Diversity Programs & Early Access.
The programs that open bulge bracket doors — especially before junior year recruiting begins.
Two people in our dataset got into JPMorgan through the Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship — directly into Corporate & Investment Banking. These programs exist at every bulge bracket bank and are documented pipelines, not participation awards. Apply to all of them starting freshman fall.
Bank-by-Bank Programs
Most application windows open in September–November of your freshman or sophomore year — before most students even know these programs exist.
JPMorgan Chase
Advancing Black Pathways (ABP) Fellowship
JPMorgan's premier diversity fellowship. Brandon Robinson (Michigan Ross) and Rhema Onyia (Cornell) both announced their JPMorgan CIB offers as direct results of this program. It routes participants directly into Corporate & Investment Banking. This is not a side door — it is a pipeline.
Launching Leaders
JPMorgan's early career diversity program for freshmen and sophomores. Provides access to JPMorgan bankers, mentorship, and exposure to the firm before formal recruiting begins.
Winning Women
JPMorgan's early career diversity program for women interested in investment banking, markets, and corporate finance.
Goldman Sachs
Virtual Insight Series
Rhema Onyia was selected out of 10,000+ applicants as a first step into the Goldman Sachs recruiting pipeline. The program provides resume and interview coaching, divisional exposure, and a direct connection to GS recruiters.
Possibilities Summit
Goldman's on-campus diversity conference for underrepresented students. Exposure to different GS divisions and early relationship-building with GS alumni.
Goldman Sachs Freshman/Sophomore Programs
Goldman runs multiple early career programs that vary by year. Check gs.com/careers for current program names and timelines — they update annually.
Morgan Stanley
Sophomore IB Diversity Program
Morgan Stanley's structured early program for sophomores interested in investment banking. Direct access to Morgan Stanley IB bankers, technical prep, and a head start in the recruiting funnel.
Citi
Freshman Discovery Program
Citi's early career diversity program for freshmen. One of the few bulge bracket programs explicitly targeting first-year students. Apply in September.
Bank of America
BofA Freshman Diversity Program
Bank of America's early career diversity program providing exposure to global banking, markets, and research divisions.
When You Can't Land a Program
Diversity programs are competitive. If you don't get in, here's what the data says actually works:
Apply to a boutique IB internship.
If you don't land a diversity program, a boutique or middle market bank internship is the documented fallback. Zoe Zhao went Georgetown → UBS Investment Banking → JPMorgan. Any IB internship — even at a smaller firm — opens the door to bulge brackets later.
Target middle market banks (Jefferies, Baird, Houlihan Lokey).
Middle market banks recruit more broadly than bulge brackets. Getting into Jefferies or Houlihan Lokey as a sophomore or junior is a real path to Goldman or JPMorgan later.
Pursue a corporate finance or financial advisory internship.
FP&A, treasury, or transaction advisory at a Big 4 firm builds financial modeling skills and demonstrates finance seriousness. It's not IB, but it's a legitimate stepping stone.
Build the alumni network aggressively.
Zoe Zhao explicitly credited the Georgetown alumni network with making her IB career possible. Even from a semi-target school, alumni who are already at the banks will refer you if you build those relationships early.
Consider the pre-MBA IB path.
Some people enter corporate finance or consulting and move to IB at 24–26 after an MBA. It's a longer path, but it's real. An MBA from HBS, Wharton, or Booth resets the recruiting clock.