Real world experience. Real business impact.
Based in the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Davidson College Consulting Group provides project-based support to startups and small businesses. Student consultants develop valuable skills and gain real-world experience while working to deliver impactful solutions for clients.
We’re hiring five first-year students to join our team this fall. If you’re in the class of 2030, applications are open through September 27. All other class years are fully staffed for the year.
About the program
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The opportunity to use your knowledge and skills to drive outcomes for real companies is a great value add to your resume and talking points for future interviews.
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Collaborate with talented peers in small project teams, developing leadership, project management, and teamwork skills. Gain experience in an agency-like setting with all-team meetings and digital workflow tools.
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Student consultants commit at least 5 hours weekly during the academic year. Biweekly all-team meetings and some client meetings will take place in-person at the Hurt Hub, but most project work can be completed remotely.
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As a Student Consultant, you’ll be a student employee of Davidson College and will be paid for all program-related activities. This includes project work, team meetings, and skill development sessions. The academic year pay rate is $15.50 per hour, and the summer pay rate is $18.00 per hour.
Previous clients include
What types of projects do student consultants work on?
We collaborate with a diverse portfolio of clients, from local entrepreneurs and startups in the greater Charlotte area to established companies led by Davidson alumni nationwide. While engagements vary widely in scope and focus, below are examples of the most common project types.
We help clients build a clear picture of their customers, their competition, and what opportunities are available to them. This might include customer surveys and interviews, segmentation analysis, customer journey mapping, competitor analysis, market positioning, or prospect database building.
We help clients determine the right approach to reach their customers and grow their businesses. This might include go-to-market planning, content strategy, copywriting, and marketing collateral like decks, one-pagers, and other outreach materials.
We help clients build and strengthen their digital presence, whether that means improving what they already have or creating something new. This might include website audits, SEO and usability improvements, website builds, developing custom tools and products, or integrating AI into a business to streamline operations or improve outcomes.
We make sense of the data businesses collect by spotting patterns, identifying what’s working, flagging what isn’t, and surfacing opportunities they might be missing.
Our consultants have secured competitive internships at:
Recruiting
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Application materials
The application asks you to answer a series of questions, upload your resume, and provide a link to a recorded video response to a prompt. If you have creative work to share, you may also include links to your portfolio or relevant examples. A complete application helps us understand your skills and experiences.
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Interview process
If selected as a finalist, you’ll be invited to a group interview session. These sessions involve collaborative case study activities that simulate real-world client work. We welcome diverse perspectives and approaches, as different strengths all contribute to successful outcomes.
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Team selection
Students are selected for the team through a holistic review of their experience, skills, and potential to contribute to quality outcomes. Those selected will be hired for the full term, either the academic year or summer.
Recruiting Cycle for Class of 2030 only.
Applications closed to Class Years 2027-2029 in March.
- September 27 Applications Close
- October 5 Finalist Notification
- October 22 Interview
- October 27 Offers Extended
Details will be available in January 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Consultants usually work 5-8 hours each week during the school year. Summer consultants work 35-40 hours per week.
You will be paid hourly for the time you spend working on projects and attending team meetings. During the school year, the pay rate is $15.50 per hour. The summer pay rate is $18.00 per hour. This is not a work study position.
Not at all! Our consultants have a variety of interests and career goals. There were 20 different majors represented on our 2025-2026 team.
Yes, all active Davidson College students are eligible to apply. Hiring is completed in the spring for the following academic year, and a small number of spots will be reserved for incoming first year students. Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible for the summer program.
Absolutely. DCCG is designed to be flexible and manageable alongside classes, athletics, and other involvement. All student consultants commit 5-8 hours per week toward program activities and client work.
Yes, but while you’re abroad, you will not be able to participate in program activities or client projects. Students may be hired for the academic year but will participate only during the semester they are on campus at Davidson. To ensure consistency and meet client needs, we limit the number of students studying abroad we hire annually.
DCCG has elements of all three. It offers the responsibility and compensation of a job, the learning and mentorship of a class, and the community and collaboration of a student organization.
Yes, international students with an F-1 visa are welcome to participate, as this role is considered on-campus employment.
You can reach out to Amy Tirpak, Consulting Program Manager at amtirpak@davidson.edu.