Associate Consultant Internship
The ACI: a summer as an associate consultant on a client case team.
- For
- Bachelor's and master's students, one summer left
- Length
- 10 weeks, full time (Americas)
- US pay
- $9,000 a month base
- Offices
- 56 listed
Bain internship: programs, pay and deadlines
Bain's main internships are the Associate Consultant Internship (ACI) for bachelor's and master's students with one full summer left, and the Summer Associate program for MBA students. Both put you on a real case team, and in the Americas both run 10 weeks full time. In the US the ACI pays a $9,000 monthly base salary, and Summer Associates are paid prorated from the $200,000 annual base salary of the comparable full-time role. Deadlines vary by office. To rehearse the case interviews out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, runs Bain-style cases and fit questions with follow-ups and scored feedback.
Updated
- ACI for students. Bachelor's and master's students with one full summer left before graduation.
- Summer Associate for MBAs. The summer of your penultimate year, early June to early August in most offices.
- Bain publishes the pay. A $9,000 monthly base salary for US ACIs, and pay prorated from a $200,000 annual base for US Summer Associates.
- Sophomores start earlier. BEL, CREW and First Forward take applications until November 30, 2026.
- Then case interviews. Some applicants take a digital assessment first, then case interviews with questions about you.
Bain's internship programs
From Bain's program pages, read on October 25, 2026. Bain says the details, deadlines and length can vary by office, so check the page for yours.
Summer Associate
The MBA internship, in the summer before your final year.
- For
- MBA students
- Length
- 10 weeks, early June to early August
- US pay
- Prorated from a $200,000 annual base
- After
- Offer to return, no more interviews
BEL, CREW and First Forward
1.5-day, in-person programs for second-year students in North America.
- BEL
- February 4 to 5
- CREW
- February 18 to 19
- First Forward
- January 28 to 29, US only
- Apply by
- November 30, 2026
ACI in London
London's version of the ACI, for penultimate-year students.
- For
- Penultimate year of study
- 2027 applications
- Expected to open November 2026
What interns doBain's words
From the ACI posting and a Bain careers blog Q&A with a Washington, DC intern.
Week 1
Up to a week of training
Led by consultants and true to the actual work, Bain says.
Bain: Associate Consultant InternshipThe case
Your own piece of a real project
You are staffed on a client case team, own a distinct piece of the work, study the client, market and problem, and share your findings with the team's leadership.
One intern's summer
Three workstreams
A 2025 DC intern worked on three workstreams of an aerospace and defense case. A typical day had a team sync, a check-in with leadership, a client call and time to work.
Bain blog: inside the internshipHow you work
In person, with travel
Bain expects ACIs in the office and at clients most days, with regular travel and an unpredictable schedule at times. The role uses generative AI tools and Bain's own platforms.
From Bain: Associate Consultant Internship, Bain: Summer Associate, Bain: internships and programs and Bain: exploratory programs.
Who can apply
Bain lists these as typical requirements. Each office can add its own.
One summer left
The ACI is typically for current bachelor's and master's students with one full summer before graduation. Where an office applies it, you must be on track to graduate by June 2028.
Any degree, no consulting experience
Bain welcomes all disciplines and says you need no prior consulting experience to be accepted into the ACI.
Strong academics and analytics
A strong academic record, analytical skills, high motivation and strong interpersonal skills.
For MBAs, a summer break
The Summer Associate program is for full-time MBA students with a summer break before graduation. You need fluent English plus any language and visa requirements of the office.
From Bain: Associate Consultant Internship and Bain: Summer Associate.
Bain internship deadlines
From Bain's pages, rechecked on October 26, 2026. Bain sets intern deadlines by office and, for MBAs, by school, so check your office page before you plan around a date.
ACI
- US
- Typically opens in the spring
- Deadline
- Set by each office
- Submit
- Resume, education, work, test scores
Next for US undergrads: Bain's campus pages say ACI applications typically open in the spring. Bain says the exact deadlines and the internship length vary by office, so check your office's page or your school's page on Bain's site.
Summer Associate
- Deadline
- Your school page
- Extra step
- Digital assessment
Deadlines vary by office and school. The application adds a digital assessment to the resume, education, work experience and test scores.
Sophomore programs
- Deadline
- November 30, 2026
- Then
- HireVue video prompts
One application covers BEL, CREW and First Forward, and each person selected joins one program. It closes November 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. After the deadline, every applicant answers video questions on HireVue.
London ACI
- Opens
- November 2026 (expected)
- For
- Penultimate-year students
Bain London expects 2027 ACI applications to open in November 2026, for students in the penultimate year of study.
The intern interview process
Bain does not publish the number of rounds for interns. These steps are from its program and hiring pages.
Show the steps
Step 1
Application
Your resume, education, work experience and any test scores, plus what your office asks for.
Step 2
Digital assessment
Part of the Summer Associate application and given to some ACI applicants, depending on the office. Bain uses Sova or TestGorilla.
Step 3
Case interviews
A structured conversation about a real business problem, with no single right answer, plus questions about you.
After the summer
A full-time offer
Based on performance, ACIs may be invited to interviews or offered an associate consultant role. Successful Summer Associates get an offer to return to their office without more interviews.
10 questions to practice for a Bain internship
Bain's rounds are case interviews with questions about you. These are in our words, in Bain's style, with what a strong answer does.
Case questions5 questions
Bain's own examples are a market sizing case and a falling revenue case.
How many cups a day does a new coffee shop need to sell to break even?
What a strong answer does
Size the costs, find the margin per cup, then say whether that volume is within reach. Practice it, see a model answer
A gym chain wants to double its revenue in five years. How would you approach it?
What a strong answer does
Turn the goal into levers you can size, then check they add up to the target. Practice it, see a model answer
A regional grocery chain's profits are down 20% in two years. How would you find out why?
What a strong answer does
Revenue and costs split for this chain, then where you would start and why. Practice it, see a model answer
A European e-bike maker is thinking about entering the US. How would you structure the decision?
What a strong answer does
Market, ability to win, then how to enter, ending on a hypothesis. Practice it, see a model answer
The CEO asks for your recommendation. What do you say?
What a strong answer does
Answer first, then two or three reasons, a risk and a next step. Practice it, see a model answer
Questions about you5 questions
Bain's intern says getting to know people matters as much as the cases.
Walk me through your background.
What a strong answer does
Two minutes, in order, with the choices you made and why, ending on why Bain. Practice it, see a model answer
Why consulting?
What a strong answer does
Two reasons backed by things you have done, and what you want to learn in the summer. Practice it, see a model answer
Why Bain?
What a strong answer does
Something you learned from Bain people, at an event or a coffee chat, tied to the work you want. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you led a group to a result.
What a strong answer does
Your own moves, how people came along and the result in numbers if you have them. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you received tough feedback.
What a strong answer does
The feedback as you heard it, your first reaction and the change you made. Practice it, see a model answer
Mistakes and how to prepare
Where internship candidates slip
Planning around someone else's date
Bain sets ACI deadlines by office. A date from a friend at another school or office may not be yours.
Missing the sophomore programs
BEL, CREW and First Forward close on November 30, 2026, months before most internship applications.
Only prepping cases
Bain's own intern advises getting to know people at the firm and being yourself in the interviews, as well as casing.
Practicing math with a calculator
Calculators are allowed in Bain's online assessment but not in the case interviews, so drill the math by hand.
A prep plan for the internship interviews
Our suggestion for the weeks between applying and your first round.
Week 1
Work Bain's two examples
Coffee Shop Co. and FashionCo., out loud, before you read Bain's answers.
Week 2
Your story and why Bain
A two-minute walk through your background and real reasons for Bain, from people you met.
Weeks 2 to 4
Cases out loud, every few days
Full cases with someone asking one question at a time, a partner or an AI interviewer. Drill the math by hand in between.
Get ready for the Bain case rounds, out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer runs Bain-style cases one question at a time, checks your math and asks fit questions with follow-ups, then scores the session. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
When is the Bain internship deadline?
Bain sets ACI and Summer Associate deadlines by office, and for MBAs by school. The sophomore programs close on November 30, 2026, and Bain London expects its 2027 ACI applications to open in November 2026.
How much do Bain interns make?
Bain's ACI posting gives a $9,000 monthly base salary in the US. US Summer Associates are paid prorated from the comparable full-time role's $200,000 annual base salary. By our arithmetic, 10 weeks comes to about $20,800 for an ACI and about $38,500 for a Summer Associate, before tax. Bain does not publish an intern bonus.
How long is a Bain internship?
In the Americas the ACI and Summer Associate run 10 weeks, full time. The Summer Associate runs early June to early August in most offices. Other offices can differ.
Does Bain hire sophomores?
Bain's North America exploratory programs, BEL, CREW and First Forward, are 1.5-day, in-person programs for second-year students. The ACI is for students with one full summer left before graduation.
Do Bain interns get a full-time offer?
Strong ACIs may be offered an associate consultant role at graduation. Successful Summer Associates get an offer to return to their office as consultants, with no more assessments or interviews.
Can I apply again if I'm not selected?
Yes. Bain calls the ACI highly selective and encourages people who are not selected to stay in touch and apply for other roles.