Quick Facts
Mercer internship · at a glance
Roles open and close throughout the year. Check Mercer's careers portal for what is live today, and apply in the first week a role posts.
Before you applyWould your profile get you in?6 questions, under a minute. Compared with real interns who landed similar roles.Check my oddsAlso in this guide
Put real project work on your résumé, with the TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics Externship or the Amazon Fulfillment Center Operational Strategy & People Analytics Externship.
Explore all externships →All quick facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Marsh People and Investments students page and the Marsh Workday board. Search "People and Investments", "Health and Benefits", "Workforce and Rewards" or "College Program 2027"; a search for "Mercer" misses most titles |
| Application window (2027–28) | For summer 2027: postings opened Sep 8 to Oct 7, 2026. Workforce and Rewards closes noon EDT Oct 14, 2026 (Los Angeles, Chicago) and Oct 16, 2026 (Seattle). Health and Benefits: rolling, postings scheduled to end Oct 17 to Nov 7, 2026. Investment Analyst (Boston): video interviews due Dec 31, 2026. For summer 2028 (expected): early to mid September 2027 |
| Rolling? | Mixed. Health and Benefits: yes, 10 of 12 postings say applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Workforce and Rewards: hard deadline. Five summer 2027 postings had already closed by Oct 10, 2026 |
| Eligibility | Health and Benefits and Investments: graduating fall 2027 or spring 2028; preferred minimum GPA 3.0 on Health and Benefits. Workforce and Rewards: graduation window varies by office (Los Angeles takes spring 2028 to spring 2029). No visa sponsorship |
| Duration | 10 weeks, June 7 to August 13, 2027, on Health and Benefits and Investments (the city postings allow no alternate dates). Retirement Actuarial Externship: 12 days, July 29 to August 13, 2027, online |
| Compensation | $27/hour for Workforce and Rewards and Investment Analyst interns (Investments adds a housing bonus); $20/hour for the Retirement Actuarial Externship; master's $40/hour (New York, San Francisco) and MBA $65 to $75/hour. Health and Benefits pay isn't in the postings |
| Return offers | No conversion rate published. The Investment Analyst and Retirement postings say strong performers may be considered for full-time analyst roles in 2028 |
| Locations | About 20 US offices across the live postings, including New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Houston and Washington, DC. Hybrid: at least three office days a week |
| # Programs | 5 undergraduate tracks posted (Health and Benefits; Health and Benefits Actuarial and Financial; Workforce and Rewards; Investment Analyst; Retirement Actuarial Externship) plus 2 graduate Summer Associate tracks. Government Health Consulting is closed for summer 2027 |
Last updated: October 2026
A search for a Mercer internship in fall 2026 leads to a different name. Mercer's parent, Marsh McLennan, changed its brand to Marsh in January 2026, and the summer 2027 intern postings say it outright: "Mercer has become Marsh." The old Mercer business now recruits as Marsh People and Investments, with three practices: Health and Benefits, Workforce and Rewards, and Investments and Retirement. The internship you're looking for still exists, but most titles on the job board no longer contain the word Mercer.
On October 12, 2026, the Marsh Workday board carried 17 undergraduate and 3 graduate summer 2027 postings from this business, and five more had already closed. The nearest deadlines are fixed dates: Workforce and Rewards applications close at noon Eastern on October 14, 2026 (Los Angeles and Chicago) and October 16, 2026 (Seattle). Health and Benefits roles are reviewed on a rolling basis, with postings scheduled to come down between October 17 and November 7, 2026. The Boston Investment Analyst Internship takes video interviews until December 31, 2026. In plain words: you apply in fall 2026, you intern in summer 2027 (June 7 to August 13, 2027).
One naming note before you read on: Mercer's own "Retirement Actuarial Externship" is a paid, 12-day online program run by the firm. It's a different thing from the Extern Externships mentioned on this page.
What Is a Mercer Internship?
A Mercer internship is a paid summer program in the HR, benefits and investment consulting business that now recruits as Marsh People and Investments. Most tracks run 10 weeks, from June 7 to August 13, 2027, on a hybrid schedule, and interns join client teams in one of three practices: Health and Benefits, Workforce and Rewards, or Investments and Retirement. Vault ranks Mercer #20 on its Most Prestigious Consulting Firms list (2026 edition). The firm's students page counts more than 20,000 colleagues, 130 countries and 80 years of operation, and the health postings cite more than 2,500 US health consultants. Mercer is part of Marsh, formerly Marsh McLennan. Our Marsh McLennan internship guide covers the parent company and its other businesses, and this page covers the former Mercer programs only. Reinsurance actuarial and risk internships on the same job board belong to Guy Carpenter, a separate business with its own recruiting.
When Do Mercer Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
The former Mercer business posted its summer 2027 internships in a five-week burst, from September 8 to October 7, 2026 (Workday posting dates), about nine months before the June 7, 2027 start. This isn't a spring-recruiting employer: most of the wave is scheduled to be gone by early November 2026. Each track keeps its own calendar for summer 2027. Workforce and Rewards has fixed deadlines on October 14 and 16, 2026. Health and Benefits is rolling, with posting end dates from October 17 to November 7, 2026. The Boston Investment Analyst Internship posted on October 6, 2026 and takes video interviews until December 31, 2026. We measured this one cycle only, so the summer 2028 date below is an expectation.
Applications for summer 2027 are posted on Health and Benefits (general, actuarial and financial), Workforce and Rewards (until noon EDT on October 14 or 16, 2026, by office), the Boston Investment Analyst Internship and the Retirement Actuarial Externship. Already closed for summer 2027: Government Health Consulting (Phoenix, Minneapolis), the Northeast actuarial posting (Philadelphia) and the Chicago Central Market general posting.
Workforce and Rewards deadlines for summer 2027: noon EDT on October 14 for Los Angeles and Chicago, and noon EDT on October 16 for Seattle. A resume and a cover letter are both required, and you apply to one office only.
Health and Benefits postings for summer 2027 are scheduled to come down office by office: Central Market on October 17, West Market actuarial and financial on October 23, Boston on October 27, Washington, DC on October 30, then the Southeast, Tampa, West Market general, Atlanta and Morristown between November 1 and 7. Retirement Actuarial Externship video interviews are due October 23, 2026.
Final rounds for summer 2027. Retirement Actuarial Externship finals are planned for November 2026. The Los Angeles MBA Summer Associate posting closes December 6, 2026. Investment Analyst video interviews are due December 31, 2026, with final interviews in January 2027.
The internship runs June 7 to August 13, 2027, and the online Retirement Actuarial Externship runs July 29 to August 13, 2027. Applications for summer 2028 are expected to open in early to mid September 2027, projected from this cycle.
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.
Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open
The urgency depends on the track, and the postings say which is which. Workforce and Rewards is a hard deadline. All applications are due by noon Eastern on October 14, 2026 (Los Angeles, Chicago) or October 16, 2026 (Seattle), and the posting says incomplete applications, meaning no cover letter, won't be considered. Health and Benefits is rolling. Ten of the twelve Health and Benefits postings say applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and none states a deadline. The scheduled end dates aren't a promise either: five summer 2027 postings that were live in September had already closed by October 10, 2026. Investments runs later. The Boston posting takes video interviews until December 31, 2026, so it's the door that stays open longest. Whichever track fits you, apply the week you find it.
Which Mercer Internship Programs Should You Target?
The former Mercer business posts five undergraduate tracks and two graduate tracks for summer 2027. Here is where each stood on October 12, 2026.
| Program | Focus | Status for summer 2027 | Published pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Benefits Summer Intern (also titled Health Consulting) | Employer benefits consulting: benchmarking, claims and utilization analysis, contribution modeling, RFP support | Posted; rolling review. Posting end dates Oct 23 to Nov 7, 2026, by office (Boston, Washington DC, Tampa, Atlanta, Morristown, West Market, Multinational) | Not published |
| Health and Benefits Actuarial and Financial Summer Intern | Cost projections, plan pricing and scenario modeling in the Actuarial and Financial Group | Posted; rolling review. Central Market ends Oct 17, West Market Oct 23, Southeast Nov 1, 2026 | Not published |
| Workforce and Rewards Summer Intern | Human capital consulting: rewards, HR transformation, talent strategy, workforce planning | Hard deadline: noon EDT Oct 14, 2026 (Los Angeles, Chicago) and Oct 16, 2026 (Seattle) | $27/hour |
| Investment Analyst Internship (Boston) | Investment Analyst Academy: training, simulations, case studies and shadowing in investment consulting | Posted Oct 6, 2026; video interviews due Dec 31, 2026; finals in January 2027 | $27/hour plus a housing bonus |
| Retirement Actuarial Externship (the firm's own 12-day program, not an Extern Externship) | Online sample projects and analyst shadowing for actuarial students, July 29 to Aug 13, 2027 | Video interviews due Oct 23, 2026; finals in November 2026 | $20/hour (84 hours) |
| Summer Associate, MBA or master's (Workforce and Rewards; MercerWell) | Graduate-level consulting roles; MercerWell covers population health and wellbeing | Chicago and MercerWell postings end Oct 23, 2026; Los Angeles deadline Dec 6, 2026 | MBA track $65 to $75/hour; MercerWell $40/hour (New York, San Francisco) |
The first five rows are for bachelor's students; the Summer Associate row is for MBA and master's students only. Government Health Consulting internships (actuarial, financial and informatics, in Phoenix and Minneapolis) are closed for summer 2027. Every role sits on the Marsh Workday board.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
The summer 2027 postings set these rules, and they differ by track:
• Class year, Health and Benefits and Investments: expected graduation in fall 2027 or spring 2028, so rising seniors in summer 2027.
• Class year, Workforce and Rewards: it changes by office. Los Angeles takes spring 2028 through spring 2029 graduates, Seattle winter 2027 to spring 2028, and Chicago fall 2027 through spring 2028.
• GPA: the Health and Benefits postings state a "minimum preferred GPA: 3.0/4.0." Workforce and Rewards and Investments give no number.
• Majors: business, economics, health policy or healthcare administration for Health and Benefits; actuarial science, math, statistics, economics or engineering for the actuarial roles. The Investments posting says previous investment experience isn't required.
• Work authorization: every posting requires permanent US work authorization "without the need for sponsorship now or in the future." The Retirement Actuarial Externship adds that CPT and OPT aren't eligible.
• Graduate students: the Summer Associate roles want first-year MBA or master's students graduating in December 2027 or spring 2028.
Is the 3.0 GPA a Hard Cutoff at Mercer?
Not on paper. The Health and Benefits postings call 3.0 a "minimum preferred" GPA, which is softer than a requirement, and the Workforce and Rewards and Investments postings name no number at all. Vault's profile of the combined Marsh McLennan intern program lists a minimum GPA band of 3.00 to 3.49, which lines up. The firmer gates are elsewhere: the graduation window for your office, the fixed June 7 to August 13, 2027 dates on the city postings, and work authorization.
Profile Match · Extern Data
Could You Get In at Mercer? Compare Your Profile
Based on 143 consulting interns at top consulting firms from the classes of 2025 and 2026 (public LinkedIn profiles, aggregated). Six questions, under a minute.
Which summer are you applying for?
Recruiting timelines differ by class year, so we compare you with the right group.
Which group is your school closest to?
Firms recruit on campus in tiers. We match you against admits from schools like yours.
Is your major business, finance, economics or management?
Major is not a hard filter, but it shifts how much your coursework has to prove.
How many internships, externships or research positions have you held so far?
Count anything with a real employer, mentor or principal investigator attached. Retail and food service do not count.
Has any of that experience been consulting-, finance- or research-related?
Consulting, finance, research or analyst roles at any size of firm.
Are you in a consulting club, case competition team or business fraternity?
Case competitions are where most consulting admits get their first structured-problem reps.
Aggregated from public LinkedIn profiles of people who held the internship. No individual profile is shown. Read the full consulting intern profile analysis and the cross-industry study of 2,500+ intern profiles.
What Skills Does Mercer Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
Across the 17 undergraduate postings, the shared core is Excel, analysis and clear communication. Excel appears in 16, PowerPoint in 15, and "strong analytical skills, both quantitative and qualitative" in 15. Data analysis is named in 15 and presentation design in 14. The actuarial and financial postings add programming: R, Python, SAS and SQL are "a plus" in five of them, and four postings ask for a commitment to a Society of Actuaries designation. The three Workforce and Rewards postings add "storytelling with data." The Investments posting asks for curiosity about markets more than any tool.
What Mercer looks for in interns
Skills across 17 Mercer intern & analyst job descriptions · live US summer 2027 postings, October 2026
Method: full-text reading of the 17 undergraduate summer 2027 postings from the former Mercer business that were live on the Marsh Workday board on October 12, 2026. Graduate Summer Associate postings and Guy Carpenter roles aren't counted.
How Is Demand for Consulting Interns Moving Right Now?
Consulting intern postings · Sep vs Aug 2026
vs 1,378 in August
For Mercer applicants: the former Mercer business had 17 undergraduate summer 2027 postings live on October 12, 2026, all posted between September 8 and October 7. Workforce and Rewards closes on October 14 and 16, 2026, and Health and Benefits is reviewed on a rolling basis, so apply before the end date on your office's posting.
Daily US job-posting counts, Sep 1–30 vs Aug 1–31, 2026. Covers under half of US postings; shows direction, not market size.
Build These Skills Before You Apply
Each skill below maps to a remote Externship from Extern that leaves you with a finished project to discuss in interviews.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Health care data analysis | Health and Benefits: "Collect and analyze health care claims and utilization data, including cost projections and evaluations" | TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics |
| Workforce planning and people analytics | Workforce and Rewards: talent solutions across "Rewards, HR Transformation, Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning & Analytics, and Communications" | Amazon Fulfillment Center Operational Strategy & People Analytics |
| Investment markets and portfolio work | Investment Analyst: live training on "investment markets, portfolio construction, manager research, performance and risk" | Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling |
| Client recommendations and presentations | Workforce and Rewards: "Prepare client presentations, including recommendations to be presented to boards of directors" | Lean Startup Co. Corporate Strategy, mentored by Eric Ries |
The healthcare match is the closest one: Health and Benefits interns spend the summer on claims and utilization data, and the TruBridge project is built around healthcare data analysis.
What Is the Mercer Application and Interview Process Like?
The summer 2027 postings describe the steps, and they differ a little by track:
1. Apply on the Marsh careers site. The Health and Benefits postings tell candidates to apply on the company site and not through Handshake. Use a permanent home address and a personal email, not a school one.
2. Workforce and Rewards extras. Submit a resume and a cover letter, and apply to one office only. The posting warns against applying to the same role in several cities.
3. Recorded video interview. Nine of the 17 undergraduate postings name an on-demand video interview on the Phenom platform as the first round. The Boston Health and Benefits posting describes first-round behavioral interviews with the local team instead.
4. Final rounds. Workforce and Rewards reviews all candidates once applications close. Retirement Actuarial Externship finals are set for November 2026 and Investment Analyst finals for January 2027.
5. Final-round format. Candidates on Reddit describe a two-hour health consulting final made of back-to-back interviews, mostly behavioral.
Our behavioral interview guide covers the STAR answers that both the recorded video and the final rely on.
What Students on Reddit Say
Reddit threads about Mercer internships come mostly from health consulting and actuarial candidates, and they predate the Marsh rename.
A candidate said the final round for a Mercer health consulting internship was four back-to-back Zoom interviews with different employees over two hours. A Mercer employee replied to expect why actuary, why consulting and why health, plus situational questions with no single right answer.
A summer 2025 candidate was invited to a two-hour health consulting final in early November and wasn't told whether it would be case, behavioral or technical.
A student held health and benefits actuarial intern offers from Mercer, Aon and a Big 4 firm by early November. Commenters said interns are hourly, so their hours should be more reasonable than full-time staff hours, and that the large benefits consultancies pay new hires at a similar level.
How Do You Stand Out for a Mercer Internship?
Three moves. First, search the right name. Look for "People and Investments," "Health and Benefits," "Workforce and Rewards" and "College Program 2027" on the Marsh board, because a search for "Mercer" misses most titles. Second, match the office before you apply. Graduation windows change by office, Workforce and Rewards wants one office only with a cover letter, and the city Health and Benefits postings fix the dates at June 7 to August 13, 2027. Third, prepare behavioral answers and a reason for consulting. Candidates report finals that are mostly behavioral, and a Mercer employee on Reddit told one applicant to expect "why consulting" and "why health." Actuarial applicants should list the exams they've passed, since those postings ask for a commitment to a Society of Actuaries designation. Mercer publishes no applicant count or conversion rate. Vault's profile puts the combined Marsh McLennan program at 101 or more interns across four business units, so that figure isn't Mercer's alone.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Students who apply to the former Mercer business usually look at the other benefits, retirement and rewards consultancies too.
- AonDirect rival in health and benefits and retirement consulting; students compare the two offers on RedditGuide →
- Willis Towers WatsonDirect rival in health, retirement and rewards consultingGuide →
- Korn FerryRewards and organizational consulting rival with a later US intern calendarGuide →
- Arthur J. GallagherBenefits consulting and insurance brokerage internshipsGuide →
- Oliver WymanSister business under Marsh: management consulting plus a separate actuarial practiceGuide →
Our consulting internships summer 2027 guide compares recruiting calendars across strategy, HR and specialist firms.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Mercer internship?
No. Summer 2026 internships are over, and the open cycle is summer 2027. On October 12, 2026, 17 undergraduate postings from the former Mercer business were live on the Marsh board. Workforce and Rewards closes October 14 and 16, 2026, Health and Benefits is rolling into early November, and Investments takes video interviews until December 31, 2026.
Does Mercer still have internships now that it's Marsh?
Yes, under a new name. The summer 2027 postings state that Mercer has become Marsh, and the old Mercer business recruits as Marsh People and Investments. Its internships are posted as College Program 2027 roles in Health and Benefits, Workforce and Rewards, and Investments and Retirement on the Marsh careers site.
When do Mercer internship applications open for summer 2027?
They opened between September 8 and October 7, 2026, about nine months before the June 7, 2027 start. Workforce and Rewards closes at noon Eastern on October 14 and 16, 2026. Health and Benefits postings are scheduled to end between October 17 and November 7, 2026. Summer 2028 applications are expected in early to mid September 2027.
How much do Mercer interns get paid?
The summer 2027 postings publish $27 an hour for Workforce and Rewards and Investment Analyst interns, and the Boston Investments role adds a housing bonus. The 12-day Retirement Actuarial Externship pays $20 an hour. Master's associates earn $40 an hour in New York and San Francisco, and MBA associates $65 to $75. Health and Benefits pay isn't published.
What GPA do you need for a Mercer internship?
The Health and Benefits postings state a minimum preferred GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Workforce and Rewards asks for strong academic achievement and Investments for a strong academic record, with no number. Graduation timing matters as much: most tracks want students finishing in fall 2027 or spring 2028.
Does Mercer sponsor visas for interns?
No. Every summer 2027 posting requires permanent US work authorization without the need for sponsorship now or in the future. The Retirement Actuarial Externship posting goes further, saying visa sponsorship isn't available and that CPT and OPT aren't eligible. International students should check this line before applying to any track.
What is the Mercer internship interview process like?
You apply on the Marsh careers site, then most tracks send an on-demand video interview on the Phenom platform. Final rounds follow: November 2026 for the Retirement Actuarial Externship and January 2027 for Investments. Candidates on Reddit describe a two-hour health consulting final of back-to-back, mostly behavioral interviews.
What is the Mercer Retirement Actuarial Externship?
It's the firm's own paid, fully online program for actuarial students: 12 days and 84 hours from July 29 to August 13, 2027, at $20 an hour, with sample projects and analyst shadowing. Video interviews are due October 23, 2026. It isn't an Extern Externship, which is a separate remote project program from Extern.
Mercer's summer 2027 internships are posted under Marsh People and Investments, and each office has its own date. Apply to the track that fits, and bring a project you can talk through: a remote Externship from Extern gives you finished healthcare, people analytics or investing work for the video interview.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
