Employers hiring for investment banking internships recruit based on the timelines that work for their company. Internships after the junior year of college often lead to full-time offers after graduation. Recruiting for junior-year internships usually begins during your sophomore year, and bulge bracket banks are expected to open applications as early as January 2028. Some boutique investment banks may begin to accept applications as early as September/October 2026 for summer 2028.
Please take advantage of this upcoming event:
Training the Street (October 18, 2026)
This virtual training is recommended for any student considering finance career paths. Due to the generosity of a donor, this program is offered free of charge to students.
- A recording will be sent to those who register and will be active for 60 days after the session
Build your list of target firms:
- Many students interested in a career in finance are interested in the bulge bracket banks. These are large financial institutions that offer investment banking and other financial services, such as sales & trading and investment management. The list of these banks may vary depending on the resource but often includes Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and UBS.
- Gorick’s List provides a directory of Investment Banks with internship programs, including the bulge bracket banks and smaller boutique banks. For information on the application process, follow the provided links to each firm’s website. Sign up to receive job alerts from the firms on your target list.
- Sign up on The Coffee Chat by Adventis to receive recruiting updates, including when firms open applications for summer 2028. Updates are sent out on Mondays.
- Use the Firsthand Guide to Investment Banking Employers to research and learn more about the numerous firms providing investment banking internships. Sign in with your NetID credentials and create an account.
- eFinancialCareers includes the 2026-2027 Banking Careers Guide. Sign up to receive the guide in your inbox.
- Create a spreadsheet to stay organized, and track application deadlines and your progress.
Before You Apply:
- Attend events organized by employers to build connections and gain valuable insights into the application and interview processes. View upcoming employer events.
- Connect with alumni and professionals at your target firms – Networking is an important step in the recruiting process for investment banking opportunities. It is helpful to contact former interns and Yale alums working at these employers to arrange a phone call or coffee meeting (also known as informational interviews) and learn more about the opportunities and express your interest.
- Use the Yale Alumni LinkedIn page to search Yale Alums who have a LinkedIn Account. Search ‘Yale University’ in the LinkedIn search bar to find Yale’s LinkedIn page. On the left, you will see an option for Alumni.
- Find current Yale students who interned with these employers by searching the OCS Peer Networking Lists.
- Log into CareerShift, a powerful tool that OCS provides to find alumni emails by going to the Contacts section and then searching by school.
- Log into Cross Campus, a database of Yale alumni interested in networking with students.
- Check out our resources on how to connect with alumni which include sample emails to request an informational interview/networking call, how to set them up and sample questions to ask.
Anticipate how quickly the process can move and start preparing for interviews:
- Applications are typically on a rolling basis. This means that applications can be reviewed at any time during the process – not only after the application deadline. You may be asked to interview shortly after your application has been received.
- Before starting the application process, consider how prepared you feel for interviews and your ability to commit to a position, taking into account other internships you may be exploring. Check out our interviewing resources and be prepared for a combination of live and pre-recorded interviews from companies like Hirevue.
- There are also many helpful articles on eFinancialCareers about technical interviews, such as The 70 words you need to know for banking interviews and HireVue questions asked by banks.
Keep a positive mindset:
- Stay focused on your applications and progress. Students may move through the application and interview process at different times.
Connect with the Office of Career Strategy for advice and encouragement along the way!
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The Office of Career Strategy posts job listings for the convenience of students. The University does not endorse or recommend employers and a posting does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. The University explicitly makes no representations or guarantees about job listings or the accuracy of the information provided by the employer. The University is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions, or any other aspect of off-campus employment without limitation. It is the responsibility of students to perform due diligence in researching employers when applying for or accepting private, off-campus employment and to thoroughly research the facts and reputation of each organization to which they are applying. Students should be prudent and use common sense and caution when applying for or accepting any position. All concerns and issues related to job and/or internship opportunities, including those posted within the Yale Career Link, should be addressed promptly via email to the Office of Career Strategy.
