as researching, data analysis, critical thinking, making presentation slides, and presenting information.

 

Building relationships and networks

 

Social and career networking is an overlooked benefit of consulting internships. During your internship, you’ll likely spend significant time with other inters in your internship class. Expect to develop friendships.

 

Additionally, you’ll get exposure to consultants at the firm at a variety of different levels, from consultants to managers to partners.

 

This professional network that you develop can potentially help you more easily find jobs in the future or raise money if you are starting a company.

 

Potential for a full-time offer

 

Consulting internships are significant hiring and recruitment programs for consulting firms.

 

Consulting firms use internships as a way to fill part of their full-time class. Roughly one-third to one-half of all full-time consultants usually come from the internship program.

 

During the internship, consulting firms will assess the prospective employee’s work ethic, performance, and other professional attributes. Would the intern be a valuable asset to the firm?

 

If you do well during your consulting internship, you should expect a return offer to the firm after the internship ends.

 

Opportunity to see if consulting is right for you

 

Lastly, a consulting internship is an extraordinary opportunity to see if consulting is right for you. Consulting is a highly demanding profession, so it is important that you make sure that you will actually enjoy the career before devoting years to it.

 

During the consulting internship, you’ll get to experience exactly what a consultant does.

 

If you enjoyed the type of work that you did during your consulting internship, you’ll likely enjoy a career in consulting. However, if you didn’t enjoy the type of work during your consulting internship, this may be a sign for you to consider other career opportunities.

 

What are the Best Consulting Internships?

 

Choosing the right consulting internship is crucial. Ideally, you’d want an internship where you will learn a lot, work with extraordinary people, work on interesting and impactful problems, and help improve your resume and credentials.

 

Below, we’ve listed the ten best consulting internships. All of these internships are offered by brand name firms and offer exceptional learning and an extraordinary internship experience.

 

1. McKinsey Internship

 

James Q. McKinsey founded McKinsey & Company in 1926. It has become one of the most well-known and prestigious management consulting firms. McKinsey has over 130 offices across the world and generates over $16 billion in revenue.

 

Interning with McKinsey is a dream for many aspiring consultants.

 

A McKinsey internship typically lasts about 10 weeks. At the start of the internship, interns will be given a short week of training on an introduction to the firm, essential business knowledge, math skills, and how McKinsey consultants operate.

 

Afterwards, interns will be placed on an actual case team and immediately start making contributions to their team for the rest of the internship. McKinsey interns typically work in teams of 3-5 consultants to identify and implement solutions for a client’s specific business problem.

 

McKinsey interns can expect to do work similar to the work that first year McKinsey consultants do, although the scope of their work will be more narrowly defined and carefully chosen.

 

McKinsey interns should expect to:

 

• Structure ambiguous problems

 

• Synthesize complex information

 

• Work effectively in diverse teams

 

• Establish trust-based relationships with clients

 

• Communicate effectively with multiple different audiences

 

• Develop leadership skills

 

Beyond case work, McKinsey interns can expect fun social events, firm-sponsored travel, and plenty of networking opportunities to meet other people at the firm.

There is a McKinsey Sophomore Summer Business Analyst internship in addition to the traditional junior-year consulting internship. 

They also have a pre-MBA program called McKinsey Inspire, a program for women called McKinsey Ignite, and a program for advanced degree holders called McKinsey Insight.

 

2. BCG Internship

 

Boston Consulting Group was founded by Bruce Henderson in 1963. Along with McKinsey and Bain, BCG makes up the top three most prestigious consulting firms, known as MBB.

 

BCG has more than 90 offices around the world and generates more than $12B in revenue.

 

Interns at BCG can expect to work at BCG for 10-12 weeks. However, internship durations vary by role and location. They can last for a few weeks to a year.

 

 The first week of the BCG internship typically consists of training. Afterwards, interns are matched to a specific project based on their background, preferences, and the firm’s needs.

 

Similar to McKinsey, interns can expect fun social events, firm-sponsored travel, and plenty of networking opportunities to meet other people at the firm.

 

Besides consulting internships, BCG also offers internships in data science and analytics, strategic and experience design, and software engineering. In addition, they have a sophomore internship called the BCG Growing Future Leaders program and a program for advanced degree students called the Bridge to BCG.

 

3. Bain Internship

 

Bain is the third firm that makes up the prestigious MBB trio. Bain was founded in 1973 by former BCG partner, Bill Bain.

 

Bain is the smallest firm of the big three, with more than 65 offices around the world and generates over $6B in revenue.

 

The standard Bain internship program lasts 10 weeks and is quite similar to both McKinsey and BCG’s internship program. However, special internship programs can last as short as two days.

 

A few examples of the different internship programs include:

 

One week or less consulting internship programs:

 

• Connecting and Resourcing Empowered Women (Bain CREW Program): an in-person 1.5 day workshop for sophomore students that identify as women

 

• Bain Consulting Kickstart: for first-year undergraduate students that identify as Black, Hispanic, Latin American, or Indigenous

 

• Advantage: one week program for advanced degree students

 

• Building and Supporting Excellence (BASE): one-week pre-MBA program for Black, Hispanic, Latin American, and Indigenous students

 

• Building Entrepreneurial Leaders (Bain BEL Program): one-week program for Black, Hispanic, Latin American, and Indigenous students who are sophomores

 

10-week consulting internship programs:

 

• Associate Consultant Internship: for undergraduate students

 

• Summer Associate: for MBA and advanced degree candidates

 

It is worth noting that out of McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, Bain is known to have the most fun and collegial culture.

 

4. Deloitte Internship

 

Deloitte is a large professional services firm that makes up the Big Four and has many lines of business. In addition to management consulting, Deloitte also offers legal, tax, audit, risk, and financial services.

 

Deloitte has over 700 locations around the world and generates over $65B in revenue.

 

During the internship, Deloitte provides comprehensive training for interns to enhance their technical skills, industry knowledge, and professional competencies. They specifically have a center for training called Deloitte University in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

In addition to comprehensive training, Deloitte offers impactful projects, mentorship, and professional growth and development.

There is also a special internship for freshmen and sophomores called the Deloitte Discovery Internship. If you're a freshman, see our full list on freshman consulting internships.

 

5. Strategy& Internship

 

Strategy& was originally founded as Booz & Company in 1914 by Edwin G. Booz. In 2014, Booz & Company merged with PwC to form Strategy&, a global strategy consulting firm and a subsidiary of PwC.

 

This merger combined Booz & Company’s expertise in strategy consulting with PwC’s global reach, resources, and capabilities in assurance, tax, and advisory services. Strategy& has over 3,000 strategy consultants and more than 325,000 PwC professionals across over 740 offices.

 

Strategy&’s internship program runs from 8 to 12 weeks for their undergraduate and MBA internship programs. However, they also have additional programs for high-performing college sophomores and women interested in consulting.

 

Strategy& interns are brought onto real projects and get a firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a Strategy& consultant.

 

6. EY-Parthenon Internship

 

The Parthenon Group was founded in 1991 by Bill Achtmeyer, John Rutherford, and Al Lorsch. In 2014, EY announced its intention to acquire the Parthenon Group to strengthen its capabilities in strategy consulting.

 

The merger produced the existing name EY-Parthenon. They have over 9,000 professionals in teams across 120 countries. 

 

EY-Parthenon has two major internship programs: the Associate Program for undergraduates and the Consultant Program for MBAs or Life Sciences PhDs.

 

They also have an 8-week Emerging Leaders Program for undergraduate sophomores. While this program is open to all students, there is a strong preference for those who self-identify as Black, Hispanic, Latin American, Native American, or multi-racial.

In addition, there is an EY tech consulting internship for those interested in technology consulting.

 

The first week of an EY-Parthenon internship is dedicated to training on Excel, slide design, survey making, and conducting primary research. All interns are also assigned an official mentor to guide them throughout the internship.

 

7. LEK Internship

 

LEK was founded by James Lawrence, Iain Evans, and Richard Koch in 1983 and differentiates itself by emphasizing rigorous analysis, data-driven insights, and innovative solutions tailored to each client’s unique challenges.

 

The firm has over 20 offices and generates over $1B in revenue.

 

LEK is known for its collaborative culture, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to delivering tangible results for its clients. They value creativity, integrity, and client-focused excellence.

 

LEK’s internship program is available to both undergraduates and MBA students. LEK calls undergraduate interns Summer Associates and calls MBA interns Summer Consultants. 

 

The internship program lasts between 8 to 10 weeks in total. The first week of the internship program is dedicated to training. All interns will also be paired with a mentor throughout the internship.

 

LEK interns should expect to:

 

• Conduct primary and secondary research

 

• Lead interviews with key stakeholders

 

• Work on a dynamic team to drive insights and recommendations

 

8. Oliver Wyman Internship

 

Bill Wyman and Alex Oliver founded Oliver Wyman in 1984. Oliver Wyman has over 60 offices across the globe and generates over $2.5B in revenue.

 

Although Oliver Wyman specializes in helping financial services businesses, it also advises brands in education, defense, telecommunications, travel, automotive, energy, and healthcare.

 

Oliver Wyman’s internship program typically lasts about 12 weeks. However, the exact duration varies based on location and business needs. The first week of the internship is dedicated to training.

 

During the internship, Oliver Wyman interns will participate in a week of training, join a project team, be exposed to the firm's senior leadership, receive mentorship, and be exposed to different industries.

 

Interns at Oliver Wyman should expect to:

 

• Work in small teams to solve high level business problems

 

• Structure and carry out research and data analysis

 

• Lead complex quantitative analyses

 

• Receive significant exposure to senior leadership at the firm

 

• Receive mentorship throughout the entire program

 

• Receive exposure to a variety of industries

 

9. Accenture Internship

 

Accenture was founded in 1989 as Andersen Consulting, a separate entity from the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. In 2001, Andersen Consulting rebranded itself as Accenture.

 

Over the years, Accenture diversified its service offerings beyond traditional management consulting to include technology consulting, digital transformation, and outsourcing.

 

Accenture is one of the world’s most valuable brands and belongs to the elite Fortune Global 500. The firm makes over $64B annually.

 

Accenture requires a commitment of at least 12 weeks for their internship and can last anywhere between 3 to 6 months. The internship is open to all students approaching their final year in a Bachelor’s or Master’s program.

 

Accenture’s internship program features a speaker series called Executive Talks, in which different executives present on topics of business and professional development.

 

Interns have described the culture of Accenture as very open and collaborative.

 

10. Kearney Internship

 

A.T. Kearney was founded in 1926 by Thomas Kearney, McKinsey’s first partner, and focused on offering management consulting services to clients in manufacturing, retail, transportation, and utilities. In 2020, the firm rebranded to Kearney.

 

Kearney has offices in more than 40 countries around the world and focuses on strategy, innovation, sustainability, organization & transformation, mergers & acquisitions, sales & marketing, technology strategy, analytics, procurement, and operations.

 

The firm has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and apprenticeship model.

 

Kearney’s internship lasts between 6 to 10 weeks and offers students meaningful, real-world experiences. Interns are given the opportunity to become full members of a consulting team.

 

Together with experienced consultants, interns contribute ideas, develop models, perform analyses, and work on data-gathering assignments.

 

Kearney’s internship program begins with an orientation at your local office followed by training on the specific tools and methodologies used by consultants at the firm. 

 

Afterwards, interns are assigned a mentor who will engage with your project manager to provide continuous support and guidance.

 

What Does a Consulting Internship Look Like?

 

Most consulting internships last between 8 to 12 weeks. You should expect to work anywhere between 40 to 80 hours per week. However, most consulting firms try to give their interns a positive internship experience, so most internship working hours will be on the lower end of this range.

 

Consulting interns typically start working around 8AM or 9AM and will finish anywhere between 6PM and midnight.

 

Many consulting firms will dedicate the first week of the internship to some kind of training.

 

Expect to sit in several classroom-style lectures where different consultants at the firm will give you an introduction to the firm, teach essential business knowledge, review key math concepts, and teach you what to expect while working.

 

After the training period, interns will be placed on a consulting team that has likely already started working with their client.

 

Consulting internship programs are designed to give interns a taste of the real world of consulting. Consulting interns perform activities that full-time consultants do on a daily basis. 

 

You can expect to:

 

• Own and be responsible for a specific piece of work

• Interact with other consultants, partners, and clients

 

• Conduct primary and secondary research

 

• Build analytical and financial models

 

• Interview key stakeholders

 

• Create presentation slides

 

• Provide updates to your supervisor, manager, and partner

 

However, the quantity of work that you receive will likely be less than the amount you’d be expected to do as a full-time consultant. Most consulting firms carefully scope out intern work so that it is clear, straightforward, and manageable.

 

If the project requires travel, interns should expect to fully participate in team travel. Interns will fly with their team and stay at hotels near the client site.

 

In addition to daily case work, interns should also expect fun social events including team happy hours, intern happy hours, office-wide retreats, team lunches and dinners, and other fun team activities that promote bonding.

 

Consulting Internship Application Process

 

The application process for a consulting internship is nearly identical to the full-time consulting application process.

 

1. Check the eligibility requirements and deadlines

 

Most consulting firms only accept first-year MBA students and undergraduate juniors into the internship program. However, certain firms may offer special pre-MBA internships and undergraduate sophomore internships.

 

You should check each consulting firm’s internship requirements for the specifics.

 

Many consulting firms recruit undergraduate interns from August to October and MBA interns in January. However, the schedule varies across firms and geographic locations. Therefore, make sure to check each consulting firm’s website or your school to get the specific details.

 

2. Submit your resume and cover letter

 

All consulting firm internship applications will require you to submit a consulting resume. This is the most important component of your application that will determine whether or not you receive an interview.

 

Some consulting firms may also require a consulting cover letter. This is your opportunity to grab the recruiter’s attention and highlight the skills and experiences that make you unique. However, most consulting firms have made the cover letter optional.

 

In addition to these two documents, the application may also ask you for information regarding your language proficiency and geographic preferences.

 

3. Prepare for the first round of interviews

 

Consulting first round interviews generally consist of 1-2 interviews lasting 30-60 minutes each. You should expect your first round interviews to be mainly focused on case interviews.

 

A case interview is a special type of interview that consulting firms use where you will be placed in a hypothetical business scenario and be asked to develop a recommendation to a business problem. Case interviews involve both quantitative analysis as well as qualitative discussions.

 

In addition to case interviews, you should also expect a few consulting behavioral interview questions. You may be asked why you are interested in consulting or asked to give an example of a time when you used data to solve a problem.

 

First round interviews are typically held on campus, but may also be done through phone or video conference.

 

4. Prepare for the final round of interviews 

 

Consulting final round interviews generally consist of 2-4 interviews lasting 40-60 minutes each. Your interviewers for final round interviews will generally be more senior consultants, such as senior managers or partners.

 

You should expect a mix of case interviews and behavioral or fit interview questions.

 

However, final round interviews tend to assess your personality and cultural fit a bit more than first round interviews. You will most likely be asked why you are interested in the firm and what you can bring to the firm.

 

5. Accept your consulting internship offer

 

After your consulting final round interview, you should expect to hear back from the firm within a week about the status of your application.

 

If you receive a consulting internship offer, someone from the firm will likely give you a call and deliver the good news over the phone. You’ll usually only be given a few weeks to decide whether to accept or reject the internship offer.

 

Resources to Land a Consulting Internship

 

Here are the resources we recommend to land your dream consulting job:

 

For help landing consulting interviews

 

• Resume Review & Editing: Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

 

For help passing case interviews

 

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.

 

• Case Interview Coaching: Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.

 

• Hacking the Case Interview Book (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.

 

• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

 

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

 

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course: Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.