Goldman Sachs Intern Program Draws Record Selectivity, With Under 1% Acceptance Rate for Third Straight Year

Goldman Sachs’ summer internship pipeline is becoming even more selective. Reporting from Entrepreneur, citing data shared with Fortune, says the firm accepted fewer than 1% of applicants for its 2026 summer internship program, making this the third consecutive year its intern acceptance rate has remained below 1%.

Entrepreneur reports that Goldman Sachs recently hired a class of about 2,500 interns. The same reporting ties the selectivity level to the scale of demand, saying the investment bank received “hundreds of thousands” of applications globally, and that the acceptance rate is among the lowest in the program’s history. It also notes that a decade ago the acceptance rate was closer to 5%, underscoring how competition for elite finance roles has tightened.

Executives characterized the selection rate as a reflection of both the opportunity’s strength and the quality of the talent reaching Goldman. Jacqueline Arthur, Goldman’s head of human capital management, is quoted saying the selection rate speaks to the calibre of candidates the firm is attracting globally. She also described internships as a long-term investment in leadership, adding that 40% of Goldman’s partners originally joined through campus recruiting.

The internship class is described as broad-based in background and experience. Entrepreneur says this year’s cohort comes from more than 500 universities and represents 90 nationalities. The firm also highlighted that interns speak more than 70 languages, a detail included to reflect global reach and the firm’s emphasis on building teams with varied perspectives.

Entrepreneur further reports that the incoming interns include more than 30 high-level athletes, including a three-time Olympian. The article frames this as part of the broader talent profile Goldman is drawing, suggesting the firm’s recruiting criteria extend beyond traditional finance credentials and into leadership and achievement across multiple fields.

The program structure described in the report follows a standard summer format for elite investment banking internships. Entrepreneur says internships typically start in early June and conclude in mid-August. Even within that limited window, the firm appears to be filtering aggressively, with the article attributing the low acceptance rate to the large volume of applications and the firm’s desire to maintain a high bar.

Industry context helps explain why acceptance rates have tightened. Finance roles at top banks have faced sustained demand from students seeking strong brand platforms and early career access to deals, markets, and investing. As that competition has intensified, selectivity has often become a differentiator in itself, allowing firms to invest in fewer candidates while still maintaining a deep talent pool for later full-time hiring and leadership development.

Goldman Sachs did not provide additional details in the Entrepreneur post about how many total applications were submitted, what scoring criteria were used, or how acceptance rates may vary across business lines and geographies. The report also does not specify how the internship class of 2,500 was allocated across divisions or offices, leaving those internal recruiting mechanics unclear.