Boston runs the same Big 4 and national firm recruiting as any other major metro, plus a niche most cities don't have: fund accounting tied to Boston's large asset management industry. If you're looking for a 2027 accounting internship in Boston, standard public accounting is still the biggest path in, but the fund accounting track is worth knowing about before you assume Big 4 is the only option.
Boston also has something else that shapes recruiting here more than in most cities: a real co-op tradition. Schools built around cooperative education send students into semester-long work terms on a different calendar than a standard summer internship, which changes how and when a chunk of the local pipeline actually applies.
Where accounting interns work in Boston
| Employer type | What's distinct in Boston | Recruiting timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG) | Large local offices, standard public accounting recruiting | Same national Big 4 timeline. Full breakdown in our Big 4 guide |
| National firms (RSM, BDO, Grant Thornton) and New England regional firms | A solid bench of regional firms beyond the Big 4 | Mostly fall 2026 |
| Fund and investment accounting | Large asset managers headquartered in Boston, including Fidelity Investments, State Street and Wellington Management, hire accounting and finance interns into fund and investment operations roles | No fixed public accounting cycle, watch postings directly |
| Co-op placements (Northeastern and similar programs) | Semester-long work terms built into the degree, running on the school's academic calendar rather than a summer cycle | Varies by school term |
What fund accounting actually is
Fund accounting tracks the value, performance and reporting of an investment fund rather than a company's own operating books, work done both by dedicated fund administrators and directly inside large asset management firms. Boston has an unusually deep concentration of this work because several of the largest asset managers in the country, including Fidelity Investments, State Street and Wellington Management, are headquartered in the city.
This path runs on a looser calendar than Big 4 recruiting and doesn't funnel through one standard campus pipeline the way public accounting does. Openings tend to surface through each firm's own career page rather than a fixed fall recruiting season, so check those directly alongside your public accounting applications.
How Boston's co-op tradition changes the picture
Northeastern's cooperative education program is the best-known example: students alternate semesters of class with semester-long, full-time work terms that are a required part of the degree, not an optional summer add-on. Accounting firms and asset managers with a Boston office recruit directly into that pipeline on the school's own calendar, which can mean applying and starting on a schedule that looks nothing like a standard summer internship search.
If your school runs a co-op program, lean on your career center's established employer relationships first. If it doesn't, you're not shut out. Most Boston-area internships, in both public accounting and fund accounting, are open to any student regardless of whether their school has a formal co-op track.
What accounting interns get paid in Boston
Pay follows the national pattern for public accounting: commonly $25 to $35 an hour at Big 4 and large national firms, similar to other major metros. Fund accounting and asset management internships vary more by firm and aren't always publicly listed at a fixed hourly rate, so check the specific posting before assuming a number.
How to actually get one
Public accounting recruiting in Boston runs on the usual campus pipeline: Meet the Firms nights, Beta Alpha Psi if your school has a chapter, and a direct relationship with the campus recruiter. Boston College, Boston University and Bentley College all feed the local Big 4 and national firm offices heavily. For the fund accounting track, a direct application through an asset manager's career page, alongside genuine interest in investment operations rather than audit or tax, is the more useful signal.
For the national timeline and pay picture across every firm type, see our accounting internships 2027 guide. If you're weighing a co-op against a standard summer internship more broadly, our co-op vs internship guide covers how the two compare outside of accounting specifically.
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Frequently asked questions
Which accounting firms hire interns in Boston?
All four Big 4 firms run sizable Boston offices, along with national firms like RSM, BDO and Grant Thornton and a range of New England regional firms. Boston also has a niche few other cities share: fund accounting work tied to the city's large asset management industry.
What is fund accounting and is it a real internship path in Boston?
Fund accounting tracks the value, performance and reporting of investment funds rather than a company's own books, work done by fund administrators and directly by asset managers. Boston is home to major asset managers including Fidelity Investments, State Street and Wellington Management, all of which hire accounting and finance interns into fund and investment operations roles.
How does Boston's co-op tradition affect accounting internship recruiting?
Schools like Northeastern run mandatory cooperative education programs with semester-long work terms built into the degree, and accounting firms with a Boston office recruit specifically into that pipeline. It runs on a different calendar than standard summer internship recruiting, so a co-op student's timeline can look different from a peer's at a school without one.
What do accounting interns get paid in Boston?
Pay follows the national pattern: commonly $25 to $35 an hour at Big 4 and large national firms, similar to other major metros. Fund accounting and asset management internships vary more by firm and aren't always publicly listed at a fixed hourly rate, so check the specific posting.