Your questions,
answered.

First-year college students graduating in 2030, enrolled at a four-year institution, with a 3.2 GPA or higher. Between 3.0 and 3.19 you'll write a 500-word essay; below 3.0 we can't consider you. The Investment Banking Academy requires a 3.5 minimum with no essay path. You also need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, including DACA participants.

The application for the 2029 Cohort opens Friday, September 4, 2026 and closes Monday, May 31, 2027. You can apply at any point in that window. You get one chance: one application, one decision. Applying earlier means hearing back earlier, and completing every step by November 10, 2026 puts you in our priority round. Final decisions are released June 8, 2027.

The application stays open until May 31, 2027, and decisions are made on a fixed monthly schedule. You're reviewed in the next decision round after you've finished every step. If you complete the process early in a given month you may be included in that month's round; if you finish close to the date, you'll be reviewed the following month. This replaces our previous system of three application waves with cut-off dates.

Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Candidates who complete every step of the selection process by that date are reviewed in our priority round and receive our fastest decision.

Applying early gets you an answer sooner, which means more time to plan your year, and candidates who complete every step by November 10, 2026 are reviewed in our priority round. Seats are distributed across all nine rounds, so a strong application isn't penalized for arriving later. But there is no advantage to waiting.

We release decisions on the second Tuesday of every month, across nine rounds from October 2026 through June 2027. Once you've completed the selection process on time, you'll be reviewed in the next monthly round and informed by email. All nine dates are listed above.

The AI video interview and the aptitude assessment each have a two-day window. Deadlines are firm. Only candidates who complete every step on time are considered, and a missed window means your application will not move forward this cycle. Add greenwoodproject@pinpoint.email to your safe senders list before you apply.

No. One application, one decision. If you don't complete a step of the selection process within its two-day window, we remove your application, and you will not be considered for the waitlist. This is why we ask you to add greenwoodproject@pinpoint.email to your safe senders list before you apply. A missed email is the most common reason a strong candidate falls out of the process.

Yes, in part. We use artificial intelligence to help evaluate candidate applications, including the video interview and elements of application review. AI does not run our recruitment process on its own. Every decision involves a human reviewer, and no candidate is admitted or declined by an automated system alone. If you have questions about how AI is used in your application, email recruiting@greenwoodproject.org.

Yes. Our Scholar Ambassadors are current and former Greenwood Scholars on campuses around the country. Email recruiting@greenwoodproject.org and we'll connect you with one who can tell you about their experience, their Academy, or how they balanced the program with a full course load. We have Ambassadors at select schools, and if yours isn't represented we'll still connect you with a Scholar.

Yes. The program is virtual and Scholars apply from across the country. Most of our Scholars have been from the Chicago area, but location is not a criterion. You do need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, including DACA participants.

Not at this time. We're not currently reviewing applications from students enrolled in community colleges.

Between 3.0 and 3.19, you'll write a 500-word essay as part of your application. Below 3.0, we can't consider you. The Investment Banking Academy holds a strict 3.5 minimum, and there is no essay that changes that.

We use your unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale, and our requirements are the same for high school and college grades. Because you apply as a first-year student, we start with your high school transcript and confirm eligibility with your first-term college transcript once grades post. Both are required. If your high school doesn't use an unweighted 4.0 scale, contact recruiting@greenwoodproject.org.

Request them from your high school's main office, or download an unofficial copy from your student portal while you still have access. Start this early: it's the most common thing that delays an application. If you're accepted, you'll also submit an end-of-semester or end-of-quarter transcript partway through the year, and again at the end of the year.

Less than you'd think. Each Academy lists typical majors, but we've admitted Scholars from communications, political science, and engineering. What matters is how you think and whether the Academy fits you.

You need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, including DACA participants. We can't sponsor work permits.

About ten minutes, once you have your files ready. You can't save your progress, so gather your materials first and finish in one sitting.

No. You submit your recommender's email address and we send them a short survey. Your recommender must be someone who has worked with you in an academic or internship setting: a counselor, career advisor, teacher, professor, or mentor. No friends or family.

Read the three Academy pages and pick the one that fits how you think. Scholars indicate an Academy when they apply and confirm it during Professional Clarity, the program's first course. If you're genuinely torn, apply anyway, but come with a reason rather than a guess.

We accept 10 to 15% of applicants. That's a capacity limit, not a statement about who deserves to be here.

That we think you're qualified and we don't have a seat yet. We re-evaluate waitlisted candidates as seats become available and will let you know.

No. It measures specific skills, traits, and competencies, and we weigh your whole application. It is not used on its own to eliminate candidates.

Nothing. No tuition, no fees. We also provide travel, housing, and professional wardrobe support to Scholars in need during your internship.

No, the program itself is unpaid. What you get is training, coaching, and preparation at no cost to you. The summer internship is paid, if you secure one with a corporate partner. Internship placements are not guaranteed.

Twelve months starting sophomore year. Expect 20 to 40 hours of work per month across live sessions, independent coursework, and capstone projects. Live classes run bi-weekly in consistent groups, with coursework and coach contact in the weeks between.

No. We prepare you to compete for one. 88% of our Scholars transition into high-trajectory roles, and if an internship doesn't convert to an offer, we keep working with you through graduation.

Virtual. Sessions, coaching, and coursework all happen online.

Virtual, start to finish. Twelve months beginning the summer before your sophomore year: Professional Clarity (7 weeks), your Academy (11 to 13 weeks), Interview Preparation (12 weeks), and Corporate Culture (5 weeks). Expect 20 to 40 hours of work per month across live sessions, independent coursework, and capstone projects.

We have corporate partners across the United States, including Chicago, New York City, Denver, and Texas. Placements are not guaranteed; we prepare you to compete for one.

You stay in the program. We run a job board and provide coaching, resume support, and guidance to help you find other internship opportunities, and we keep working with you through graduation.

Each Academy lists the majors that typically fit it. Read all three on the Academies page before you choose, and note that the Investment Banking Academy is the most specific about it.

It runs on Braintrust's AI platform and takes 30 to 35 minutes, with a mix of behavioral and technical questions. The Apply page walks through every step of the selection process, including how to prepare.