L.E.K. Consulting 2028 application guide

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2028 summer analysts
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17 cited

Applying to L.E.K. Consulting for summer 2028? L.E.K.'s undergraduate internship in the US is the Summer Associate, for rising seniors. Check your resume below, then read when L.E.K. takes applications, how the one-office rule works, what to send and what happens after you submit.

A student working on a laptop at the fold-down tray of a commuter train seat, a printed resume and a pen beside it, a blurred autumn landscape passing the window.
L.E.K. takes one application a year from each candidate, to one of its global offices.

Key facts

  • Deadline: For summer 2027, the US Summer Associate window ran from Jun 30 to about Aug 31, 2026. For summer 2024, L.E.K. set its undergraduate deadline at Sep 1, 2023.8,9,7
  • Portal: You apply on L.E.K.'s Americas job board at lek.tal.net, run by Oleeo, linked from the firm's Apply page.1,3
  • Office choice: You can apply to only one of L.E.K.'s global offices per year, so pick it before you start the form.1
  • Documents: A resume, a cover letter saying which office you prefer and why, and an unofficial transcript. The full-time posting also asks you to name any sector interest in the cover letter.8,4
  • Who it is for: Undergraduates between junior and senior year. For summer 2027 that meant students graduating in 2028, so summer 2028 is for the class of 2029.8,5
  • Work authorization: L.E.K. cannot consider undergraduate candidates who need visa sponsorship now or in the future, including F-1 OPT or CPT.5,7,4
  • The internship: 8 to 10 weeks of real casework, starting with a one-week training event with interns from every US office. The summer 2027 data science track paid $1,850 a week.2,5

L.E.K. also runs a Summer DDA Associate track for undergraduates in data science, on its Digital, Data & AI team, with its own posting. For summer 2027 it was for students graduating in 2028.5

Check your resume before you apply

Summer Associate at L.E.K. Consulting

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What the L.E.K. Consulting online application looks like

  1. Pick your one office first

    L.E.K. takes one application a year from each candidate, to one of its offices worldwide. The US Summer Associate offices are Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, so choose the one you can make the strongest case for before you write anything.1,8

  2. Watch the late-summer window

    For summer 2027, the US Summer Associate window opened around Jun 30, 2026 and closed around Aug 31, 2026. L.E.K. set Sep 1 as its undergraduate deadline for summer 2024 too, so expect summer 2028 to close around the start of September 2027.8,9,7

  3. Write a cover letter for that office

    Send a resume, a cover letter that names your preferred office and why, and an unofficial transcript. L.E.K. assesses sector specialization during interviews, and its full-time posting asks you to flag Life Sciences, Financial Services or Organization & Performance in the cover letter if one of them is your aim.8,4

  4. Check your work authorization

    L.E.K. says it cannot consider undergraduates who need visa sponsorship now or in the future, and its 2027 undergraduate postings say the same. Check this before you spend time on the application.7,5,4

  5. Straight after you submit

    L.E.K. reviews every application. Expect an online assessment before interviews: L.E.K. added a digital assessment to its application in 2020, its US MBA Summer Consultant posting requires one, and recent US Associate processes ran it before the first round, with the first-round invitation about two weeks later.1,6,10,14,15

  6. Then two rounds of case interviews

    Selected candidates are invited to several rounds of interviews that mix case studies with questions about your background. In 2025 and 2026 US processes, that meant two 30-minute interviews in the first round and three back to back in the final round.1,11,12,15

What the application asks

Office One a year
One of L.E.K.'s global offices; you cannot apply to a second in the same year.
Resume Required
One page, Education first.
Cover letter Required
Your preferred office and why, plus any sector interest.
Unofficial transcript Required
Have a PDF ready before you open the form.
Work authorization Check first
Undergraduate roles do not sponsor visas.

The one-office rule and the Oleeo system come from L.E.K.'s Apply page, the documents from Extern and the full-time posting, and the sponsorship rule from L.E.K.'s postings. The form sits behind a login, so check each field when you open it.1,8,4,5

L.E.K. resume checklist

  • One page, saved as a PDF, with no objective or summary line.
  • Education first while you are a student: school, degree written out, graduation month and year.
  • GPA as 3.62/4.00 if it helps you; add a major GPA if it is higher.
  • Experience newest first, every bullet starting with a verb and ending with what changed.
  • At least one bullet that shows you sized a market, built a model or tested a plan with data.
  • Leadership roles over memberships: what you ran, fixed or built.
  • A cover letter for your one office, saying why that office, and naming a sector if you have one in mind.
  • An unofficial transcript ready to upload.
  • Every line true and yours, and ready to talk about for a minute.

What to put on it

The resume and cover letter are what L.E.K. reads first, and each interview opens with a few minutes of getting to know you. Put Education first while you are a student, then experience, leadership and skills. The examples below are Intervyo rewrites of common resume lines, not questions from the form.1,17,12

  • Education: School, degree, graduation month and year, and GPA. First on the page while you are a student.
  • Experience: Internships and jobs, newest first, each bullet saying what changed because of your work.
  • Leadership and activities: Roles where you owned an outcome, not only memberships.
  • Skills and interests: Excel, any modeling or data tools you could use on day one, and a few real interests.

Example questions and how to answer them

Experience bullet"Rewrite this bullet: "Helped research a market for a healthcare startup.""17
  1. 1Start with a verb for what you did yourself: sized, interviewed, modeled, recommended.
  2. 2Name the question the work answered in plain words.
  3. 3Add scale with one defensible number.
  4. 4End with the decision your work fed into.

Tip: L.E.K. does a lot of market sizing and deal work, so a bullet that shows you sized a market or tested a growth plan reads as close to the job. Use your own numbers.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Sized the US market for at-home physical therapy devices from 20 clinician interviews and public claims data, estimating $1.2 billion in annual spend; the founders used the estimate to pick their first two states for launch.

Education line"Rewrite this education line: "Northwestern, Econ, 3.6, 2029""17,8
  1. 1University and location on the first line.
  2. 2Degree written out, with the expected graduation month and year.
  3. 3GPA to two decimals with the scale.
  4. 4An optional line for honors or relevant coursework.

Tip: Summer 2028 Summer Associates are rising seniors, so most will show a 2029 graduation date.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL Bachelor of Arts in Economics, expected June 2029. GPA: 3.62/4.00 Relevant coursework: Econometrics, Industrial Organization, Corporate Finance

Leadership and activities"Rewrite this activity: "Member, Consulting Club.""17
  1. 1Lead with what you were responsible for, not the membership.
  2. 2Name the client or problem and what you found.
  3. 3Give one number for scale.
  4. 4Show what the client did with it.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Project Lead, Undergraduate Consulting Club: led a team of four on a pricing review for a campus coffee chain, testing three price points across 600 transactions; the owner raised prices on two drinks, lifting monthly revenue 6%.

From cover letter to interview"Why L.E.K., and why this office?"1,4,8
  1. 1One sentence on what draws you to strategy work.
  2. 2One reason specific to L.E.K., such as its focus on strategy and M&A work or the breadth of projects an Associate sees.
  3. 3Why this office, the one you chose under the one-office rule.
  4. 4Tie it to something you have done: a class, a job or a project.

Tip: Your cover letter has to answer this for one office, and L.E.K. says its interviews test your interest in consulting and in L.E.K. specifically. Keep the letter and your spoken answer consistent.

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How long to hear back after the online application

L.E.K. reviews every application, and recent US processes have moved fast once they start: the online assessment, then the first round about two weeks later, then the final round, often in one to two months from applying.1,14,12,15

  1. Mar 2026

    Lateral Associate, Chicago

    A skills test, then a first round of two cases with associates, then a final round of three cases with managers, principals and partners. One to two months in all.15

  2. Dec 2025

    Lateral Associate, New York

    The L.E.K. digital assessment, then an email about two weeks later to schedule the first round. Less than a month in all.14

  3. Sep 2025

    Associate, Boston

    Two cases in the first round and three back to back in the final. One to two months in all.13

  4. Aug 2025

    Associate, Boston

    Applied online, then two 30-minute interviews and a final round of three back to back. One to two months, ending in an offer.12

  5. Sep 2024

    Analyst, Los Angeles

    A recruiter phone call, then two 30-minute cases in the first round and three in the second. One to two months in all.16

In the summer 2027 cycle, first rounds were set for September and October 2026 and final rounds for October and November, with offers within one to two weeks of the final.8

Best guessExpect the online assessment within a few weeks of applying and first-round invitations in September, after the deadline. If you hear nothing by mid-October, a short note to your campus recruiter is reasonable.

What happens after the online application

  1. Online applicationYou are here

    This page. One office, a resume, a cover letter and an unofficial transcript.1,8

  2. Online assessment

    An online assessment: L.E.K. added a digital assessment to its application in 2020, its US MBA Summer Consultant posting requires one, and recent US Associate processes sat it before the first round, about two weeks ahead of the first-round invitation.6,10,14,15

  3. First-round interviews

    Two interviews of about 30 minutes, each a few minutes of fit questions and then a case. Some offices start with a short recruiter call.12,14,16

  4. Final-round interviews

    Three back-to-back interviews of about 30 minutes with managers, principals and partners in 2025 and 2026 US processes. Prep guides also describe a 60-minute written case.12,15,8,10

Summer Associate vs full-time Associate

Both are undergraduate roles on the same Oleeo board, with the same one-office rule. Both deadlines fell at the end of summer 2026.

Who

Summer Associate (intern)

Rising seniors, graduating the year after the internship.8,5

Associate (full-time)

Graduating seniors, starting in August or October 2027.4

Last deadline

Summer Associate (intern)

Late August or early September 2026 (summer 2027).8,9

Associate (full-time)

Aug 31, 2026 (2027 start).9

Cover letter

Summer Associate (intern)

Your preferred office and why.8

Associate (full-time)

Office, plus any interest in Life Sciences, Financial Services or Organization & Performance.4

Pay

Summer Associate (intern)

$1,850 a week on the summer 2027 data science track.5

Associate (full-time)

$95,000 base for a 2027 start, plus a performance bonus and profit sharing.4

Visa sponsorship

Summer Associate (intern)

Not available at the undergraduate level.5,7

Associate (full-time)

Not available.4

2028 summer analyst status

For summer 2027, the US Summer Associate window closed around Aug 31, 2026, and L.E.K.'s summer 2024 deadline was Sep 1, 2023. Expect summer 2028 to close around the start of September 2027.8,9,7

FAQ

When do L.E.K. 2028 Summer Associate applications open?

Expect a window over summer 2027 that closes around Sep 1, 2027. For summer 2027, applications opened around Jun 30, 2026 and closed around Aug 31, 2026, and L.E.K. used a Sep 1 deadline for summer 2024 as well.8,9,7

How many L.E.K. offices can I apply to?

One. L.E.K. takes an application to only one of its global offices per candidate per year, so choose the office before you write the cover letter.1

Does L.E.K. require a cover letter?

Yes, plan on one. The Summer Associate application asks for a cover letter naming your preferred office and why, and the full-time posting asks you to use it to flag any sector interest.8,4

Does L.E.K. sponsor visas for undergraduates?

No. L.E.K. says it cannot consider undergraduate candidates who would need sponsorship now or in the future, and its 2027 undergraduate postings rule out F-1 OPT and CPT too.7,5,4

Is there an online test after the L.E.K. application?

Expect one. L.E.K. added a digital assessment to its application in 2020, its US MBA Summer Consultant posting requires an online assessment, and recent US Associate processes took one before the first round. Read your invitation for the platform, format and timing.6,10,14,15

Who is the L.E.K. Summer Associate for?

Undergraduates between junior and senior year. The internship runs 8 to 10 weeks of real casework and starts with a one-week training event. First-year MBA students apply for the Summer Consultant role instead.8,2,6

Online application at other firms

Sources

Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 5, 2026.

  1. 1L.E.K. Consulting: Apply
  2. 2L.E.K. Consulting: Roles at L.E.K.
  3. 3L.E.K. Consulting: Current Openings - Americas
  4. 4L.E.K. Consulting, via Handshake: U.S. Associate - 2027
  5. 5L.E.K. Consulting: Summer DDA Associate - 2027
  6. 6L.E.K. Consulting: U.S. Summer Consultant - 2027
  7. 7University of Michigan, Happening @ Michigan: Summer Associate Q&A Panel (Aug 2023) · prep site
  8. 8Extern: L.E.K. Consulting Internship 2027-2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply · prep site
  9. 9Management Consulted: Consulting Application Deadlines 2026 · prep site
  10. 10CaseInterview.com: L.E.K. Consulting [2026 Profile] · prep site
  11. 11Candidate reports on a public forum: LEK Consulting interview questions (Nov 2026 listing)
  12. 12Candidate report on a public forum: Associate interview, Boston (Aug 2025)
  13. 13Candidate report on a public forum: Associate interview, Boston (Sep 2025)
  14. 14Candidate report on a public forum: Lateral Associate interview, New York (Dec 2025)
  15. 15Candidate report on a public forum: Lateral Associate interview, Chicago (Mar 2026)
  16. 16Candidate report on a public forum: Analyst interview, Los Angeles (Sep 2024)
  17. 17Road to Offer: Management Consulting Resume: Examples + Free AI Review · prep site

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