The short version
Goldman is a bulge bracket bank, and for most undergraduates the way in is a spring programme in first year, then a summer analyst internship in penultimate year that turns into a graduate offer. Applications in Europe are reviewed as they come in, so the people who apply in the first couple of weeks are competing for more places than the people who apply at the deadline. I'd ignore the deadline completely and work to the opening date.
On the CV, Goldman wants what every bank wants: a clear interest in finance and evidence you can do analyst work. It also has a reputation for liking candidates with real lives outside finance. So your interests line matters more here than at most banks.
Programmes for undergraduates
| Programme | Who it's for | Length | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Programme | First-years (final year of school in some regions) | About a week | Usually open in autumn |
| Summer Analyst | Penultimate-year undergraduates | About 10 weeks | Opened mid-August 2026 for summer 2027, reviewed on a rolling basis |
| Off-cycle internship | Students on a placement year or gap | 3 to 6 months | Varies by division |
| New Analyst | Final-years and recent graduates | Full-time | Mostly filled from the summer intake |
Goldman is one of the firms that gives spring interns real work, not just talks. If you get one, treat it as the first round of your summer application, because in practice it is.
How the application works
- Online application and CV. You pick a division and region, upload a CV and answer a few short questions. This is where most people are cut.
- HireVue video interview. A recorded interview, mostly behavioural, sent after the CV screen. You usually get a few days to do it.
- Superday. Several back-to-back interviews with the team you applied to. Expect to be asked about your CV line by line.
If there's a cover letter, Goldman has historically had a strict limit of around 300 words, and it likes them a bit more eclectic than other banks do. Don't spend 150 of those words on what Goldman does.
What Goldman looks for on a CV
Proof you actually like finance. You don't need an economics degree. You do need something on the page that shows you chose this: a role on an investment society committee, a stock pitch competition, a portfolio you've run, a spring week somewhere else.
Analyst-shaped work, with numbers. Any internship counts if the bullets show the kind of thing an analyst does: building a model, researching a market, putting a buyer or investor list together. Give the size of the deal or the fund.
A person, not just a finance CV. A specific, true interest ("county-level fencer", "grade 8 cello") gives an interviewer something to talk about. "Reading and travelling" doesn't. Don't write golf unless you actually play golf. They will ask.
Mistakes I see on Goldman applications
- Two pages. Banks screen on one.
- Four bullets on a spring week. It was a week. One line is plenty unless you won something.
- Forage or other open-access virtual internships listed as work experience.
- "Proficient in Excel" with nothing on the page to back it up.
Before: Assisted with research for M&A transactions
After: Built trading comparables for 14 UK software companies on a £120m sell-side mandate; the analysis went into the client pitch
Would your CV get past Goldman's screen? Check it against a bulge bracket bar.