Vault Releases 2026 Internship Rankings: NASA, Google, Apple, Goldman Sachs Among ‘Most Prestigious’

Vault has released its 2026 Internship Rankings, based on a survey of more than 17,000 interns conducted in the summer of 2025. The rankings span prestige, overall quality, industry, role, inclusion, and key employment factors. 

The rankings reflect how interns perceive the cachet and reputation of programs across the marketplace, not just their own experiences.

The Most Prestigious Internships list of 50 companies was again topped by NASA, followed by Google, Apple, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. The rest of the top 10 was J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, the Central Intelligence Agency, Meta, and BlackRock. 

In the Best Overall Internships category, among 100 listed companies, the New York-based accounting, tax, and advisory firm PKF O’Connor Davies claimed the top spot for a third straight year, with HCVT second and Bates White LLP third. Rounding out the top 10 were BMSS, Equinix, Guggenheim Securities, Gusto, Sonoco, The Friedkin Group, and WilkinGuttenplan. These programs scored highly across categories such as career development, culture, compensation, and prospects for full-time employment.

TOP PROGRAMS BY INDUSTRY

Vault is a career intelligence platform best known for its employer rankings, company profiles, and industry guides. For more than two decades, Vault has surveyed students and professionals to evaluate internships, employers, and career paths, publishing annual rankings that are widely used by students, schools, and job seekers to identify top opportunities and workplace trends.

By industry, the highest-rated programs this year were PKF O’Connor Davies in accounting; DAVIS Construction in construction and trades; Bates White in consulting; Sonoco in consumer and industrial products; NRG Energy in energy and renewables; Lincoln Financial Group in financial services; Abbott Laboratories in health sciences; Arch Capital Group in insurance; Guggenheim Securities in investment banking; Fox Corporation in media; The Home Depot in retail; Equinix in tech and engineering; and Royal Caribbean Group in travel and transportation.

Vault also recognized internships for their role in promoting inclusion, highlighting programs that demonstrate strength in diversity, equity, and belonging. In addition, the rankings measured programs on key employment factors, including career development, mentorship, full-time job prospects, and quality of life. Accounting firms performed particularly well in these categories, notching especially high scores in career development, full-time employment prospects, and work-life balance. 

The No. 1 companies for each role:

• Overall Inclusion: PKF O’Connor Davies Internship Program was ranked #1 in the category of Best Internships for Inclusion.  
• Compensation & Benefits: PKF O’Connor Davies Internship Program also held the top spot in this Key Employment Factor.  
• Employment Prospects (Full-Time Offers): PKF O’Connor Davies Internship Program ranked #1 in this factor as well.  
• Overall Career Development: PKF O’Connor Davies Internship Program again topped this category.  
• Quality of Assignments: PKF O’Connor Davies Internship Program was ranked #1 in this factor.  
• Quality of Life: PKF O’Connor Davies Internship Program also ranked #1 here.  
• Culture of Acceptance: Equinix Internship Program took the top spot in this employment‐factor category.  
• Real-Life Experience: Sonoco Internship Program ranked #1 in this factor.  
• Training & Mentoring: Mr. Cooper Homegrown Internship Program was ranked #1 in this factor. 

INTERNSHIPS AS TALENT PIPELINES

Overall, more than 98% of interns surveyed said they would recommend their internship to a friend, a strong indication that these programs are delivering meaningful experiences. While interns continued to value learning and career development most highly, they also rated full-time employment prospects slightly lower than in the prior year, underscoring the challenges of converting internships into permanent positions.

“Our latest survey revealed that 98% of interns had a positive internship experience,” says Eric Stutzke, SVP & general manager of Vault, in a news release. “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.”

See the complete rankings here.

MOST PRESTIGIOUS INTERNSHIPS

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

BEST OVERALL INTERNSHIPS

1. PKF O’Connor Davies Internship Program  
2. HCVT Internship Program  
3. Bates White LLP Summer Consultant Program  
4. BMSS LLP Internship Program  
5. Equinix, Inc. Internship Program  
6. Guggenheim Securities Investment Banking Internship Program  
7. Gusto Internship Program  
8. Sonoco Products Company 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 Construction Summer Internship Program  
• Consulting: Bates White Summer Consultant Program  
• Consumer & Industrial Products: Sonoco Internship Program  
• Energy & Renewables: NRG Energy, Inc. Internship Program  
• Financial Services: Lincoln Financial Group Internship Program  
• Health Sciences: Abbott Laboratories Internship Program  
• Insurance: Arch Capital Group Ltd. Internship Program  
• Investment Banking: Guggenheim Securities Investment Banking Internship Program  
• Media: Fox Corporation Internship Program  
• Retail: The Home Depot, Inc. Internship Program  
• Tech & Engineering: Equinix Internship Program  
• Travel & Transportation: Royal Caribbean Group Summer Internship Program  

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