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2020 Accounting Internship Programs, Ranked

Posted on by Jason Bramwell

Did anyone else notice that Vault released its 2020 accounting firm rankings and accounting internship program rankings on the two biggest tax days of the year? The Vault Accounting 50 almost always comes out on April 15, and its latest ranking of the best accounting internships came out on Oct. 15. Coincidence? Probably … or maybe not. I have no idea.

Anyway, accounting internships. There are 20 that Vault considers the best of the best, based on a survey of firms that sponsor internships and ratings from current and former interns about their experiences. The nice thing about this list is only two Big 4 firms are ranked, and only one made the top 10. But don’t worry, all four made Vault’s list of the 50 most prestigious internships.

Public accounting firms also were ranked in several other categories, such as the best internships for quality of life, compensation and benefits, employment prospects, and diversity.

Let’s jump right in:

Best Accounting Internships (2019 ranking in parenthesis):

1. PKF O’Connor Davies (8)
2. Elliott Davis (1)
3. Moss Adams (9)
4. Plante Moran (5)
5. H&CO (NR)
6. Frank, Rimerman + Co. (2)
7. Frazier & Deeter (NR)
8. Armanino (7)
9. WilkinGuttenplan (3)
10. KPMG (13)
11. BDO USA (4)
12. Blue & Co. (NR)
13. Eide Bailly (11)
14. PwC (12)
15. Baker Tilly (15)
16. CohnReznick (19)
17. Sikich (10)
18. Wipfli (16)
19. CBIZ MHM (17)
20. Withum (NR)

100 Best Internships:

10. PKF O’Connor Davies (24)
12. Elliott Davis (3)
17. Moss Adams (31)
19. Plante Moran (11)
22. H&CO (NR)
24. Frank, Rimerman + Co. (4)
26. Frazier & Deeter (NR)
29. Armanino (21)
32. WilkinGuttenplan (5)
33. KPMG (47)
35. BDO USA (9)
37. Blue & Co. (NR)
47. Eide Bailly (39)
49. PwC (46)
56. Baker Tilly (NR)
68. CohnReznick (NR)
71. Sikich (34)
78. Wipfli (NR)
81. CBIZ MHM (NR)
83. Withum (NR)
90. Marks Paneth (NR)
96. PwC Strategy& (NR)

Most Prestigious Internships:

17. Deloitte (14)
30. Ernst & Young (26)
40. PwC (30)
47. KPMG (45)

Best Consulting Internships:

6. PwC (6)
11. PwC Strategy& (NR)
13. CBIZ (12)

Best Financial Services Internships: 

3. Frazier & Deeter (NR)

Best Internships for Career Development:

18. H&CO (NR)
20. Elliott Davis (11)
25. Plante Moran (13)
27. Blue & Co. (NR)

Best Internships for Quality of Life:

5. WilkinGuttenplan (5)
6. Elliott Davis (4)
17. Frank, Rimerman + Co. (6)
23. H&CO (NR)
27. PKF O’Connor Davies (NR)
28. Plante Moran (NR)
30. Moss Adams (NR)

Best Internships for Compensation & Benefits:

3. Elliott Davis (1)
10. Withum (NR)
13. Blue & Co. (NR)
14. H&CO (NR)
18. Plante Moran (18)
19. Frazier & Deeter (NR)
24. Moss Adams (NR)
27. BDO USA (24)

Best Internships for Employment Prospects:

3. PKF O’Connor Davies (22)
9. KPMG (NR)
10. Frazier & Deeter (NR)
11. Eide Bailly (NR)
15. PwC (NR)
18. Moss Adams (NR)
24. Frank, Rimerman + Co. (6)
30. Armanino (23)

Best Internships for Diversity:

2. H&CO (NR)
17. Marks Paneth (NR)
21. Withum (NR)
24. CohnReznick (NR)
27. KPMG (NR)

And if you do get an internship at Armanino or Withum, there’s always a chance you’ll make a cameo in a cringe-worthy firm video.

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Possible Future KPMGer Is Drawn to the Culture But Turned Off By KPMG’s Reputation

Oh dear, have we taken the Big 3 joke a little too far?

I just received my internship offers (audit), one from each of the Big 4. The office culture I like the most and felt I had the most connection with is KPMG. However, I know KPMG’s reputation as the “worst of the big 4”. I don’t want to stay in public accounting forever and want the firm name on my resume to say something when I am looking for jobs in the future. Since I have other options, am I dumb to turn them down? Deloitte has offered the most money, but I don’t want to chase money, I want to go somewhere I’ll actually like. I just don’t want people to look down on my choice, or have to deal with crappy audit software and be miserable.
Help!

Well congratulations on a grip of offers; for someone in a predicament, it’s a pretty nice predicament to be in. That being said, I think your best bet is going to be to ignore the complaints (there are plenty, and not just about KPMG) and listen to your gut.

Who told you KPMG is the worst of the Big 4? I really hope you’re not going solely on what has been said here on Going Concern, because it’s fair to say we get trolled pretty heavily by competing firms (and by firms I mean PwC) trying to start a who has the biggest dick contest on the Internet. For as much as we joke about how KPMG isn’t really a Big 4 firm, for all intents and purposes they are. Hey, our own downward-dog-facing, veggie-eating public accounting refugee Caleb came from there, so they can’t be that bad. OK, maybe he’s a bad example of what good comes out of the firm. Forget I mentioned it.

Yes eAudit sucks according to those doomed to use it but are you really getting into this line of work for the cool, totally functional software?

Who are you worried about looking down on you? It’s KPMG, not GT (I kid, GTers). For real though, it’s KPMG, not Johnson and Johnson, CPAs in some guy’s basement. You’ll still be getting the Big 4 experience and exposure to large clients that you’re after. KPMG’s reputation is mostly an inside joke, it’s highly unlikely that someone in private industry looking at your resume is going to exclaim loudly that you’re some kind of loser for spending your internship with them. Seriously.

What I would suggest to you is to keep in touch with your points of contact at the other firms just in case and take the KPMG gig. If your heart is telling you KPMG is the one and you don’t have any real evidence proving otherwise, it’s worth a shot. If it doesn’t work out, having those contacts at the other firms will come in handy – and even if you stick around at KPMG for awhile, you can expect the poachers to reach out later anyway. Point being, let everyone down softly but keep those doors open in case you need to GTFO through them later.

You are not dumb for turning down other options if you feel your choice is the best. You are, however, dumb for not taking an opportunity that excites you just because some people have said some not so nice things about it.

2019 Accounting Internship Programs, Ranked

Ah, internships: where bright-eyed, eager, budding capital market servants get their first taste of the […]

Big 4 Recruiting Season: When Are a Good GPA and Internship Experience Not Enough?

Ed. note: Have a question for the career advice brain trust? Email us at [email protected].

Is it just me or has it been a strange, weird week? I mean, look at yesterday’s Accounting News Roundup for what’s been happening:

• Everyone’s favorite shove-chips-down-your-throat airline lost its chief financial guru.
• The curtain continues to be pulled back on the next great technology company bubble.
• Rick Perry
• Capitalism is on life support

And oh yeah, Ohio was momentarily resembled a safari. Christ. Get a re-fillturn up your iPod. Let’s push through this week. On to the questions:

My question is about recruiting. On Campus Recruiting has ended last week and unfortunately I wasn’t invited to any of the Big 4 interviews. I really thought that my high GPA and my experience at a F500 company and a large governmental organization would land me the internship.

After being rejected, I started talking to some friends to see who had Big 4 interviews coming up, and I found out that only campus leaders had interviews. By campus leaders I mean BAP, ALPHA, NABA, and etc board members. I’m currently a senior and I will be applying for full-time positions next year. Since I’m not in any leadership position, and probably won’t be by next year, am I screwed? Also, is it true that 90% of Big 4’s entry level full time positions are filled by interns?

Thanks.

Maybe you’re a sloppy dresser. Maybe you have sweaty palms. Maybe you think brushing your teeth is more of a take-it-or-leave-it option than a societal norm. Possibilities…but unlikely. This sounds more like a case of “Good College in a Small Market Where the Firms Just Don’t Need to Hire Many People.” Unfortunate, but it happens.

Here’s the sitch: the firms love to hire out of universities with a broad range of students. The USCs and U. of Texases (at Austin, yes, yes) and Penn States of the world; even smaller schools like Lehigh and NYU. Why? Because they have national appeal – good programs, brand names, and students from every state. A Longhorn from Austin could be interested in working in Boston or Chicago or New York. Lehigh grads regularly pursue options in Philadelphia, DC, Pittsburgh, and the NYC/Chicago/the west coast hotspots. Alums of these schools can share their stories of the recruiting factory lines – Beta Alpha Psi board execs, members, and club rejects alike find jobs with the Big 4. The Budgeting Gods love these schools and make a concerted effort to build robust programs around these schools and those like them.

Your current situation falls into a different category. You’re either:

a) at a good school in a smaller market and the local firms have limited hiring needs
b) at a small school that the firm is obligated to recruit from because the Office Managing Partner graduated from there in 1963.

Whatever the reason, it’s unfortunate because there are probably a number of qualified applicants like you who are out of luck. The firms have fairly tight budgets on a per-school basis; even if they had a lack of candidates at another school, it would be a one-off case.

All that said, you’re not necessarily “screwed.” The officers will most likely accept fulltime offers they receive at the end of their internships. There is a possibility that the firms will have additional needs for fulltime hires; I recommend keeping your options open (audit, tax, etc.). As far as your projection that 90% of fulltime positions are filled by interns, I don’t know if it’s that high (it was in ‘08/’09), but above 75% on a national average. The goal is “as many as $%*@ing possible.” Good luck.