A well trodden post business school career path, high flying students typically land roles within the industry’s leading firms. These include the MBB consultancies: McKinsey, Bain, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG); and the Big Four accounting and professional services firms: Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY.
However, entering consulting after business school isn’t simply a case of sending off an application and hoping for the best; there is an established process that takes place each year and differs depending on your degree type and chosen path into the industry.
Business school students who aspire to land a full-time role or a place on a consulting summer internship must be aware of the set timeline for 2024. So, what are the consulting recruiting timelines?
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Consulting recruiting timelines: Breakdown
Across the industry there are established hiring periods throughout the year.
For those studying on business master’s programs, the application period lasts from June to October. At the MBA level, it’s typically between November and December for first years looking to join a consulting summer internship, and August to September for second years applying for full-time roles.
Each year, consulting firms recruit for the year ahead, that means MBAs looking to join the industry in 2025, for example, should be applying in 2024.
Many firms—particularly the MBB—offer a variety of recruitment pathways, which often have different deadlines. So, while you need to know the consulting recruiting timelines, you should also have an idea of the consulting application deadlines at your target firms.
Handily, each year Management Consulted, a specialist resource provider for the consulting industry, compiles a list of application deadlines that includes full-time roles and consulting internships.
So, here’s what we know about consulting application deadlines for 2024 so far.
READ: How To Get Hired By The Big Three Consulting Firms
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MBB application deadlines
The MBB firms—also referred to as the Big Three—rank as the largest employers of MBA grads each year.
The numbers speak for themselves: there were 83 INSEAD MBAs who joined BCG in 2023, while 71 grads from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA secured jobs at McKinsey.
McKinsey application deadlines
All of the MBB welcome MBA students onto summer pre-MBA exposure programs before they even begin their studies, offering a taste of what to expect in a consulting career.
At McKinsey, the Early Access pre-MBA program runs to an application deadline of May 13th. McKinsey Inspire, a similar diversity-based program for applicants from Black, Hispanic, and Latino backgrounds, runs to the same deadline.
MBA students can also apply to join McKinsey at the associate level, with the deadline for 2024 set at June 7th.
Students currently enrolled in business master’s degrees can apply to join McKinsey at the business analyst level. Currently, Management Consulted projects that the deadline will be in July 2024, while the deadline for the summer business analyst program is expected to be in August.
Bain application deadlines
The Bain recruiting timeline ends slightly earlier than McKinsey in 2024 when it comes to the pre-MBA exposure schemes.
ExperienceBain, which is available to all incoming MBAs, runs to a deadline of May 1st this year. BASE Scholars, which is a similar program aimed at supporting MBAs from underrepresented groups, has an application deadline of May 5th.
MBAs interested in working at Bain can apply to join the firm at the consultant level. The deadline for this is currently unconfirmed, however it is expected in June 2024, according to Management Consulted.
For business master’s students, it’s necessary to apply for associate consultant roles at Bain, which target both masters and undergrad students. There are two Bain application deadlines for associate consultant roles in 2024: July 7th and September 8th. These deadlines are the same for students applying for the associate consultant internship program.
BCG application deadlines
Among the Big Three, BCG application deadlines come earliest this year for the pre-MBA programs. Applications for BCG’s Unlock scheme and its diversity-based equivalent, Empower, both close on the 28th of April. For MBA students, application deadlines for consultant level roles are yet to be announced for 2024.
BCG-aspiring business master’s graduates can apply to join the firm at the associate level. The timeline at the moment is unconfirmed however Management Consulted indicates an expected deadline in June. Applications for the BCG summer associate scheme are expected to close in April and June this year.
READ: Top 25 Best Consulting Firms To Work For
Big Four application deadlines
Each of the Big Four firms hire graduates into consulting and professional services roles annually, as well as into accounting and audit jobs. They tend to hire at lower numbers than the MBB, however they still rank among the largest employers of MBA grads.
In 2023, 19 students from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business secured consulting and strategy roles at EY and its strategy arm EY Parthenon, while Deloitte hired 18 grads from the MBA program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Exact dates for the consulting application deadlines at the Big Four are currently to be determined, however Management Consulted projects that the months will be the same as last year for applications to PwC and EY or EY Parthenon.
At PwC, the deadline for all b-school students aiming to secure consulting roles is expected to be in September 2024. This differs for those looking to land audit or accountancy roles where applications take place on a rolling basis.
Those aiming to land a consulting job at EY or EY Parthenon can also expect applications to close in September.
Boutique consulting firm MBA deadlines
Outside of the MBB and Big Four, there are a number of other large consultancies that hire from MBA cohorts each year. These companies are often well regarded and offer strong earning potential to new hires, with some even paying salaries equal to the MBB.
Accenture is a firm that ranks among the most prolific employers of MBA graduates. In 2023, it hired from the likes of Duke Fuqua, where it recruited 13 students, and London Business School, where seven MBAs joined. First year MBAs looking to land summer consultant roles at Accenture can expect applications to close in December 2024.
Like Accenture, Kearney employs many new MBA hires each year and offers salaries that are above the industry average. At INSEAD, 27 MBAs landed jobs at Kearney in 2023. Those first year MBAs looking to join Kearney on the summer associate program can expect a deadline in December.
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