It’s harder to get into one major hospitality program than it is to get into Harvard — why grads are flocking to the hotel trade

Hotel empire Hilton has seen its early-career program receive thousands of applications for only a handful of spots.

Here’s why the program is so popular with young job seekers.

A highly competitive landscape

According to a report from Fortune, Hilton’s Launch program received 5,000 applications in a span of just a few weeks. But the program only accepts 20 individuals.

That makes its acceptance rate just 0.4%, which makes it more competitive than an Ivy League school. For Harvard’s class of 2029, the acceptance rate was 4.18% (2,003 students admitted out of 47,893 applicants).

The Launch program is meant to foster future leaders for the company, offering both corporate experience and a chance to learn outside the U.S.

The two-year program begins with a 10-month stint at Hilton headquarters in McLean, Va., where participants work in one of the company’s key corporate areas to develop business, analytics and tech skills.

Then, there’s a three-month rotation at one of Hilton’s hotels worldwide, to see hotel operations first-hand. This is followed by another 10-month rotation in Virginia in a key corporate area.

Hands-on leadership training is a big selling point on the program, but what might be even more appealing is that after successfully completing the program, participants are offered a full-time job, according to Fortune.

Laura Fuentes, chief human resources officer for Hilton, told Fortune that the Launch program is meant to give participants an immersive experience of the business, and be a gateway for a career.

“These jobs are super competitive. I mean, we have 20 to 30 spots, and we’ll get 5,000 applicants,” Fuentes told Fortune. “It’s intense ... The volume may ebb and flow in any given year, but there are opportunities, and we’re looking for talent all around the world.”

According to Fortune, the Hilton internship program is also highly competitive; this year saw 12,000 applicants vying for just 72 positions, a 0.6% acceptance rate.

Gen Z’s values

It makes sense that Gen Z would flood a company like Hilton with applications, since both the early-career opportunities it offers and its reputation overall align with Gen Z’s values when it comes to their careers.

Gen Z places a high value on jobs that allow them to grow, and involve helping others. And they’re not as interested in jobs that involve unsustainable workloads that could lead to burnout.