50+ Financial Services Firms with Early Career Programs and Internships

This directory covers internship and early career programs at over 50 firms, including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity, Vanguard, Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo, and more. Programs range from 8-week summer internships to multi-year rotational tracks. Each company page has the details on duration, whether you get paid, locations, and what they're looking for.

Internships are short (usually 8 to 12 weeks over the summer) and put you in one specific area of the firm. Rotational programs are longer, typically 1 to 3 years, and cycle you through multiple departments so you build broad experience before picking a specialty. A lot of firms use summer internships as a pipeline into their full-time rotational offers.

Most of them, yes. The majority of internships and early career programs listed here offer competitive compensation. A few advisor-track programs are commission-based or offer stipends instead of a salary. Each company page notes the compensation structure.

It varies by firm and role. Most internships require current enrollment in a bachelor's program. Some want finance or business majors, others are open to any discipline. A 3.0 GPA or higher is common. Strong communication skills and genuine interest in financial services come up across the board. Check the specific company page for exact requirements.

It depends on the firm. Some programs require or prefer candidates who've already passed the SIE, while others handle licensing after you're hired. Either way, passing the SIE before you apply can strengthen your resume and help you stand out. Check each company page for specific requirements.

Yes. The SIE is one of the few FINRA exams you can take without being sponsored by a broker-dealer. A lot of students take it junior or senior year to have it done before they start applying to programs.

It's a structured training track that firms use to prepare new hires for careers as financial advisors. They typically last 1 to 3 years and include mentorship, licensing support, client development training, and hands-on experience managing client relationships. Ameriprise, Edward Jones, and Wells Fargo all run well-known versions of these.

More than most people realize. Beyond financial advising, there are roles in wealth management, investment banking, asset management, risk analysis, actuarial science, compliance, operations, financial planning, insurance, and fintech. Many entry-level programs rotate you through several areas so you can figure out what fits. The programs in this directory span advisory, analyst, operations, and client-facing tracks.

Think about program structure (rotational vs. single-track), where you want to live, firm size and culture, pay, and what the long-term career path looks like. Big firms like J.P. Morgan or Goldman Sachs offer broad exposure and brand recognition. Regional firms like Baird or Edward Jones might give you more hands-on responsibility early on. The Glassdoor and Blind review links on each company page are worth checking too.

Each company page here links directly to the program details on that firm's career site. Most applications go through their online portal. Timing matters: a lot of summer internship applications open in the fall (September through November) for the following summer. Rotational and full-time programs may hire on a rolling basis.