10 Finance Internships for Freshmen in College (2023-2024)

Investment banking and other finance jobs are getting increasingly competitive; as a result, the recruiting season is starting earlier and earlier each year. In order to gain a spot at a top-tier bank or fund, most students apply for internships starting their sophomore year in college for matriculation the following summer. To get even more experience on a resume, ambitious students are now looking for internships starting their freshman year in college.

If you’re interested in a career in investment banking or a similar industry, check out our Career Hub for lots of free resources and guides. Here are a few articles to get you started:

• A Guide to the Investment Banking Interview: Tips from an Expert
• The 20 Most Common Investment Banking Technical Interview Questions + Example Answers
• How to Answer the "Why Investment Banking?" Interview Question
• How to Nail the Second Most Common Investment Banking Interview Question
• The Best Investment Banking Newsletters and Podcasts to Subscribe To

Free Resume Guide

Advice for Freshmen in Finance

Because of the quantitative and technical demands of finance internships, most companies will not pay much attention to freshmen applicants. However, this time can be spent cultivating the required skills and experience to be a competitive applicant in the next few years. Here are six tips for freshmen who are hoping to eventually score an internship and career at a top-tier bank:

1. Fill in the gaps

Though you may not be actively recruiting for an IB internship, fill your resume with other experiences and accomplishments. For example, join finance clubs and position yourself for a leadership position. Take relevant courses and do well in them. Volunteer and pursue extracurricular activities that you enjoy. Get relevant work experience that will give you useful training and experiences to speak about in your personal story and in your “Why banking?” interview question.

2. Hustle during your sophomore year

Your sophomore year is when banks will actively be recruiting for junior internships. Make sure you are set up for success so when the time comes, you are polished and ready to nail your interviews. You should build your connections, gain valuable work + leadership experiences, practice your story, and know your technicals.

Getting a return offer after your junior internship will actively propel you as you begin your career in finance.

3. Build your quantitative skillset

Finance internships are heavily quantitative and students hoping to pursue a career in the industry will need to demonstrate mathematical abilities. By taking the right courses and practicing technical skills, you’ll be able to build a solid foundation. You don’t need to be a math major, but you do need to be good with numbers.

4. Know Excel

For anyone hoping to get into investment banking, Microsoft Excel is extremely important. Junior analysts and associates use Excel almost every day for return analyses, data mining, and more. Learning Excel while you’re a freshman means fewer late nights teaching yourself later on.

5. Read the news

To gain basic literacy in finance lingo, we recommend reading the news to understand how the markets are talked about. Newspapers like the Wall Street Journal are technical enough that you’ll be able to learn something, while basic enough to understand the gist. Many universities offer free subscriptions to these newspapers through the library, so be sure to check yours before paying for one.

6. Go local

If you’re set on completing some type of finance internship during your freshman year, ask around local banks, funds, or corporate offices to see if there are any positions available that haven’t been widely advertised. Usually, these places are less hesitant to hire freshmen and the jobs can be a good introduction to the world of finance. Also, having an experience already on your resume will make you that much more of a competitive applicant in the following years.

Best Summer Finance Internships for Freshmen (2023-2024)

With that being said, here are the top internships in finance for freshmen in college, so that you can give yourself a head start for a great career.

1. Boeing

Role: Boeing University Summer 2024 Internship Program

What You'll Do:

• Gain valuable business/finance skills and knowledge within the aerospace industry
• Drive solutions to real-world problems
• Experience our products up close by touring our state-of-the-art manufacturing and research facilities
• Interact directly with our company leaders to discuss strategy and the future of Boeing
• Build a lasting professional network through social events and engaging activities

Basic Qualifications (Required Skill/Experience):

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's degree or higher in a Finance related field (Business, Finance, Accounting, Data Analytics, Economics, Financial Planning, Statistics)
• Graduation date on or after August 2024
• Ability to work full-time, in person for 10 weeks during the summer. Interns will start work on May 31st, June 7th and June 14th

Preferred Qualifications (Desired Skills/Experience):

• Academic excellence (GPA of 3.0 or higher)
• Active leadership and community involvement
• Competencies in the following areas: Adaptability, Analytical Skills, Business Acumen, Communication, Decision Making, Initiative, Leadership, and Teamwork

See the job post here.

2. Deloitte

Role: Discovery Intern

About the Program:

The Discovery internship is designed to expose freshman and sophomore level summer interns to different client service businesses at Deloitte. These opportunities are designed to help grow your skills, empower your curiosity, and celebrate your versatility. We empower our interns’ desire to expand, explore, and engage by providing cross-business exposure, regular training, and continued learning.

Eligibility:

• College freshman or sophomore with definitive plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in a business, accounting, economics, STEM, or related field
• Strong academic credentials (preferred minimum GPA of a 3.2 at the end of the academic year)
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills; adaptive to change; creativity & self-confidence, leadership qualities, team-oriented, and collaborative

See the job post here.

3. Abbott Labs

Role: 2024 Finance Intern

What You'll Do:

The purpose of the internship is to provide meaningful professional hands-on experience to students with proven academic performance and leadership potential. Ideal candidates will utilize and further develop technical and soft skills (i.e. communication), business knowledge, analytical techniques and creative problem solving abilities.

The assignments are carried out in a variety of work environments such as: corporate and operating unit headquarters, manufacturing plants and support function locations, where the interns will interact with various finance co-workers and business partners.

Eligibility:

• Completed at least one year of college education before beginning internship
• Must be enrolled in school the semester following your internship
• BS/BA student
• Before graduation, planning to complete minimum of 4 Accounting classes (one 3-4 credit hour accounting course needs to be cost accounting)
• School and/or work experience using Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Must have permanent authorization to work in the U.S

See the job post here.

4. ServiceNow

Role: Finance Internships - Summer 2024

What You'll Do:

• Interact with key leaders across R&D, finance, sales, and marketing in supporting the success of the Business Units.
• Assist in quarterly management reporting and analysis.
• Roll-up your sleeves on some data crunching activities, cross-functional initiatives and assist in other ad-hoc analysis and presentation requests.
• Assist in analysis and presentation of strategic materials for key management meetings.

Eligibility:

• Currently enrolled at an accredited university pursuing a Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a similar field
  • Graduating December 2024, or later
  • Able to commit to a 12-week internship in summer 2024 (May-August, or June-September).
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• High proficiency in MS Office Suite of Products (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
• High levels of crefinanativity and quick problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to and willingness to work cross functionally with other internal teams.
• Self-starter with initiative, attention to detail, strong organizational skills
• Ability to effectively present to peers and management are strongly preferred.
• Experience working in fast paced work environments, managing multiple projects simultaneously.

See the job post here.

5. KPMG

Role: Advisory Intern, Finance Transformation | Summer 2024

What You'll Do:

• Assist clients with finance strategy, operational performance, and process improvement initiatives
• Conduct analysis of finance process areas and develop solutions for process, technology, data, and organizational designs
• Conduct research and gather data across finance and accounting functional areas
• Contribute to written deliverables and presentation materials
• Incorporate both client and engagement team perspectives

Eligibility:

• Enrolled in an accredited college or university pursuing a degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or Economics (Bachelors or Masters)
• Current/most recent GPA of 3.00 or above
• Strong technical aptitude and proficiency in MS Office applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Word, Outlook)
• Excellent communication, time management, and leadership skills
• Flexible and adaptable team player
• Must reside within a commutable distance of the office and have reliable transportation
• Work location may vary between office, client sites, or remote, based on business need
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship

See the job post here.

6. Delta Airlines

Role: Intern, Financial Reporting (Summer 2024)

What You'll Do:

Delta Air Lines is seeking accounting interns to work in our Financial Reporting department located in our Atlanta world headquarters during the summer semester. As an accounting intern, you will gain corporate experience and develop new skills through on-the-job training and exposure to the preparation of financial statements, technical accounting research, and initiatives related to process improvements and automation.

Eligibility:

• Undergraduate students in pursuit of a bachelor's degree in Accounting / CPA track or similar in a 4-year degree program
• Students must be in good academic standing.
• Must be able to work onsite in our Atlanta, GA office for the duration of the internship
• Candidate must be able to present themselves professionally and effectively communicate with various levels of leadership
• Candidate is team-oriented and highly supportive of continuous improvement methodologies
• Strong organizational, project management and verbal/written communication skills are essential
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and data analysis

See the job posting here

7. Northwestern Mutual

Role: Finance Internship, Fall 2023

What You'll Do:

• Investment Strategy: Assist in cross asset research. Update and develop models for forecasting expected returns across asset classes. Special research projects as needed on new investment opportunities. 
• Investment Client Services: Create and distribute operational reports, assist with employee onboarding logistics and field communications. Contribute to additional projects. 
• Treasury Risk Investment Operations Analytics & Data: Ensure accurate and efficient execution of portfolio related transactions across multiple asset types. Analyze and interpret output from investment risk models for integration into the investment risk management decision process. Participate in calculating Value at Risk for all portfolios and the total investment portfolio of Northwestern Mutual. Produce and validate fixed income portfolio and benchmark analytics. 
• Investment Product Services: Support the Private Client Services (PCS) Portfolio Managers by running a Security Analysis on existing portfolios. Research a stock using Bloomberg for the equity team and present findings. Complete day to day reports for the PCS team. 
• Distribution Performance Field Rewards & Finance: Work closely with financial consultants, assisting with Excel model maintenance and recurring tasks/reporting that support the team. Support ad hoc projects requiring financial data interpretation. 

Eligibility:

• Pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Investments, or related field from an accredited college or university
• Cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher
• Previous work or classroom experience in one or more of the following: Finance, Accounting, Investments, Data Science, or IT Management

See the job post here.

8. State Farm

Role: 2024 Summer Internship - Finance & Business Analytics Intern in Financial Operations

What You'll Do:

• Use processes and applications to perform data extraction, manipulation, and report generation
• Compile, prepare, and interpret forecasts and reports
• Proactively anticipate, recognize, and solve problems associated with the enterprise or individual departments
• Research and analyze complex business issues and communicate findings to a broad audience through reports and presentations
• Interpret and verify compliance with external reporting requirements
• Adapt to various work environments and apply financial principles to reporting processes

Eligibility:

• Minimum GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 (overall and in major)
• Must be enrolled in school through the completion of the internship
• Pursuing degree in Finance, Business Analytics, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, or a related field(s)
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Written and verbal communication
• Teamwork
• Critical thinking and analytical problem solving
• Initiative and curious mindset

See the job post here.

9. DIRECTV

Role: 2024 Finance Internship

What You'll Do:

• Business analyst and contributor for upcoming financial system implementation
• User acceptance testing, training documentation, audit requirements
• Assessing design and operating effectiveness of internal controls
• Facilitate user access reviews, operational audits
• Revenue accounting automation by documenting, running, and improving process controls and data analytics for monthly reporting
• Ad Hoc analytics and projects
• Systems implementation preparation
• Source to pay system implementation
• Business case creation/development; KPI Development

Eligibility:

• Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in an accredited college/university
• Knowledge of Microsoft Excel

See the job post here.

10. Hilton

Role: Summer 2024 Corporate Internship-Finance

What You'll Do:

• As an intern you will gain exposure to senior leadership, work on meaningful projects, participate in learning and development opportunities and join in networking and social events with other Team Members and fellow interns.
• Create a final presentation together with your manager and team.
• Take ownership of multiple projects.
• Meet with your manager weekly in a one-on-one setting; an opportunity to bring new ideas to your team.

Eligibility:

• Can commit to a full 10-week program (40 hours per week) onsite in one of our Corporate offices (McLean, VA; Dallas, TX; Memphis, TN)
• Fluently speak, read, and write English.

See the job post here.

How Freshmen Studying Finance Can Benefit from Internships

Internships are a valuable tool for college students across all disciplines. Even as a freshman, it's not too early to start thinking about how to find opportunities to learn and start adding to your resume. One of the main benefits of internships is that they provide hands-on experience that can help you stand out when applying for jobs after graduation. They are a great way to learn the ropes of a given industry and develop the skills that employers are looking for. Additionally, internships give you the chance to network and make connections within a field, which can be extremely valuable when you are eventually looking for full-time roles.

Another benefit of internships is that they can give you a better sense of what you want to do in the future. Many students enter college with a general idea of what they want to study, but internships can provide a more concrete understanding of the day-to-day work of a particular profession. This can help you to make a more informed decision about your career goals and ultimately lead you to a more fulfilling professional path.

Freshmen in college studying finance should start looking for internships early, as many opportunities are highly competitive. Reach out to the college career center, professors, or alumni for guidance, and take advantage of any career fairs or networking events that are available on campus. With the right approach and a little bit of effort, an internship can help you to unlock the door to success in the finance industry.

Final Note

Here are several other articles you may find interesting:

• How to Ace Your Alpine Investors PE Interview
• How to Ace Your TA Associates PE Interview
• The Best Venture Capital & Private Equity Newsletters and Podcasts to Subscribe To
• The Top 10 Venture Capital Fellowships
• An Expert's Guide to Resumes: Five Tips to Make You Stand Out
• What to Do if You Didn't Have an Internship This Summer

Are you preparing for interviews, polishing your resume, or simply interested in the investment banking industry? The best way to prepare yourself for a successful career is to talk to an expert. Here are several of our top investment banking coaches.