Top 30 Accounting Firm Has the Best Internship Program in All the Land, Vault Says

For the second year in a row, top 30 accounting firm PKF O’Connor Davies not only has the best internship program in the nation for incoming public accountants, but it also has the top overall internship program in the U.S., according to the 2025 Internship Rankings from career resource website Vault.com.

This past summer, Vault surveyed nearly 20,000 current and former interns from almost 300 internship programs and asked respondents to rate a list of top companies on how prestigious their internship programs are. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, respondents were also asked to rate their internship experiences in six core areas: quality of life, compensation and benefits, interview process, career development, full-time employment prospects, and diversity.

To determine an overall score for each program, the ratings were assigned relative weights based on what interns told Vault they value most in an internship. The overall scores are based on the following weighted formula: 30% career development, 20% employment prospects, 20% quality of life, 20% compensation, 5% diversity, and 5% interview process. Vault then compiled rankings of the top internship programs in more than 30 different areas. The 150 best internships reflect the internship programs with the highest overall scores across the survey pool, according to Vault.

With a total score of 9.738 out of 10, Harrison, NY-based PKF O’Connor Davies topped the list of the 150 best internship programs in the country.

In a blog post, Vault explained why the public accounting firm’s program for interns is the best in the U.S.:

This year introduced plenty of new competition in the survey, but that didn’t stop PKF O’Connor Davies from claiming the top spot for the second year in a row. Past interns from the program said, “The resources at the firm are great and allow you to expand your knowledge, but also promote an effective workflow. There are professionals who can help guide you to the professional goals you may have, and the firm supports and wants to hear your problems, if you may have any, in order to make the workplace better for you. The professionals here all help one another, and they promote learning within the engagements as your peers help you solve problems and show you things you may have not known. The assignments are challenging, and there are opportunities for you to step outside of your comfort zone, which pushes you to achieve more.” One intern said of their coworkers, “Everyone I have met and worked with has been incredibly kind and helpful. From the fellow interns to the partners, I have had the opportunity to have conversations and get to know everyone a little bit.”

For those interested in joining future PKF O’Connor Davies internship classes, one intern had this piece of advice to offer: “Pay attention and take notes. It’s not only who you know, it’s also what you learn and how you perform,” while another assured future interns that, “The first week will be stressful and will feel like there’s so much to know, but it will become second nature very quickly.”

The other public accounting firms that made the top 20 in the 150 Best Internship Rankings are Weaver (No. 5), BMSS (No. 6), Wipfli (No. 7), Plante Moran (No. 11), and Lumsden McCormick CPA (No. 17).

PKF O’Connor Davies, Weaver, BMSS, Wipfli, Plante Moran, and Lumsden McCormick CPA are the top six firms in Vault’s 2025 Best Accounting Internships. The full top 25 in accounting are:

1. PKF O’Connor Davies
2. Weaver
3. BMSS
4. Wipfli
5. Plante Moran
6. Lumsden McCormick CPA
7. Bennett Thrasher
8. Windham Brannon
9. Aprio
10. YHB CPAs & Consultants (Summer Internship)
11. Grant Thornton
12. Baker Tilly
13. Clearview Group
14. Sensiba
15. Cherry Bekaert
16. Elliott Davis
17. CohnReznick
18. Akram
19. Frank, Rimerman + Co. (Summer Internship)
20. Armanino
21. Moss Adams (Summer Internship)
22. Marcum
23. Frazier & Deeter
24. H&CO (H&CO Brilliant)
25. H&R Block

The Big Four made Vault’s 2025 Most Prestigious Internships ranking, with Deloitte at No. 19, followed by KPMG at No. 27, PwC at No. 28, and EY at No. 31.