Quick Facts
Sun Life internship · at a glance
Roles open and close throughout the year. Check Sun Life'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 Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling Externship.
Explore all externships →All quick facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Sun Life campus job board (Workday), linked from the US internship and co-op page; set a job alert, since roles post "as they become available" |
| Application window (2027–28) | Summer 2027 actuarial: closed (posted mid-Sep, removed Sep 29, 2026). Expected: summer 2027 business and data internships Feb to Apr 2027; summer 2028 actuarial around mid-Sep 2027. Open now: two Wellesley co-ops for Jan to Jun 2027, scheduled to come down Nov 2 and Nov 9, 2026 |
| Rolling? | No. Postings stay up for days to weeks: last cycle's data science internship was scheduled to close five days after posting |
| Eligibility | Enrolled in an accredited college or university; actuarial asked for a 3.0 GPA and graduation between Dec 2027 and Jun 2028; eligible to work in the US; available 40 hours a week |
| Duration | 10-week summer program starting in early June; co-ops run January to June |
| Compensation | Medical Intelligence co-op $25/hr; last cycle's data science intern about $25/hr and compliance intern about $22/hr; actuarial pay not shown in the postings we read |
| Return offers | No rate published; co-ops can return for further placements, and full-time actuaries join a rotational Actuarial Development Program |
| Locations | Hybrid, near Wellesley, MA; Kansas City, MO; Hartford, CT; Portland, ME; or Milwaukee, WI |
| # Programs | Actuarial internship; business and data internships; co-ops (including SLC Management) |
Last updated: October 2026
Sun Life's summer 2027 actuarial internship has already closed. The five-office "Actuarial Intern - Summer 2027" posting went up in mid-September 2026 and came down on September 29, a month before its scheduled end date, and Sun Life's job system now reports it as closed. As of October 5, 2026, Sun Life U.S. had no summer 2027 internships open. What is open: two Wellesley, Massachusetts co-ops for January to June 2027.
If you're not an actuarial student, you're early, not late. Last cycle, Sun Life's US data science and compliance internships posted in late February and April, a few months before the 10-week program started in June. In plain words: actuarial students apply in September for the following summer; everyone else applies in late winter or spring of the same year.
What Is a Sun Life Internship?
A Sun Life internship in the US is a paid, 10-week summer program at Sun Life U.S., the group benefits, stop-loss and dental business of Toronto-based Sun Life, with hybrid roles near its Wellesley, Massachusetts headquarters and offices in Kansas City, Hartford, Portland and Milwaukee. Actuarial interns complete entry-level projects and present their summer to the actuarial community; other interns work in areas like data science and compliance. Sun Life also runs semester co-ops, including at SLC Management, its institutional asset manager. Interns join learning events and socials with interns from across the company.
When Do Sun Life Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
Sun Life runs two calendars. The actuarial internship for summer 2027 posted in mid-September 2026, about eight and a half months before the June start, and was removed on September 29. Last year's recruiter post for summer 2026 actuarial roles dates to late September 2025, so the fall timing looks stable. Business and data internships post much later: last cycle's data science internship for summer 2026 posted on February 28, 2026, and a compliance internship on April 20, only one to three months before June. Expect summer 2027 business and data roles around February to April 2027 (a projection from two postings), and summer 2028 actuarial roles around mid-September 2027.
The summer 2027 actuarial window is closed, and no other summer 2027 roles have posted yet. Two Wellesley co-ops for January to June 2027 are open: Medical Intelligence ($25 an hour) and SLC Management's Strategic Vendor Management.
The two co-op postings are scheduled to come down. Treat these as the latest dates to apply, not guarantees: the actuarial posting came down a month before its own scheduled date.
Business and data internships for summer 2027 are expected to post. Last cycle's data science internship posted February 28 and was scheduled to close March 5; the compliance internship posted April 20.
The 10-week summer 2027 program starts, hybrid, with lunch-and-learns, networking with business leaders and an end-of-summer presentation for actuarial interns.
The actuarial internship for summer 2028 is expected to post. This cycle's version was up for about two weeks, so set an alert on the campus board by early September.
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
Sun Life's student postings come and go fast, and none of them roll. The summer 2027 actuarial internship was visible for roughly two weeks before it came down on September 29, even though its scheduled end date was October 29. Last cycle's data science internship for summer 2026 posted on February 28 with a scheduled end date of March 5, five days later, and the compliance internship ran from April 20 to a May 14 end date. There's no published deadline to plan around, so the only safe move is a job alert on Sun Life's campus board and an application within days of a posting going live.
Which Sun Life Internship Programs Should You Target?
Sun Life's US student roles fall into three groups with very different calendars. Pick the row that matches your major.
| Program | Focus | Timing | Key skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actuarial Internship | Entry-level actuarial projects in Wellesley, Kansas City, Hartford, Portland or Milwaukee; end-of-summer presentation | Summer 2027 closed Sep 29, 2026; summer 2028 expected mid-Sep 2027 | Excel/VBA, programming, 3.0 GPA, actuarial exams |
| Data Science Internship (Health & Risk Solutions) | Predictive models and AI for pricing, underwriting and clinical review | Summer 2026 posted Feb 28, 2026; summer 2027 expected Feb to Apr 2027 | Python, SQL, machine learning; master's or PhD |
| Compliance and other business internships | Compliance testing, risk review and similar business work | Summer 2026 posted Apr 20, 2026; summer 2027 expected Feb to Apr 2027 | Excel, research, written communication |
| Medical Intelligence Co-op (Sun Life U.S.) | Provider research library for 40+ medical specialties | Open now for Jan to Jun 2027; $25/hr | Healthcare research, MS Office |
| Strategic Vendor Management Co-op (SLC Management) | Vendor relationships with market data providers such as Bloomberg and S&P | Open now for a 2027 co-op term | Excel, Salesforce, interest in investments |
Sun Life's US actuarial student page explains the actuarial program and offices; co-ops are posted through school co-op portals as well as the campus board.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
Requirements from the summer 2027 actuarial posting (read on Built In Boston after it closed) and the live co-op postings:
• Enrollment: currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program for the whole internship or co-op.
• Actuarial: a degree program in actuarial science, math, statistics, data analytics, data science, computer science or a related area; minimum 3.0 GPA; expected graduation between December 2027 and June 2028 preferred; Excel/VBA and programming preferred.
• Data science (last cycle): a completed bachelor's degree and a master's or doctorate in progress.
• Work authorization: "Eligible to legally work in the United States." None of the postings we read includes a sponsorship clause either way.
• Location and hours: hybrid, and you must live near one of the five US offices; 40 hours a week during the session.
Is the 3.0 GPA a Hard Cutoff at Sun Life?
For actuarial, treat it as one: the summer 2027 posting listed a "Minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0." The co-op and business postings name no GPA. The graduation window matters as much: the actuarial posting preferred students finishing between December 2027 and June 2028, which points the summer 2027 internship at rising seniors. If you'll graduate in 2028 or later, the summer 2028 window in September 2027 is the one to target.
Profile Match · Extern Data
Could You Get In at Sun Life? Compare Your Profile
Based on 543 investment banking summer analysts at top investment banks 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 finance, economics, accounting or business?
Math and statistics count too. 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 finance-related?
Banking, PE or VC, corporate finance, wealth management, equity research, accounting or consulting. Any size of firm counts.
Are you in a finance club, investment fund or case competition team?
Campus clubs are how most admits get their first deal and modelling reps.
Aggregated from public LinkedIn profiles of people who held the internship. No individual profile is shown. Read the full investment banking intern profile analysis and the cross-industry study of 2,500+ intern profiles.
What Skills Does Sun Life Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
Across Sun Life's five recent US student postings, communication is the one skill every posting asks for. Most also want analytical thinking, data analysis, Microsoft Excel and teamwork. Beyond that, actuarial interns need Excel/VBA, programming and exam progress (Sun Life's actuarial page calls Excel and VBA "essential"), data science interns need Python, SQL and machine learning, and compliance and co-op roles want research skills, organization and attention to detail.
What Sun Life looks for in interns
Skills across 5 Sun Life intern & analyst job descriptions · summer 2027 actuarial, two 2027 co-ops and two summer 2026 internships, US
Method: full-text reading of five Sun Life U.S. student postings: Actuarial Intern - Summer 2027 (Built In Boston copy, closed), the two live Wellesley co-ops (Workday, October 5, 2026), and the summer 2026 Data Science and Compliance internships (job-board copies). No summer 2027 business or data posting exists yet, so the last two come from the prior cycle.
How Is Demand for Actuarial Interns Moving Right Now?
Actuarial intern postings · Sep vs Aug 2026
vs 43 in August
For Sun Life applicants: Sun Life's summer 2027 actuarial internship came down on September 29, 2026, about two weeks after it posted. Its next actuarial window, for summer 2028, is expected around mid-September 2027, so set a campus-board alert by early September.
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 Sun Life skill maps to a remote Externship you can finish before its next window opens.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Health and benefits data analysis | Data Science, Health & Risk Solutions: predictive models for "pricing, underwriting and clinical review" | TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics |
| Excel modeling | Actuarial: "Excel/VBA proficiency preferred" | Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling |
| Healthcare operations research | Medical Intelligence co-op: research and compile provider resources for 40+ specialties | Healthcare Operations Consulting |
| AI on documents and data | Data Science: generative AI, RAG workflows and LLMs in business processes desired | Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction |
The health data match is closest: Sun Life U.S. is mostly a group benefits and stop-loss business, so a finished healthcare analytics project speaks directly to the teams that hire its data and actuarial interns.
What Is the Sun Life Application and Interview Process Like?
Sun Life doesn't publish its intern interview steps. Here's what its pages and community reports describe:
1. Set an alert. Internships are posted on the campus Workday board "as they become available," and recent ones stayed up for days to weeks.
2. Apply per posting. Each role is its own requisition; co-ops are also listed through school co-op portals.
3. Phone interview. A 2023 actuarial candidate described a phone screen before any offer decision.
4. Team interviews and offer. Actuarial offers have arrived by late October in past cycles; business-role timing follows the spring postings.
Sun Life's actuarial team also runs campus visits and virtual information sessions for actuarial students, which are worth attending before the September window. Our behavioral interview guide covers the phone-screen questions.
What Students on Reddit Say
Sun Life U.S. has a small Reddit footprint, so these are the few first-hand, dated reports about its US actuarial hiring and offices.
A US actuarial student held a Sun Life summer internship offer by late October and was choosing between it and two other insurers. Another applicant said they were turned down after Sun Life's phone interview and asked how others had answered.
A US candidate for an entry-level actuarial role was told the possible offices were Kansas City, Wellesley, Windsor and Portland. Commenters from Sun Life's Toronto office praised the rotation program and exam support; that's the Canadian side.
Asked for good employers in the Kansas City area, one local recommended Sun Life for anyone interested in insurance, citing great benefits and a good culture.
How Do You Stand Out for a Sun Life Internship?
Three moves. First, get the calendar right. Actuarial students should target summer 2028 and be ready by early September 2027; business and data students should watch the board from February 2027. Second, live near an office. Every Sun Life US internship is hybrid and asks you to be near Wellesley, Kansas City, Hartford, Portland or Milwaukee, so name the office you can reach. Third, show Excel and health data. Sun Life calls Excel and VBA essential for actuarial work, and its US business is group benefits and stop-loss, so a project with real health or claims data stands out. Sun Life publishes no applicant count or conversion rate.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Sun Life U.S. competes for actuarial and benefits students with other group benefits carriers and Boston-area insurers.
- UnumGroup disability and benefits carrier with a major Portland, Maine officeGuide →
- MetLifeMajor US group benefits carrier with actuarial internshipsGuide →
- Guardian LifeGroup benefits and dental insurerGuide →
- Principal FinancialGroup benefits and retirement insurerGuide →
- John HancockBoston life insurer with a Canadian parent, ManulifeCareers site
Our insurance internships summer 2027 guide compares calendars across benefits carriers, life insurers and brokers.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2027 Sun Life actuarial internship?
No. Sun Life's Actuarial Intern - Summer 2027 posting came down on September 29, 2026, and its job system now reports it as closed. Actuarial students should target summer 2028, expected around mid-September 2027. Business and data internships for summer 2027 haven't posted yet and are expected February to April 2027.
When do Sun Life's other summer internships open?
Later than actuarial. Last cycle's US data science internship posted on February 28, 2026 and a compliance internship on April 20, so expect summer 2027 business and data roles between February and April 2027. They close quickly, so set a job alert on Sun Life's campus board now.
How long is the Sun Life internship?
Ten weeks. Sun Life describes its US summer internship as a 10-week paid program, and the actuarial internship begins in early June. Co-ops run longer, on a semester schedule: the open Medical Intelligence co-op runs January to June 2027 at 40 hours a week.
How much do Sun Life interns make?
The open Medical Intelligence co-op pays $25 an hour. Last cycle's data science internship paid about $25 an hour and its compliance internship about $22. The summer 2027 actuarial posting didn't list pay in the copy we read, so don't assume a figure.
Where are Sun Life internships in the US?
Near one of five offices: Wellesley, Massachusetts, the US headquarters; Kansas City, Missouri; Hartford, Connecticut; Portland, Maine; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Internships are hybrid, so Sun Life asks interns to live near the office they're assigned to rather than work fully remote.
Does Sun Life offer co-ops in the US?
Yes. Two Wellesley co-ops for 2027 were open on October 5, 2026: Medical Intelligence with Sun Life U.S. Health and Risk Solutions, and Strategic Vendor Management with SLC Management. Their postings are scheduled to come down on November 9 and November 2, 2026.
What GPA does Sun Life want for actuarial interns?
The summer 2027 actuarial posting asked for a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and preferred students graduating between December 2027 and June 2028. It also preferred Excel/VBA and programming skills, and prior actuarial internship experience counted as a plus.
What is SLC Management?
SLC Management is Sun Life's institutional asset management arm, with a US office in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It posts student roles on the same Sun Life campus board, such as the open Strategic Vendor Management co-op, which supports relationships with market data providers like Bloomberg and S&P.
Sun Life's next windows are February to April 2027 for business and data roles and September 2027 for actuarial. Use the months in between: a remote Externship gives you a finished health data or modeling project before they open.
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.
