How much can you earn during a consulting internship at McKinsey, Deloitte, Bain and other big companies?

TL;DR

• Consulting is a top career choice for business school graduates, with the 'Big Three' companies—McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG)—among the most desirable to enter
• Many ambitious master's or MBA students gain consulting experience through an internship, which helps them to learn industry-specific skills and to network with potential employers
• The top consulting internships by salary include Bain's $40,000 for a 10-week training program in the US for MBA students, while business master's students can earn $22,500 at the same company 

According to GMAC, consulting is the top career choice for business school graduates—making it one of the most competitive job-spheres out there. So how do you get ahead of the curve?

Often one of the best ways to get a leg up in the industry is by completing a consulting internship. Typically running on a yearly basis, these programs are designed to help top consulting firms identify new talent while also teaching aspiring consultants valuable industry-specific skills which aren’t easily learned in a classroom. 

Even better, most top consulting companies—such as the Big Three firms of McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG)—offer consulting internships, with programs typically running for 10 weeks in the US (between early June to the first or second week of August) and for eight to 12 weeks in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

But what exactly are the different consulting internships out there for MBAs and Masters grads? And—importantly—how much do they pay?

Here’s a list of the top consulting internships and their salaries in 2025. 

Not sure where to begin your consulting journey? Check out this list of strategy-focused business programs to help you get started with GMAC Advancery.

Consulting internships: Master's graduate salaries

The Big Three consulting firms

The Big Three firms—McKinsey, Bain, and BCG—are renowned for their high starting salaries, and their internship programs are no exception. 

Handing out the biggest paycheck for students of business master's degrees is the Bain internship, where master's interns can expect a whopping salary of $22,500 for their 10-week stint, plus a $1,000 relocation bonus.

Not far behind is the BCG internship, which offers an impressive $21,154 to masters students (not to mention a $10,000 signing bonus for participants in the company's Growing Future Leaders program), and McKinsey, which pays its interns $21,250 and its sophomores $8,500. 

The Big Four professional services firms

As the highest paying consulting internship out of the Big Four (Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY), the KPMG internship offers master's students a significant $17,000 to learn the ropes. 

Not far behind, PwC pays its interns up to $48 per hour ($34 per hour for sophomores), while also offering a signing bonus of $3,000. Meanwhile, Strategy& offers masters interns $49 per hour, on top of overtime.

The EY internship offers master's students a payout of $39 per hour, while its more specialized arm, EY-Parthenon, pays an impressive $45 per hour. 

Meanwhile, master's interns on the Deloitte Consulting internship earn a notably high $32 dollars per hour, as well as a $5,000 signing bonus for sophomore students.

Boutique firms 

The likes of EY and Bain aren’t the only firms offering lucrative consulting internships for masters students. There are several boutiques offering competitive consulting internship salaries. 

At Capital One Strategy Group, interns can earn an eye-watering $20,384—higher than many of the consulting internships at the Big Three or Big Four firms—plus a $3,000 signing bonus.

Equally lucrative, Oliver Wyman is writing checks of $18,900 for a nine-week internship (as well as a $2,500 signing bonus). 

Consulting internships: MBA graduate salaries 

The Big Three consulting firms

While master's students can earn hefty sums when taking part in consulting internships, MBA students can often expect an even larger payout. This is particularly true when partaking in a consulting internship with either BCG, McKinsey, or Bain. 

Offering the highest salary, the Bain internship promises its MBA interns a whopping $40,000 (or $41,250 if you’re in Canada) to spend 10 weeks training with the firm. 

McKinsey also offers an enticingly high $36,923 to its consulting interns, while MBA students in the UK can expect £16,400 ($20,300), plus a £5,000 relocation bonus. 

Following close behind, MBA students accepted onto the BCG consulting internship earn an impressive salary of $36,538. 

The Big Four professional services firms

MBA students fortunate enough to get accepted onto the Deloitte Consulting internship program can expect salaries of $33,700, alongside a signing bonus of $2,500.

Similarly, interns at PwC can earn $33,650, while on the eight-week long EY-Parthenon internship MBA students earn $28,000, on top of a significant signing bonus of $5,000. 

Equally impressive, interns at KPMG consulting internship can expect to get paid $66 per hour, plus $99 per hour for any overtime. 

Boutique firms

Like master's students, MBAs can also find high-paying consulting internships among the boutique consulting firms.

At NERA Economic Consulting, interns can earn an incredible $43,250 for their ten-week contract, which doesn’t even include their $1,250 signing bonus. 

Equally exciting, the consulting firm Kearney offers $36,153 to its interns. 

Meanwhile, for nine weeks interning with Oliver Wyman, MBA students can expect pay of $32,850, plus a $3,000 signing bonus. 

So, there you have it, these just some of the exciting salaries you can expect from a top consulting internship in 2025. 

MBA and master's consulting internship salaries