Goldman Sachs Sees 15% Surge in Summer Internship Applications

Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s leading investment banks, has seen a significant surge in applications for its summer internship program. For the 2025 internship class, the bank received more than 360,000 applications, marking a 15% increase from the previous year and a 300% increase since David Solomon became CEO in 2018. This intense competition means that fewer than 1% of applicants were accepted, making it more challenging to secure a Goldman summer internship than to gain admission to Harvard, which accepted 2.58% of applicants for the Class of 2025.

The Goldman Sachs internship program is renowned for providing students with the opportunity to work on important and complex problems, collaborate with global colleagues, and develop skills for a successful career. Many interns go on to secure full-time positions at the bank, with roughly one-third of Goldman’s most recent partner class having started as summer interns. Notable executives who began their careers as Goldman interns include Marc Nachmann, global head of asset & wealth management; Kim Posnett, global co-head of investment banking; Kunal Shah, co-head of Goldman Sachs International and co-head of fixed income, currency and commodities; and Carey Halio, global treasurer and a member of GS’s management committee.

The internship program is not only a pathway to a career at Goldman but also to impactful roles outside the bank. Prominent examples include Amanda Baldwin, CEO of hair care brand Olaplex, and Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun, both of whom started as Goldman interns. Jon Winkelried, the CEO of private equity firm TPG, also began his career as a Goldman summer intern.

Goldman Sachs takes campus recruiting seriously, with its management committee, led by CEO David Solomon, visiting colleges around the country to inform candidates about the opportunities. The investment bank hired from more than 475 schools for its 2024 internship class. This year’s crop of interns began working at Goldman earlier this month as part of the 2025 summer class, and the bank is currently recruiting for the Class of 2026. Candidates typically apply in their sophomore year for internships that take place in the summer between their junior and senior years.

Goldman interns receive the same salary as junior analysts, though that amount is prorated for the summer and there are no bonuses. The competition for a Goldman internship is open to candidates around the world, and while a major in finance or economics may seem advantageous, Goldman looks for qualities like great communicators or students with a diversity of experiences. The investment bank seeks interns that are “open to evolving and making an impact” and who are also not afraid to fail. “They should be able to take risks,” said Jacqueline Arthur, global head of human capital management and corporate & workplace solutions at Goldman.

Allison Berger, a Goldman vice president for global banking and markets, shared her experience as a summer intern in 2017. She worked on many important and complex problems that summer, which helped her secure a full-time analyst position with Goldman’s investment banking division. Berger highlighted the amazing opportunities and supportive mentors she encountered at Goldman, which gave her the flexibility to thrive in different parts of the bank. She recommended that candidates take the time to learn and understand investment banking and Goldman, and whether that “fits in with your personal career skills.”