The best time to apply for an investment banking job

Investment banks operate in a heavily regulated industry, but are not without their quirks. However, if you’re a student trying to get a job working in one, they all have one crucial thing in common: you gotta apply very soon after you start university.

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This is because, if you want to work in a bank when you graduate, you will almost certainly need to do an internship while you're studying. Getting that internship is not at all easy. 

In the UK, the average student who wants to work in a bank makes over 100 internship applications. That's a lot and is a figure that has steadily risen in the last few years.

The internship application process can be long and complicated, featuring HireVue interviews and psychometric tests, in-person interviews and assessment centres/superdays.

“It starts with an online application,” says Herman Ko, a former JPMorgan banker, and then “first-round screening: an aptitude test, a HireVue-style video interview, and a personality or game-based assessment.” [Ko is now Chief Program Director at Lantern AI, a Conversational AI Recruiter serving multinational corporations across 10 APAC markets and the US.]

If your HireVue was successful, you'll get an interview, Ko says. This is “typically technical-heavy, since interviewers at this stage are mostly junior-to-mid-level bankers testing your fundamentals.”

After that, you'll move onto a superday, Ko says. “The focus shifts from technical skills to intangibles. At that point almost everyone is technically near-perfect, so the real question becomes whether you're future leadership material for the bank.”

And, after all that, you'll get an offer. First of all, though, you need to know when to apply.

When to apply for an investment banking job in Asia

When to apply for a sophomore internship in Asia: These don’t really exist in Asia.

When to apply for a summer internship in Asia: Koh says that internships generally open around June, in the summer after your sophomore year. Depending on what exactly you’re applying for, the application process finishes in either September-November or December-January for the front- and middle-office respectively.

When to apply for an off-cycle internship in Asia: Any time you like, as long as you have three or six months to complete the internship. Off cycle internships are the sort of thing you do after graduating or during your gap year.

When to apply for a graduate scheme in Asia: Graduate schemes open the summer before they start. At Goldman Sachs, for example, new analyst programs for 2027 are scheduled to launch in July 2026 and start in July 2027.

When to apply for an investment banking job in Europe

When to apply for a spring internship in Europe: Spring internships are a big deal in Europe. Apply as soon as you arrive at university. So September or October in your first year.

When to apply for a summer internship in Europe: Summer internships open for applicants around 12 months before the start – that means July or August, in between your first and second years at university.

When to apply for an off-cycle internship in Europe: Any time you like, as long as you have three or six months to do the internship. As that implies, it’s the sort of thing you do after graduating or during your gap year.

When to apply for a graduate scheme in Europe: Graduate schemes in Europe generally open around nine months before they start in July. Be ready to apply in October of your final year. 

When to apply for an investment banking job in America

When to apply for a sophomore internship in America: These don’t really exist in the states, except for some diversity-related hiring. They usually open at the start of the school year, so September-ish.

When to apply for a summer internship in America: American summer internships open really early. If you want an internship in 2028, for example, you have to start applying in Q1 of 2027. Sometimes internships open even earlier. In December 2025, for example, we saw RBC hiring interns for summer 2027 - months earlier than most rivals.

When to apply for an off-cycle internship in America: Again, any time you like, as long as you have three or six months to do the internship....

When to apply for a graduate scheme in America: American graduate schemes, often called “new analyst” programs, typically open up to applicants in July, one year before they start.

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