Wall Street Firm Pays Gen Z Interns $34,400 a Month

While some entry-level workers struggle to find work amid a tough job market, certain fields are incentivizing young talent to apply with sky-high salaries. 

Wall Street trading firm Susquehanna International Group (SIG) is offering 2027 summer interns $8,600 a week, or $34,400 a month, to work as quantitative traders and quantitative researchers in its New York and Philadelphia offices, per a recent Fortune report. The internship pays $86,000 in total across a 10-week summer program.

Job listings show that SIG is looking for PhD candidates graduating by summer 2026 or postdocs specializing in quantitative fields like mathematics, physics, computer science or economics. Undergraduate interns can still take home up to $7,600 a week, depending on the role. 

Wall Street is known for its long hours and intensity. SIG takes some of the pressure off of interns by providing free housing, two complimentary meals a day and access to social events like poker tournaments. 

It’s difficult to land a Wall Street internship

SIG pays interns far more than other firms pay the typical U.S. worker. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median U.S. worker earned about $1,235 per week during the first quarter of this year. They would have to clock in for about two months to earn what PhD SIG interns take home in one week. 

SIG’s intern salaries are noteworthy, but they are just one example of extravagant pay on Wall Street. For example, Jane Street sets summer intern pay at $300,000 annually, or around $5,700 a week. Meanwhile, Citadel interns take home $4,300 to $5,800 per week in base salary. 

These salaries attract considerable interest. Scoring one of these Wall Street internships is difficult; the roles are intensely competitive. It’s easier to get into Harvard than to make it on Wall Street. 

For example, Goldman Sachs boasted an acceptance rate below 1% for the past three years for its intern class. 

“I think the selection rate speaks both to the strength of the opportunity and the caliber of talent we’re attracting globally,” Jacqueline Arthur, Goldman’s head of human capital management, told Fortune last month. 

She added that the firm views hiring its interns as a long-term investment in leadership, with 40% of Goldman’s current partners originating from on-campus recruiting. 

Goldman’s incoming class is diverse. The firm counts high-level athletes, accomplished musicians and nonprofit founders as part of its cohort. The mix indicates that Goldman is seeking more than just quantitatively focused candidates from a narrow set of elite colleges. 

“We’re meeting individuals with a wider range of academic backgrounds, lived experiences and ways of thinking,” Arthur told Fortune. “It allows us to better understand the full person behind the application — and gives candidates a clearer view of the firm and where they might contribute.”

While some entry-level workers struggle to find work amid a tough job market, certain fields are incentivizing young talent to apply with sky-high salaries. 

Wall Street trading firm Susquehanna International Group (SIG) is offering 2027 summer interns $8,600 a week, or $34,400 a month, to work as quantitative traders and quantitative researchers in its New York and Philadelphia offices, per a recent Fortune report. The internship pays $86,000 in total across a 10-week summer program.

Job listings show that SIG is looking for PhD candidates graduating by summer 2026 or postdocs specializing in quantitative fields like mathematics, physics, computer science or economics. Undergraduate interns can still take home up to $7,600 a week, depending on the role.