Goldman Sachs Neurodiversity Hiring Initiative details compiled and reconciled

Goldman Sachs’ Neurodiversity Hiring Initiative is a paid internship program for people who identify as neurodivergent, with virtual assessments delivered by partner Specialisterne and in-person placements in New York, Dallas and Salt Lake City. The firm’s candidate-facing copy and partner pages state applications will open December 2025 via Specialisterne’s website, and expressly note that submitting information is subject to Goldman Sachs’ privacy policy and Terms of Use and that applicants consent to receive the firm’s newsletter via email.

Eligibility criteria in Goldman Sachs materials and university accessibility listings require candidates to identify as neurodivergent and hold a Bachelor’s degree; work experience is not required. Program language and Yale Student Accessibility Services detail that the initiative explicitly supports a range of neurodivergent profiles, with public summaries noting ADHD as included within the program’s target group.

Logistics for the 2026 cohort are specified in firm materials: the assessment stage will be held virtually and the internship itself will be in-person. Sources differ on the precise internship length: company copy and a firm blog excerpt describe an “eight-week paid internship program,” while Yale and third-party summaries describe an “8-9-week paid internship program.” The sources do not resolve that discrepancy in stated duration.

Program content and supports are spelled out across Goldman Sachs and partner descriptions. The initiative includes “training, coaching and mentoring that positions participants for success in their long-term career,” structured virtual assessment and onboarding, opportunities to hear from senior leaders and NHI program graduates, and coaching and mentorship throughout the internship. Yale’s accessibility listing adds that participants will “explore a new area of expertise and continue to develop interpersonal skills such as cross functional collaboration, public speaking and presenting group work.” The firm’s materials also state there is an “opportunity to convert to full time employment if selected to move forward.”

Specialisterne is identified repeatedly as the non-profit partner responsible for candidate sourcing and for designing and delivering the program’s virtual assessment activities. Goldman Sachs’ program copy reads: “We partner with Specialisterne, a non-profit organization that focuses on integrating neurodiverse people into the workplace, to help us shape an effective program for all phases - from helping to identify and source candidates to training and preparing them for Goldman Sachs internships.” An Instagram excerpt in the source notes “We are proud to be partnered with Goldman Sachs to recruit for entry-level internship opportunities as part of their Neurodiversity Hiring,” though the post’s account name is not provided in the excerpts.

Senior HR leadership framed the program as part of an early-stage push on neurodiversity. Dane Holmes, executive vice president and global head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs, wrote that “Today is World Autism Day, a day to recognize and show support for a population that often does not get the understanding and opportunities they deserve,” and that “Our goal is that through training, coaching and mentoring, participants will hone their skills and position themselves successfully for the long-term career path that they deserve.” Public reaction in social channels ranged from praise—“Put your opinions about the org aside, it is nice to see such a large organization doing something like this.”—to critiques urging wider employer uptake: “This is a missed opportunity for employers and society, considering this highly intelligent and skilled talent pool embodies intense levels of concentration and dependability, and often higher retention rates than neurotypical people.”

Compared with other programs cataloged by neurodiversity organizations, Goldman Sachs’ offering sits at the shorter end of the spectrum: Zavikon placements via Stanford’s Neurodiversity in IT initiative can run up to six months, and the Neurodiversity Alliance lists over 50 paid national internships for ages 18 to 26 with year-round mentoring. Remaining specifics not provided in internal materials include cohort size, pay rates, precise cohort start and end dates, placement teams and formal accommodation contacts; firm materials do confirm applications open December 2025 and that Specialisterne will host the application process.