Insurance Internships Summer 2027: 130 Companies Hiring, Actuarial Programs, Pay and When to Apply

Insurance internships for summer 2027 are mostly live already. State Farm, Travelers, Nationwide, Guardian, New York Life and Principal all posted summer 2027 roles between mid-August and late September 2026, and several close in October and November. If you've been waiting for "spring recruiting," you're early for most industries and late for this one.

This guide covers 130 insurance companies across property and casualty carriers, life and retirement firms, brokers and health insurers. For each one you get the official place to apply, a link to our in-depth company guide, and the window we've tracked for summer 2027. If you're comparing insurance with banking or asset management, our finance internships summer 2027 guide covers the rest of financial services.

TL;DR

• Most large insurers post summer 2027 internships between August and October 2026, about nine to ten months before a June start, and many review applications as they arrive. Apply in the first week a role goes live.

• Typical pay runs about $22 to $36 an hour. Actuarial, data and technology tracks pay the most, and some actuarial programs add a raise for every exam you pass.

• Actuarial internships are the most structured track in insurance. Passing SOA Exam P or FM before you apply puts you ahead of most candidates.

• Some deadlines are hard: Guardian's summer 2027 roles list November 13, 2026, and Mutual of Omaha's closed on September 30.

• No insurance background? A remote Externship in financial analysis or data gives you a real project to talk about in interviews.

Externships are short, remote professional experience programs where you work on real projects for real companies. The Attronica Financial Planning & Analysis Externship builds the forecasting skills underwriting and finance teams screen for, and the TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics Externship fits actuarial and analytics roles at health insurers. Explore all Externships.

What Does an Insurance Internship Actually Involve?

An insurance internship is a paid summer placement, usually 10 to 12 weeks, at a company that prices, sells or manages risk. You work on live business problems: pricing a product line, reviewing a commercial account with an underwriter, building a claims dashboard, or modeling how a book of policies will perform. It's not cold-calling. Well, mostly not (more on sales programs below).

Here's something we noticed in our own data. When we asked Extern students which companies they most want to work for, Google, Goldman Sachs and EY topped the list (Extern Dream Companies survey, 1,285 responses), and not one insurer made the top 12. Yet insurers recruit early. At Extern, we track intern postings for more than 1,200 company guides, and the insurance boards filled up with summer 2027 roles in August and September, months before retail and many other industries. Less competition, earlier openings. That's a good combination.

Insurers also hire across far more functions than people expect. Actuarial, underwriting, claims and risk engineering are the insurance-specific tracks. But these companies run large finance, investments, data science, software and marketing programs too, because an insurer is a giant financial and technology operation underneath.

Carriers vs. Brokers vs. Health Insurers: Which One Fits You?

Carriers (State Farm, Allstate, Travelers, MetLife) write the policies and carry the risk. They hire the most interns and offer every track, from actuarial to IT. If you want to learn how insurance actually works, start here.

Brokers and risk advisers (Marsh McLennan, Gallagher, WTW, HUB International) sit between clients and carriers. Internships lean toward client service, sales, analytics and consulting. WTW and Marsh McLennan's Mercer and Oliver Wyman units also run big actuarial consulting programs.

Health insurers (UnitedHealth Group, Elevance Health, Cigna, Humana, Centene) price and manage health coverage. Their actuarial, data and finance tracks overlap with healthcare analytics, so they suit students who want insurance and healthcare in the same role.

Not sure which fits? Look at the track, not the brand. An actuarial intern at Cigna and one at Travelers do more similar work than a claims intern and a software intern at the same company.

Which Insurance Companies Hire Summer 2027 Interns?

Here are the 130 insurers, brokers and health plans we track, grouped by segment. Each company name links to our full guide with programs, eligibility, pay sources and the latest posting status.

Property and Casualty Carriers

State Farm posted about 30 summer 2027 roles between August 27 and September 25, 2026, across investments, finance, law, marketing, software and security. Each requisition closes on its own date, so speed matters. Interns earn $22 to $36 an hour plus a $2,000 stipend.

Allstate opened its actuarial internship first, around August 4, 2026. Technology and finance roles have historically followed in November and December. One quirk: its intern requisitions post on a separate sourcing board, not the main job search.

Travelers runs 14 internship tracks that feed 10 named development programs. Its summer 2027 postings went live between August 30 and September 25, 2026, with rolling review.

Liberty Mutual has one of the widest pay ranges in the industry, from $22.50 an hour for claims up to $60 for graduate data science. Finance opened first in September 2026; TechStart, actuarial and analytics follow, with claims last.

Nationwide, USAA, The Hartford, AIG and Progressive all recruit in the fall. USAA is the one to watch. Its fall wave carried posting end dates of October 2 and 9, 2026, and a second wave usually runs January to March.

Mid-size and specialty carriers recruit too, often with lighter competition: American Family, Auto-Owners, Erie, Cincinnati Financial, Farmers, CNA, Markel, W.R. Berkley, American Financial Group, Arch Capital, FM, Zurich North America, Assurant, Old Republic, Philadelphia Insurance Companies and Alfa Insurance. Auto-Owners alone had 87 requisitions live on October 1, 2026.

Underwriting and finance interns at carriers spend much of the summer in spreadsheets, and the Attronica Financial Planning & Analysis Externship is a good way to build that muscle first.

We've also added guides for GEICO, Chubb, Amica, COUNTRY Financial, Westfield Insurance, Sentry Insurance, Selective Insurance, Kemper, Shelter Insurance, Acuity Insurance, Grange Insurance, Pekin Insurance, EMC Insurance, Horace Mann, Mercury Insurance, Hanover Insurance Group, Kinsale Insurance, RLI, Crum & Forster, Sompo International, Tokio Marine HCC, QBE North America, Intact Insurance, AmTrust Financial, MAPFRE USA, Hagerty, AXA XL, Root Insurance. Each one has the current posting status from the company's own careers board.

Life, Retirement and Annuities

Northwestern Mutual publishes its own window: August to December 2026 for summer 2027. Know which program you're applying to. The corporate internship pays $16.50 to $30 an hour, while the College Financial Representative program is production-based and runs as independent-contractor work.

New York Life had 30+ summer 2027 requisitions live by late September, with actuarial interns at $29 to $34 an hour and technology interns at $30 to $35 plus a $3,000 bonus. Guardian Life posted 27 roles with a hard deadline of November 13, 2026.

Prudential, MetLife, MassMutual, Principal, Lincoln Financial, Pacific Life, Equitable, TIAA, Corebridge Financial and Voya all run named actuarial programs alongside finance, investments and technology.

Then there's the Midwest and Southeast group, where the applicant pools tend to be smaller: Aflac, Unum, Securian, Thrivent, Mutual of Omaha, Western & Southern, annuity specialist F&G Annuities & Life and reinsurer RGA.

Life insurers are big investors, too. If the investments track appeals to you, the Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling Externship gives you modeling work to point to.

We've also added guides for Munich Re, Swiss Re, Allianz, Sun Life, Primerica, Transamerica, Genworth, Globe Life, Ameritas, TruStage, Symetra, National Life Group, Penn Mutual, Athene, Global Atlantic, American Equity, Protective Life, American National, CNO Financial, Mutual of America, First American, Stewart Title, MGIC. Each one has the current posting status from the company's own careers board.

Brokers and Risk Advisers

Marsh McLennan posts summer programs across Marsh, Mercer, Guy Carpenter and Oliver Wyman, more than 20 tracks in all. WTW opened its Retirement Actuarial internship in August 2026 at $28 to $35 an hour. Gallagher lets you pick a preferred city from 140+ US offices, and HUB International had nine requisitions covering 14 offices live in late September.

Broker work is client-facing problem solving, close to consulting. The Corporate Strategy Externship mentored by The Lean Startup Co.'s Eric Ries builds that kind of structured thinking.

We've also added guides for Aon, Lockton, Brown & Brown, Amwins, Ryan Specialty, Alliant Insurance Services, Goosehead Insurance. Each one has the current posting status from the company's own careers board.

Health Insurers

UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health (Aetna's parent), Elevance Health, Cigna, Humana and Centene are the big six. Elevance's actuarial, tax and finance roles carry an anticipated end date of November 7, 2026, and Cigna's actuarial program has historically closed in late October.

Regional plans are worth a look too: Florida Blue, Horizon BCBSNJ, CareSource, Molina Healthcare and Oscar Health. Oscar is the late one, with postings expected January to April 2027.

Health plans run on claims data, so the TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics Externship is a direct fit for their actuarial and analytics tracks.

The table below lists the official application page, our guide and the summer 2027 window for all 130 companies. Windows reflect our tracking as of late September and early October 2026; the company's own careers page always wins if the two disagree.

We've also added guides for HCSC, Highmark Health, CareFirst, Blue Shield of California, Independence Blue Cross, Excellus BCBS, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Cross NC, Wellmark, EmblemHealth, Medica. Each one has the current posting status from the company's own careers board.

What Is an Actuarial Internship, and Where Are the Best Ones?

An actuarial internship is a summer role where you help price insurance products and estimate future claims using probability, statistics and financial math. You'll usually work in Excel and SQL (sometimes R or Python), test pricing assumptions, or support reserve calculations alongside credentialed actuaries.

It's the most structured path in insurance, and it's the insurance topic our readers search for most. The career at the end is strong, too. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median actuary salary was $130,000 a year in May 2025, and employment is projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. BLS also notes that most actuaries work for insurance companies.

What makes actuarial internships different is the exam system. Actuaries qualify by passing a series of professional exams, and the first two are Exam P (Probability) and Exam FM (Financial Mathematics) from the Society of Actuaries. Recruiters treat a passed exam as proof you can handle the math and the study load. Allstate's actuarial track, for example, asks for a 3.0 GPA and active progress toward an actuarial designation.

Some companies pay you for exam progress directly:

• State Farm pays actuarial interns $30 an hour plus $1 an hour for each exam passed.

• Cincinnati Financial starts actuarial interns at $25+ an hour, scaling with exams.

• Cigna ties the hourly rate to exam progress and adds furnished housing and paid study materials.

The strongest actuarial programs we track include State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, MetLife's Actuarial Internship Program, Prudential, New York Life, MassMutual, Principal, Cigna, Humana, Elevance Health and WTW. Big 4 firms hire actuarial interns in their consulting arms as well; our Big 4 accounting and audit internships guide covers those.

How Much Do Insurance Interns Get Paid?

Most insurance interns earn about $22 to $36 an hour. Where you land inside that range depends far more on the track than on the company.

Actuarial, data and technology sit at the top. Prudential lists $32 to $37 an hour for actuarial and finance interns and $35 to $40 for its PGIM investment track. New York Life pays $29 to $34 for actuarial work. Liberty Mutual's TechStart program pays $30 to $38.

Finance, underwriting and operations usually land in the middle. MetLife publishes $25 to $32 across its tracks. Markel's 2027 requisitions list $24 to $28.50. Guardian's range is $20 to $35.

Claims, sales and regional brokerage roles pay less. HUB International's past range was $18 to $22 depending on city, and Molina Healthcare's Richmond, Virginia posting listed $12.77 to $18.95.

So is the highest hourly rate the best offer? Not always. Two things change the math.

First, housing. Principal gives interns arranged housing plus a $4,000 lump-sum stipend. MassMutual offers a relocation or housing stipend. Cigna and Humana provide housing for actuarial interns. Travelers and Guardian don't provide housing at all, so a higher hourly rate can still leave you with less.

Second, commission-only programs. Aflac's Sales Internship is commission-only with no base pay, and Northwestern Mutual's College Financial Representative program is production-based. They can be useful experience. But they're not salaried internships, so read the posting before you compare offers.

When Do Summer 2027 Applications Open and Close?

Insurance recruits earlier than most students expect. The main summer 2027 wave opened between mid-August and late September 2026, and many carriers review applications on a rolling basis. A role posted in September can fill well before its listed end date.

Here's how the cycle looked in early October 2026:

• Already closed or closing: Mutual of Omaha closed September 30. USAA's fall wave carried end dates of October 2 and 9. The Hartford's Data Science internship closes October 17.

• Hard deadlines ahead: Corebridge Financial's general summer program lists November 2. Elevance Health's anticipated end date is November 7. Guardian closes November 13.

• Still to post: Allstate technology and finance (historically November to December), Securian (fall), Arch Capital (October to November), and the late group, Old Republic and Oscar Health, expected January to April 2027.

• Year-round: Auto-Owners, Molina Healthcare and HUB International post and review continuously.

Missed the fall? You still have options. USAA runs a spring wave, and Assurant's non-finance tracks carry deadlines from January to March 2027. But the deepest pool is in the fall, so treat October and November as your main window.

For recruiting calendars across other industries, see our guide on when to apply for internships. And if you want more places to search, here are the best websites to find internships.

How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.

What Skills Do Insurance Companies Look For?

Insurance companies hire for analytical skill first and insurance knowledge a distant second. Almost no one walks in knowing what a loss ratio is, and recruiters know it.

After 17 years working with students at career transition points, including time on the recruiting side, we've seen how early-career screeners read a resume: they look for evidence you've already done the kind of work the role needs. In insurance postings, that evidence keeps coming back to the same skills:

• Excel, at a real working level. Lookups, pivot tables and building a clean model. Nearly every actuarial, underwriting and finance posting asks for it.

• SQL and a scripting language. Data, analytics and actuarial teams increasingly expect SQL plus R or Python.

• Probability and statistics. Required for actuarial roles and helpful everywhere else. This is where Exam P pays off.

• Clear written and spoken communication. Underwriters explain decisions to brokers, claims teams talk to customers, and actuaries present to people who aren't actuaries.

• Comfort with uncertainty. Insurance is the business of pricing what hasn't happened yet, and interviewers often ask how you'd reason through a problem without full data.

Build Them Before You Apply

Three practical moves:

1. Take Exam P or FM if you're aiming at actuarial. Even a scheduled exam date tells a recruiter you're serious.

2. Build one analysis you can walk through. The Breaking Games SQL Database Architecture Externship gives you hands-on SQL work you can explain line by line in an interview.

3. Put it on your resume the right way. Lead with the result, then the tool. Our resume examples for college students show the format.

If you're also weighing data roles outside insurance, our data analytics internships guide covers the wider field.

How Do You Get an Insurance Internship With No Experience?

You don't need insurance experience. You need evidence that you can do analytical work and explain it, plus a few smart targeting choices.

Apply to the mid-size carriers, not just the famous names. Cincinnati Financial, Erie, Auto-Owners, American Family and Western & Southern run real programs with smaller applicant pools than State Farm or Prudential.

Use the "insurance capitals." Insurance clusters in cities that don't top most students' lists: Hartford, Connecticut (Travelers, The Hartford); Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide); Bloomington, Illinois (State Farm); Des Moines, Iowa (Principal); Omaha, Nebraska (Mutual of Omaha); and the Cincinnati area (Cincinnati Financial, American Financial Group, Western & Southern). Near one? Say so. Local candidates are easier to place.

Turn any analytical experience into an insurance story. A statistics project, a campus budget role or a part-time job where you handled customer problems all map onto actuarial, underwriting or claims work. Frame it in terms of risk, data or customers.

Get a real project on your resume before October ends. An Externship gives you something concrete for the "tell me about a time you worked with data" question. Most run 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week, and 94% of students rated their externship experience positively (Extern post-program survey, 2026). Honestly, we can't promise a project lands you an offer. It does give you a better answer in the interview.

For the bigger picture on breaking in without a track record, read how to get a job with no experience. And if insurance is one of several paths you're weighing, our consulting internships guide and healthcare internships guide cover the neighboring fields.

FAQ

Are insurance internships paid?

Yes. Corporate insurance internships at major carriers, brokers and health insurers are paid, usually $22 to $36 an hour, with actuarial and tech tracks at the top. The exceptions are commission-only sales programs, such as Aflac's Sales Internship. Check whether a posting lists an hourly rate before you apply.

When should I apply for insurance internships for summer 2027?

Now, if you haven't started. Most large insurers posted summer 2027 roles between mid-August and late September 2026 and review applications on a rolling basis. Several close in October and November. Late recruiters, such as Old Republic and Oscar Health, are expected to post from January to April 2027.

Do I need to pass an actuarial exam to get an actuarial internship?

Not always, but it helps a lot. Many actuarial internships prefer at least one passed exam, usually SOA Exam P or FM, and some pay more for each exam. If you haven't passed one yet, a scheduled exam date and strong math coursework still make you competitive.

What's the difference between an actuarial and an underwriting internship?

Actuarial interns price risk across a whole book of policies using statistics and financial math. Underwriting interns evaluate individual accounts, deciding whether to insure a specific client and on what terms. Actuarial work is more quantitative and exam-driven, while underwriting is more client-facing and judgment-based.

Can I get an insurance internship without a finance or math major?

Yes, for most tracks. Claims, underwriting, marketing, HR, sales and operations internships accept many majors, and technology tracks look for computer science or data skills. Actuarial roles are the exception, since they expect strong coursework in math, statistics or actuarial science.

Which insurance companies have the best internship programs?

For structure and pay, State Farm, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, MetLife, Prudential, New York Life and Principal stand out among carriers. Marsh McLennan and WTW lead among brokers, and Cigna, Humana and Elevance Health among health insurers. Mid-size carriers like Cincinnati Financial and Erie are often easier to get into.

Do insurance internships lead to full-time offers?

Often, yes. Many carriers use summer internships to fill their development programs. Travelers' internship tracks feed 10 named development programs, and MassMutual's actuarial internship feeds its Actuarial Development Program. Conversion rates are rarely published, so check each company guide for what's known about its program.