Blog · Quant careers
Quant intern pay in 2027, from the firms' own adverts
Pay-transparency laws in New York, Illinois and other US states make trading firms print a figure in their adverts. Here is what they print for summer 2027, and what it comes to.
Most of what circulates about quant intern pay is second-hand: forum posts, salary sites, a friend of a friend. It doesn't need to be. US adverts now have to state pay, so the firms tell you themselves. I read the 2027 internship adverts between 1 and 5 October 2026; these are the figures as written.
The figures
| Firm | Internship | Stated base pay |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Street | Quantitative Trader, New York (May–August) | $300,000 base salary |
| Jump Trading | Quantitative Trader, Chicago and New York (10 weeks) | $300,000 a year |
| IMC | Quantitative Trader, Chicago (10 weeks) | $250,000 base |
| Citadel | Quantitative Trader, US | $4,500–$5,800 a week |
| SIG | Quantitative Systematic Trading, New York and Philadelphia (10 weeks) | $8,600 a week |
| Two Sigma | Quantitative Researcher, New York (10 weeks) | $4,900–$5,500 a week |
What an "annual" intern salary means
When an intern advert says $300,000, it is quoting a rate, not promising $300,000 for the summer. You are paid for the weeks you work. Ten weeks at $300,000 a year is about $57,700. A weekly figure converts directly: ten weeks at $8,600 is $86,000.
So the headline numbers that look far apart are closer than they seem. Across these adverts a ten-week summer comes to roughly $45,000 to $86,000 of base pay, before the sign-on bonus and housing that most of them add.
Why there are no London figures
UK and European adverts don't state pay, and there is no equivalent law. Anything you read about London intern pay is an estimate. I would rather leave the column blank than fill it with a guess.
What the pay tells you about the interviews
Pay at this level comes with interviews to match. In my experience the interviews for a ten-week summer job at these firms are as demanding as for a permanent role, and some firms limit how often you can try: Optiver's online assessments can be taken once every eight months.
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The Quant Careers Report
The full table for interns and graduates at 13 firms, with the graduation dates each programme accepts, when to apply and how each firm interviews. Every figure sourced.
Questions people ask
How much does a Jane Street quant trading intern make?
Jane Street's New York Quantitative Trader Internship advert states a base salary of $300,000, for an internship running from May to August. That is a rate; the pay for the summer is the share for the weeks worked.
How much do Citadel quant interns make?
Citadel's US advert for a Quantitative Trader intern states a base salary of $4,500 to $5,800 a week, plus a sign-on bonus, housing or a housing stipend, and travel.
Do London quant interns earn the same?
UK adverts don't state pay, so there is no reliable public figure. Treat any London number you see as an estimate.
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