Career guide · Updated October 23, 2026
How to get an actuarial science internship
Actuarial internships screen hard for passed exams. The single most useful step is passing Exam P, then FM, before you apply.
1. Know when actuarial science internships recruit
- Freshman–sophomore yearPass Exam P, then FM, and take VEE-approved courses as part of your degree.
- Sophomore summer–junior fallInsurers and actuarial consulting firms recruit interns; many postings ask for at least one passed exam.
- Junior springRemaining summer internships at insurers, consulting firms and benefits teams.
- After you are hiredEmployers commonly pay exam fees and give paid study time.
Typical timing — employers set their own dates, so check each one.
2. Build the skills employers check
- Probability and statistics
- Financial mathematics
- Excel
- SQL
- R or Python
- Explaining numbers in plain words
3. Take certifications in the right order
None is required, but each shows a skill. Start at the top: the first ones need no background.
- Be An Actuary: college students — Society of Actuaries and Casualty Actuarial Society. Reference
- Excel training paths — Microsoft Learn. Free · about 8 hours
- SAS Skill Builder for Students — SAS. Free · about 30 hours
- Python for Everybody — Charles Severance · py4e.com. Free · about 40 hours
- Intro to SQL — Kaggle Learn. Free · about 3 hours
The Finder shows the whole path for actuarial science, three ways: fastest and free, balanced, and a stretch toward the most demanding credentials. See also every actuarial science certification.
4. Aim at the right roles
- Life or health actuarial intern — Prices insurance products and projects future claims and reserves.
- Property and casualty actuarial intern — Analyzes losses to help set rates for auto, home and business insurance.
- Retirement or pension consulting intern — Values pension plans and benefit costs for clients.
- Actuarial data intern — Cleans data and builds models in Excel, SQL, R or Python.
5. Use the words recruiters look for
Put the ones that are true for you on your resume, in your own sentences.
actuarialExam PExam FMpricingreservingloss analysisExcelSQLRPython
How to write a business internship resume
6. Practice the interview
- Behavioral interview questions, which every business interview asks
- Business Analytics Internship Interview Questions
Tips for actuarial science internships
- Pass Exam P early, then Exam FM; many internship postings ask for at least one passed exam.
- Take the VEE-approved courses as part of your degree so they count toward credentials later.
- Learn Excel, SQL and a little R or Python; actuarial work is increasingly data work.
Find actuarial science internships near you →
More on this major: actuarial science internships, with recent listings and the questions students ask.