Ernst & Young LLP is introducing the EY Career Residency, a paid early career program that runs eight to 12 months instead of the standard eight-week summer internship. Residents keep studying while they work, splitting time between remote and in-person, and apply coursework to real client engagements rather than to a self-contained intern project.
As described in EY's August 17, 2026 announcement. Details beyond these have not been published yet.
| Length | Eight to 12 months, paid |
|---|---|
| Format | A mix of remote and in-person, while you stay enrolled in school |
| Applications open | Fall 2026, for the inaugural class |
| Program starts | January 2028 |
| After the residency | Potential to join EY US full time as an analyst, an elevated role meant to reflect the experience gained |
| Skills emphasized | Critical thinking, professional judgment, curiosity, AI and technology fluency, collaboration, communication |
Why this matters if you are recruiting now
The residency changes what an EY offer is worth and when you have to act on it. Two things follow from the dates.
- The application window is this fall, not next spring. EY has said it will begin accepting applications ahead of the January 2028 launch, so the first class is decided more than a year before it starts.
- The commitment is a school-year one. Eight to 12 months alongside classes is a different decision from clearing a summer, and it will compete with a full course load rather than sitting next to it.
The payoff EY is offering for that commitment is the title. Finishing the residency can lead to a full-time analyst role instead of the usual entry-level start, which is the part worth weighing against a conventional summer internship somewhere else.
The rest of the pipeline
Two other pieces sit around the residency. Skills Arcade is an optional gamified learning experience for early career professionals; participants get a personalized Skills Card summarizing their strengths and working style, plus access to EY-led sessions. After the residency, some people move into 360 Careers, a structured rotation across audit, tax, technology risk and other specialties that also tracks toward the CPA. That program came out of a previously announced $1 billion investment in talent and technology.
EY frames all of this as preparing people to work in an AI-driven environment: Americas CEO and US Managing Partner Dante D'Egidio described it as giving the next generation hands-on client experience and coaching, and Chief Talent and Culture Officer Ginnie Carlier pointed to judgment, curiosity and trust as the capabilities that stay valuable when the tools change.
What to do now
- Watch for the application to open this fall if you would be in school through 2028.
- Check whether an eight to 12 month term fits your degree plan and any co-op or credit requirements before you apply.
- Do not drop your summer applications. The first residency class starts in January 2028, so it does not cover Summer 2027.