VAULT RELEASES ITS 2026 INTERNSHIP RANKINGS

Survey of over 17,000 interns reveals high satisfaction and importance of learning and development opportunities in attracting top entry-level talent

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vault, the leader in data-driven employer rankings and reviews, today released its 2026 Internship Rankings, highlighting the top programs in more than 30 categories. Vault's rankings include the Most Prestigious Internships, Best Overall Internships, Best Internships by Key Employment Factor, Best Internships by Role, and Best Internships by Industry. The rankings were derived from Vault's Summer 2025 Survey, which polled more than 17,000 interns.

According to Eric Stutzke, SVP & General Manager of Vault, "Our latest survey revealed that 98% of interns had a positive internship experience. Interns shared that a key component in their satisfaction was the presence of learning and career development opportunities—including presentations from senior leaders, interactive workshops, mentoring programs, and hands-on projects, especially ones that allow for learning through trial and error."

Key findings from Vault's survey, which was fielded this past Summer, include:

Accounting firms take winner and runner-up titles in Vault's Best Overall Internships Ranking: For the third year in a row, New York-based accounting firm PKF O'Connor Davies takes the No. 1 spot on Vault's Best Overall Internships list. Other accounting firms in the Top 5 Best Overall Internships are California-based HCVT (No. 2) and Alabama-based BMSS (No. 4). Accounting firms continue to face a talent shortage, with fewer individuals sitting for the CPA exam, so recruiting interns and convincing them to return as full-time employees is a priority. Accounting firms notch particularly high scores in the areas of Career Development, Full-Time Employment Prospects, and Quality of Life.

NASA's internship continues to be viewed as the most prestigious: Survey participants were asked to rate internships other than their own in terms of prestige, and NASA emerged on top. Tech-industry giants Google and Apple are second and third, respectively, in the prestige ranking.

Interns report generally positive experiences: Among interns from all companies participating in the survey, 98% said they would recommend their internship to a friend. Interns' top priority in choosing an internship is career development and advancement. The typical internship is 10 to 12 weeks long, and 97% of internships require interns to work entirely or partially in-person (versus remotely).

Interns are increasingly concerned about their full-time employment prospects: Interns gave lower scores in Full-Time Employment Prospects than for other Key Employment Factors. On average, scores also fell slightly for Full-Time Employment Prospects compared to the previous year.

The Top 10 Most Prestigious Internships for 2026:

1. NASA
2. Google
3. Apple, Inc.
4. Goldman Sachs and Co.
5. Microsoft Corporation
6. J.P. Morgan
7. Morgan Stanley
8. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
9. Meta
10. BlackRock

The Top 10 Best Overall Internships for 2026:

1. PKF O'Connor Davies Internship Program
2. HCVT Internship Program
3. Bates White Summer Consultant Program
4. BMSS Internship Program
5. Equinix Internship Program
6. Guggenheim Securities Investment Banking Internship Program
7. Gusto Internship Program
8. Sonoco Internship Program
9. The Friedkin Group Internship Program
10. WilkinGuttenplan Internship Program

Best Internships by Industry:
Accounting: PKF O'Connor Davies Internship Program
Construction & Trades: DAVIS Summer Internship Program
Consulting: Bates White Summer Consultant Program
Consumer & Industrial Products: Sonoco Internship Program
Energy & Renewables: NRG Energy Internship Program
Financial Services: Lincoln Financial Internship Program
Health Sciences: Abbott Internship Program
Insurance: Arch Capital Group Internship Program
Investment Banking: Guggenheim Securities Investment Banking Internship Program
Media: Fox Corporation Internship Program
Retail: The Home Depot Internship Program
Tech & Engineering: Equinix Internship Program
Travel & Transportation: Royal Caribbean Group's Summer Internship Program

View all the Vault Internship Rankings.

About Vault

Vault is the leader in career research, exploration, and discovery for professionals and students. Through our data-driven Vault rankings, verified employee and intern reviews, and an extensive network spanning hundreds of campuses and universities, we have been the trusted provider of career intelligence solutions for emerging talent for over two decades. Our exclusive company rankings, in-depth employer profiles, and valuable employee/intern reviews encompass a wide range of industries, including Law, Banking, Accounting, Consulting, and the top Internship programs.

CONTACT:
Kaitlin McManus
Senior Editor, Internships
[email protected]

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SOURCE Vault