NEW YORK – October 21, 2026 -- New York-based accounting firm PKF O'Connor Davies has taken the No. 1 spot on Vault's Best Overall Internships list for the fourth consecutive year, according to the 2027 Internship Rankings released by the career research provider.
The rankings cover more than 30 categories, including Most Prestigious Internships, Best Overall Internships, and lists by key employment factor, role and industry. They draw on Vault's Summer 2026 Survey of more than 18,000 interns.
PKF O'Connor Davies leads four quality-of-life categories
PKF O'Connor Davies ranks first in Compensation, Employment Prospects, Training and Mentoring, and Networking Opportunities. Interns cited close work with accountants at all levels and participation in client meetings.
San Francisco cloud computing company Fastly places second overall and ranks first in Real-Life Experience. Its interns report working on high-impact engineering projects.
NASA, Google and Apple hold the top three prestige spots
Respondents rated internships other than their own for prestige. NASA, Google and Apple again placed first, second and third, respectively.
Career development outranks all other selection criteria
Interns' top priority in choosing a program is career development in their chosen industry. The prospect of a full-time position ranks second. Highly satisfied interns pointed to meaningful projects and one-on-one conversations with experienced employees.
More than 98% of interns would recommend their program to a friend. Among those who would not, common complaints were that no tasks or projects were assigned and that managers were rarely available. Several described their programs as "disorganized."
Eric Stutzke, SVP and General Manager of Vault, said top programs go beyond leader presentations and lectures by building networking and mentorship opportunities. He said managers and program organizers should define intern tasks before the start date, and managers should meet regularly with interns.
Vault names 13 industry winners from accounting to transportation
The industry category leaders are:
- Accounting: PKF O'Connor Davies
- Construction & Trades: DAVIS
- Consulting: Bates White
- Consumer & Industrial Products: Constellation Brands
- Energy & Renewables: The Williams Companies
- Financial Services: Popular
- Health Sciences: AdventHealth
- Insurance: HUB International
- Investment Banking: Guggenheim Securities
- Media: Cox
- Retail: The Home Depot
- Tech & Engineering: Fastly
- Travel & Transportation: ADUSA