Vault releases its internship rankings

New York/PRNewswire—Vault, the leader in data-driven employer rankings and reviews, released its 2025 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 for Diversity, Best Internships by Role, and Best Internships by Industry. The rankings were derived from Vault's Summer 2024 Intern Survey, which polled almost 20,000 interns at nearly 300 companies.

"A record number of employers and students participated in this year's survey, providing us with valuable insights about the most recent class of interns across an incredibly diverse range of companies." Eric Stutzke, SVP & general manager of Vault, said. "Interns want to gain valuable experience, receive a full-time offer, and work for a company that promises career advancement opportunities. Our survey also lined up with overall labor market trends. For example, due to the shortage of accountants, accounting firms are 'rolling out the red carpet' for interns to try to convince them to accept full-time employment offers after graduation. On the other hand, interns in some other industries face considerable uncertainty about whether they will receive an offer, as employers have limited visibility into future staffing needs."

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

Accounting firms across the U.S. perform strong in Vault's Best Overall Internships Ranking: For the second year in a row, New York-based accounting firm PKF O'Connor Davies took the #1 spot on Vault's Best Overall Internships list. Interns at PKF O'Connor Davies were especially satisfied with their Quality of Life and Compensation. Other accounting firms in the Top 10 Best Overall Internships are Texas-based Weaver, Alabama-based BMSS, and Wisconsin-based Wipfli. The U.S. is facing a severe shortage of accountants and has a declining number of students majoring in accounting. As a result, accounting firms put considerable effort into recruiting interns and convincing them to return as full-time employees after college.

NASA and a trio of tech giants are brand names that impress interns: Vault asked survey participants what the most impressive name to have on a resume is, and NASA emerged as the most prestigious internship. Google, Apple, and Microsoft rounded out the top 4, showing that the allure of working for Big Tech remains strong.

Uncertainty about full-time job offers continues to grow among interns: Among those interns who were eligible for full-time employment offers, 42 percent said they received or expected to receive an offer, 52 percent were uncertain, and 6 percent had been denied an offer. During the same survey last year, 49 percent of offer-eligible interns said they received or expected to receive an offer, 45 percent were uncertain, and 6 percent had been denied an offer. Two years ago, 60 percent said they received or expected to receive an offer, 35 percent were uncertain, and 5 percent had been denied an offer.

Interns want to climb the career ladder in a nurturing environment: Vault asked interns what their most important considerations were when they were choosing an internship. The top three responses were: career advancement in the individual's chosen industry, company culture, and compensation.

10 to 12-week internships with significant time in the office are the norm: 94 percent of interns reported that their internships were either fully in-person or hybrid, and most interns spent between 10 and 12 weeks at their internship.

The Top 10 Most Prestigious Internships for 2025:

The Top 10 Best Overall Internships for 2025:

Best Internships by Industry:
Accounting: PKF O'Connor Davies Internship Program
 Construction & Trades: College Works Painting Internship
 Consulting: Spaulding Ridge Internship Program
 Consumer & Industrial Products: LyondellBasell Internship & Co-Op Program
 Energy & Renewables: NRG Energy Internship Program
 Financial Services: Lincoln Financial Internship Program
 Health Sciences: Abbott Internship Program
 Insurance: CareSource Internship Program
 Investment Banking: Guggenheim Securities Summer Associate Internship Program
 Media: Comcast Internships
 Retail: Lowe's Summer Internship Program
 Tech & Engineering: MongoDB Internship Program
 Travel & Transportation: Royal Caribbean Corporate Internship Program

SOURCE Vault