This page covers Citadel, the hedge fund, and its own summer 2028 student routes: the Equities Citadel Associate Program internship and the Software Engineer internship. Citadel Securities, the market maker, is a separate firm with its own pages; most US trading internship forms list roles at both firms. Check your resume below, then read when each route opens, what the forms ask and what follows.
Key facts
- When it opens: For summer 2028, the Equities Associate Program internship was taking applications by Oct 15, 2026; its summer 2027 edition was up by Dec 2025. Software and trading intern roles for summer 2027 were posted by Jul 2026, so expect the summer 2028 ones around June to August 2027.1,5
- Who it is for: The Associate Program internship is for undergraduates graduating between December 2028 and May 2029. The software internship asks for a bachelor's, master's or PhD in computer science, computer engineering or a related field, and familiarity with probability and statistics.1,2
- Documents: Both forms ask for a resume (.docx, .doc, .pdf or .txt, up to 10MB), an education history with your GPA and its scale, and short questions, with no cover letter field. The software form adds a 150 to 300 word story and your top two coding languages for interviews.1,2
- Pay and length: The Associate Program internship pays $2,500 to $3,000 per week base in New York; the software internship $4,500 to $5,800 in New York, Miami, Greenwich or Houston. Both run 11 weeks, opening with a one-week offsite.1,2,3
- Online tests: Associate Program: the Wonderlic, a 12-minute cognitive test. In the full-time 2027 process it came with the FCAT, a 45-minute modeling test, with one week to finish both; the summer 2027 internship email listed one 15-minute online assessment. Software: a HackerRank coding test, two problems in 60 minutes in Jan 2024 (summer 2024).7,8,9,10,11
- After the tests: For summer 2027 the Associate Program ran a 15-minute online assessment, a Zoom interview with a recruiter, a superday in early January with three interviews with investment professionals, then a final round. Software runs a 45-minute video round, usually three 45-minute interviews, then a leadership interview with an interested team.7,4
Citadel programs on the tracker
Live from the Intervyo tracker, so the dates update as Citadel posts them.
- 2028 Summer Analyst Program
- Opens Oct 5
- Discover Citadel
- Opens Oct 5, closes Mar 5
- 2028 Full-Time Analyst Program
- Dates not announced yet
Citadel's trading internships, such as Fixed Income & Macro, are not covered here. Most US trading forms at Citadel and Citadel Securities share one role list that covers trading roles at both firms, and Citadel also posts its Fixed Income & Macro internship on its own. Our Citadel Securities pages cover its Quantitative Trader route.6
Check your resume before you apply
Check your resume
Read against the Associate Program Intern role at Citadel, Equities, the way the first screen reads it.
- A score and a verdict
- An ATS check
- Your lines rewritten
What the Citadel online application looks like
Pick your route
The Equities Citadel Associate Program internship trains investors for Citadel's long/short equities platform in New York, through classroom teaching, mentorship and rotations across investment teams. The Software Engineer internship builds trading tools and research platforms in New York, Miami, Greenwich or Houston. Trading roles, such as Fixed Income & Macro, have their own postings, and most US trading forms let you rank roles at both Citadel and Citadel Securities.1,2,6
Fill in the form
Upload a resume and add your school, degree, major, GPA, GPA scale and dates. The Associate Program form then asks your preferred office, return offers, late-stage processes elsewhere, work authorization, how you heard of Citadel, anyone you know there, any non-compete and links to your work. The software form adds internship timing (June to August, or an off-cycle term), your top two coding languages and a 150 to 300 word story.1,2
The online tests
For the Associate Program, expect the Wonderlic, a 12-minute cognitive test. In the full-time 2027 process it came with the FCAT, a 45-minute modeling test, within days of applying, with one week to finish both; the summer 2027 internship email listed one 15-minute online assessment. Software applicants get a HackerRank coding test: two problems in 60 minutes in Jan 2024 (summer 2024), within two weeks of applying.7,8,9,10,11
Associate Program rounds
For summer 2027, after the test came a Zoom interview with an Associate Program recruiter, then a superday in early January: a mixer with investors the evening before and three interviews with investment professionals, then a final round. A New York process in Jun 2026 (full-time 2027) ran a 45-minute business development round, then three interviews with portfolio managers.7,9
Software rounds
Citadel's campus engineering process has four steps over about eight weeks: a 45-minute video round on coding, data structures, algorithms and your reasons for Citadel; usually three 45-minute interviews; a leadership interview with a senior engineer from an interested team; then a final review. It is the same process for Citadel and Citadel Securities.4
What the forms ask
- Personal information Both
- Name, email, phone and your current or most recent employer.
- Resume Both
- One file: .docx, .doc, .pdf or .txt, up to 10MB.
- Education history Both
- School, degree, major, GPA and GPA scale, start and graduation dates.
- Short questions Both
- Office, return offers, competing processes, work authorization or sponsorship, people you know or family at the firm, links to your work.
- Internship timing Software
- June to August, or September to December or January to April.
- Coding languages and story Software
- Your top two languages for interviews and a 150 to 300 word story.
Read from the live Associate Program summer 2028 form and the Software Engineer intern form. Neither has a cover letter or transcript field.1,2
Citadel internship resume checklist
- One page.
- Education first while you are a student, with the same GPA and scale you enter on the form.
- A graduation date that matches the route: December 2028 to May 2029 for the Associate Program internship.
- For the Associate Program, a stock pitch or model line with a thesis and a number.
- For software, projects with the stack, one hard choice and a result in numbers.
- Coding languages listed only if you can code in them live; the software form asks for your top two.
- Links to your work (GitHub, a personal site or a write-up) ready for the form.
- A 150 to 300 word story drafted before you open the software form.
What to put on it
The forms read your resume, education history and links to your work. The Associate Program rounds then turn to stock ideas and stock picking, and the software rounds to your projects, technical interests and internships. The examples below are Intervyo rewrites of common resume lines, not questions from the forms.1,2,4,8
- Education: School, degree, major, graduation month and year, GPA with its scale, and relevant coursework.
- Experience: Internships and jobs, with what you did and a result in numbers.
- Investing or projects: Stock pitches, investment club work and models for the Associate Program; software projects and links for engineering.
- Skills and interests: Modeling and data tools, or coding languages, and interests you can talk about.
Example questions and how to answer them
Investing line"Rewrite this activity line: "Member, student investment club.""1
- 1Lead with what you researched or pitched, not the club.
- 2Name the company, the thesis in a few words and the model behind it.
- 3Give a number: the return, the position size or the vote.
- 4Say what would have proved the thesis wrong, if there is room.
Tip: The Associate Program posting asks for financial modeling and company research, and for testing assumptions as new evidence comes in. A pitch line shows both.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
Pitched a long on a mid-cap industrial distributor to a 12-person investment committee: built a three-statement model with a margin bridge, argued pricing power was underestimated, and sized a 4% position the club approved; the stock rose 18% over six months.
Software project"Rewrite this project line: "Built a web app for my class.""2
- 1Say what the system does and who used it.
- 2Name the stack and one hard technical choice.
- 3Give a number for scale, speed or users.
- 4Link it on the form so an interviewer can read the code.
Tip: The software posting asks for exceptional programming and design skills, and the form asks for links to your academic or technical work.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
Built a course-scheduling service in TypeScript and PostgreSQL for 1,200 students; cut search time from 2 seconds to 150 milliseconds by precomputing conflict graphs, and handled 30,000 requests on registration day without downtime.
Education line"Rewrite this education line: "NYU, Finance, 3.7, 2029""1
- 1University and location on the first line.
- 2Degree and major written out, with the graduation month and year.
- 3GPA with its scale, as the form asks for both.
- 4A line of relevant coursework: accounting, corporate finance, statistics.
Tip: The Associate Program internship is for students graduating between December 2028 and May 2029, so make your graduation date plain.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
New York University, Stern School of Business, New York, NY Bachelor of Science in Finance, expected May 2029. GPA: 3.72/4.00 Relevant coursework: Financial Accounting, Corporate Finance, Statistics, Valuation
From resume to interview"Walk me through a stock you would buy or short."8,7
- 1The company and the call, long or short, in one line.
- 2What the market is missing, with the two or three numbers that matter.
- 3What would prove you wrong, and how you would know.
- 4Size and time frame: how much and for how long.
Tip: In the full-time 2027 process, the rounds after the tests checked stock-picking ability and fit. Have one or two ideas you can defend.
Software form question"In 150 to 300 words, share a story or experience that reflects who you are as a candidate."2,4
- 1Pick one story: a challenge, a passion or an achievement.
- 2Set it up in two sentences, then spend most words on what you did.
- 3End on what changed, with a number if there is one.
- 4Keep it inside 300 words.
Tip: This is the one written question on the software form. The engineering interviews also ask about your technical interests and reasons for Citadel, so keep the story consistent with what you will say there.
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How long to hear back after the online application
In the full-time 2027 process the Associate Program tests came within days of applying, with a week to finish them. For summer 2027, first rounds ran in late November and early December 2025, before superdays in Jan 2026. Engineering says its process takes about eight weeks.8,7,4
Jan 2024 (summer 2024)
Software intern, New York
A HackerRank test within two weeks of applying online: two questions, one medium and one hard, in 60 minutes. The process ended there.11
Dec 2025 (summer 2027)
Associate Program internship applicant
A first round in late November or early December, then told to expect word within a week or two on a superday in early January.7
Jan 2026 (summer 2027)
Associate Program internship applicants
A superday on Jan 9, 2026, after an earlier wave of superdays. The firm sped up the process only for applicants holding an exploding offer or another superday.7
May 2026 (full-time 2027)
Associate Program applicant, referred
A business development call a week before applications opened, then the Wonderlic and the FCAT straight after applying, with one week to finish both.8
Jun 2026 (full-time 2027)
Associate Program applicant, New York
The FCAT and the Wonderlic, a 45-minute business development round, then three interviews with portfolio managers, over one to two months.9
If you have a competing deadline, say so early: the summer 2027 email asked applicants to reach out, and the engineering page says the firm does its best to accommodate deadlines.7,4
Best guessFor the Associate Program internship, expect the 15-minute online assessment to be the standard Wonderlic, 50 questions in 12 minutes, with its link within days of applying. For software, if two weeks pass with no test, check your email filters before you assume a rejection.
What happens after the online application
Online applicationYou are here
This page. A resume, education history and short questions on Citadel's own form for each route.1,2
Online tests (Wonderlic and FCAT; coding for software)
The Wonderlic, a 12-minute cognitive test, for the Associate Program, with the 45-minute FCAT modeling test in the full-time 2027 process; a HackerRank coding test for software.8,9,10,11
First round (recruiter call; 45-minute video for software)
A Zoom interview with an Associate Program recruiter, or a 45-minute business development round; for software, a 45-minute video round on coding and your reasons for Citadel.7,9,4
Superday (three interviews)
For the Associate Program, a mixer with investors the evening before and three interviews with investment professionals; for software, usually three 45-minute interviews.7,4
Final round
A final round interview for the Associate Program; for software, a leadership interview with a senior engineer from an interested team, then a final review.7,4
Offer
An 11-week internship that opens with a one-week offsite; Associate Program interns rotate across investment teams.3,1
2028 summer analyst status
The Associate Program internship for summer 2028 was taking applications by Oct 15, 2026. For software, summer 2027 roles were posted by Jul 2026, so expect summer 2028 postings around June to August 2027 and have your resume ready before then.5
FAQ
When does the Citadel 2028 internship open?
It depends on the route. The Equities Associate Program summer 2028 internship was taking applications by Oct 15, 2026, and its summer 2027 edition was up by Dec 2025. Citadel posted its summer 2027 software and trading intern roles by Jul 2026, so expect the summer 2028 ones around June to August 2027. Neither posting gives a closing date.1,5
Is Citadel the same firm as Citadel Securities?
No. Citadel is a hedge fund; Citadel Securities is a separate market maker. Most of their US trading internship forms share one role list covering trading roles at both firms, and the campus engineering interview process is the same for both, but the Associate Program is Citadel's own equities program.6,4,1
What online test does Citadel send?
For the Associate Program, the Wonderlic, a 12-minute cognitive test; the full-time 2027 process paired it with the FCAT, a 45-minute modeling test, with a week for both. The summer 2027 internship email listed one 15-minute online assessment. For software, a HackerRank coding test: two problems in 60 minutes in Jan 2024 (summer 2024).8,9,10,11
Does Citadel ask for a cover letter?
Not on these forms. The Associate Program and software forms have no cover letter field: they ask for a resume, your education history with GPA and scale, short questions and links to your work. The software form adds a 150 to 300 word story and your top two coding languages.1,2
How much do Citadel interns make?
The Associate Program internship posting gives $2,500 to $3,000 per week base, and the software intern posting $4,500 to $5,800. Software interns may also get a sign-on bonus, housing support and travel.1,2
What happens after the online tests?
For summer 2027 the Associate Program ran a Zoom interview with a recruiter, then a superday in early January with three interviews with investment professionals, then a final round. Software runs a 45-minute video round, usually three 45-minute interviews and a leadership interview over about eight weeks.7,4
Online application at other firms
Sources
Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 10, 2026.
- 1Citadel: Equities - Citadel Associate Program - Summer Internship 2028, posting and application form
- 2Citadel: Software Engineer - Intern (US), posting and application form
- 3Citadel: Internships - Make Your Mark in Finance
- 4Citadel: Our Campus Engineering Interview Process (Nov 2024)
- 5Extern: Citadel Internship 2027-2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply · prep site
- 6Trading Interview: Citadel Securities Internship 2027: Pay, Roles And Interview Process · prep site
- 7Candidate discussion on a public forum: Citadel Associate Program summer 2027 internship process (Dec 2025 to Jan 2026)
- 8Candidate discussion on a public forum: Citadel Associate Program full-time 2027 process (May to Sep 2026)
- 9Candidate report on a public forum: Citadel Associate Program interview, New York (Jun 2026)
- 10Candidate discussion on a public forum: Citadel Wonderlic test, fundamental analyst (Apr 2020)
- 11Taro: SWE Intern Interview Experience, New York (Jan 2024) · candidate report
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