Consulting recruiting timeline 2026 to 2027
When consulting interviews happen for MBA first-years, second-years and undergraduates, from two published school calendars, and what to have ready each week.
Updated October 28, 2026
When do MBA consulting interviews happen?
Two windows a year, and they belong to different classes. Kellogg publishes its calendar; the two lines that matter, quoted:
Class of 2028 (1st Year) summer internship on-campus interviews
Class of 2027 (2nd year students) on-campus interviews
So a first-year who starts in September interviews for the summer internship in the second half of January, after about four months of recruiting events (Kellogg lists first-year company presentations beginning Oct. 5, 2026, and an internship offer decision deadline of Feb. 12, 2027). A second-year interviews for full-time roles in October, within six weeks of returning to campus. Other programs publish their own dates; the shape is the same at most, the exact weeks are not.
When do undergraduate consulting interviews happen?
Earlier in the year, and earlier every year. Cornell’s career center describes the consulting pathway this way:
Applications typically open in late June or early July and remain open through November.
Interviews take place in late summer through fall, with offers extended by November or December.
Begin networking one to two semesters in advance and start case interview prep three to six months before applying.
For a junior applying for a summer internship, that means applications in the summer before junior year and interviews in September and October. Some firms have moved undergraduate recruiting earlier still; treat any “class of” date you see on a careers page as the firm’s current rule, and treat anything older than a year as last cycle’s pattern.
What should be ready by when?
| Weeks before first interview | Ready | How you know |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | The resume stories picked: eight experiences across the fit themes, two per theme | You can name each in one line |
| 10 | One framework each for profitability, market entry, market sizing, M&A, said out loud in under a minute | Timed, recorded, under 60 seconds |
| 8 | Mental math at speed: percentages, breakevens, growth rates | Twenty drills a day, under 20 seconds each |
| 6 | Ten full cases with a partner or a recorded interviewer | You asked a clarifying question before every structure |
| 4 | Firm-specific formats read on the firm’s own page | You can say how the firm describes its own interview |
| 2 | The virtual setup tested end to end | Joined a test call from the browser, shared tab audio, saw the first hint |
| 0 | Nothing new. Sleep. |
What does this mean for how you practice?
The calendar decides the practice plan, not the other way around. Count back from the first interview week on your own school’s calendar, put the table above against it, and start case practice at the twelve-week mark at the latest. If you are reading this in the month of your interviews, skip the framework-building and do cases: ten in two weeks, each one followed by five minutes on what the interviewer had to ask twice.
Casepartner fits the six-week line: run recorded mocks in a browser tab and compare its structure and question hints with yours after every turn. For the firm-policy question that comes up two weeks before the interview, read the firm policies guide rather than a forum.
Questions
When are MBA consulting internship interviews?
Kellogg’s calendar puts first-year summer internship on-campus interviews at Jan. 11 to Feb. 2, 2027, with an offer decision deadline of Feb. 12. Other programs publish their own dates in the same part of the year.
When are full-time MBA consulting interviews?
Kellogg’s calendar puts second-year on-campus interviews at Oct. 8 to 28, 2026, about six weeks into the academic year.
When do undergraduate consulting interviews happen?
Cornell’s career center says applications open in late June or early July and interviews take place in late summer through fall, with offers by November or December. Some firms run earlier.
How long should case interview prep take?
Cornell’s guidance is three to six months before applying. The week-by-week table above fits twelve weeks; with less time, do cases rather than frameworks.