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Everest
Student
Berkeley, California
3
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What is a good GPA for investment banking recruiting?
The question above.
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2 answers
Matthew L. Tuck, J.D., M.B.A.
CEO/Managing Attorney, Greater Detroit Area
73
Answers
Lansing, Michigan
Updated
Matthew L.’s Answer
Hi Everest.
Great question! I love all things investment banking, private equity and venture capital. I would agree with Sneha's answer. Best bet is to get the highest GPA you can.
Investment bankers and people in IB frequently talk about being from a "target school". Target schools are colleges and universities that have a reputation for being academically rigorous and with strong finance programs, which is seen as a prerequisite for being successful in investment banking. Here are some of the target schools investment banking firms like to hire from. In the Ivy League, you are talking about the usual suspects like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown. Other prestigious schools are places like MIT, University of Chicago, Northwestern, Duke, Stanford and University of Michigan. If you are not coming from a target school, a high GPA and finance counts for a lot.
If you are not in college yet, get the best GPA you can and focus on extracurriculars to get into a target school. If you can't get into a target school, find a non-target school with a great finance department, like Stanford. You're in luck because Stanford and UC Berkeley are two of the best California schools for IB and a lot of the IB, VC and other firms in Silicon Valley recruit from those. Here is a good list of the best IB schools in California and, quite honestly, you can't beat the tuition costs in California if you're a resident. Going to Harvard, for example, costs almost $90,000 a year for tuition, room and board. MIT is almost $86,000. Stanford is about the same, but UC Berkeley tuition is only about $16,600. Here is a list of great California schools for finance. https://edurank.org/economics/investment/california/
And remember too, IB loves MBAs. So even if you don't get into a target school for your finance undergrad, if you get great grades and do well on the GMAT you can get into a great school for an MBA. Honestly, the competition to get into a great school for an MBA (even a target school) is less than for undergrad, especially if you have a couple years of work in a corporate environment before you apply.
The very best resource I have found where you can learn all things Investment Banking is a site called Wallstreet Oasis. This incredible site has everything you need to break into investment banking. It has real nuts and bolts information from real people who work in IB (and those who are trying to breaking into it). It also has incredible training resources to prep you for interviews, learning financial modeling, leveraged buyouts, M&A, as well as great resources for venture capital and private equity. They even have resume help and salary guides. Their forums have real world intel from IB associates (and people trying to break in) on salary, GPA, schools, etc. They also have invaluable excel and other templates. I have personally used the resources and used the site's training courses and they have been great. Truly outstanding.
I cannot recommend the resource highly enough. They have assembled a fantastic community of other IB and finance folks just trying to help each other out with information and pointers. Check it out here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com.
Good luck!
Get the best grades you can in high school to get into a target college or a school with a great finance program.
Get an internship or low-level job at an investment bank to learn the ropes and make contacts. Find out what working IB associates did to get their jobs and what their GPAs were.
Learn all you can about IB - Check out the Wallstreet Oasis website for great information on IB, Private Equity, and Venture Capital and great IB prep materials.
If you do get an internship or other job at an IB firm, pay attention to the associates, directors and managing directors. See if they seem happy and ask what they like and don't like about the job. Even if you love finance, IB is not for everyone.
Great question! I love all things investment banking, private equity and venture capital. I would agree with Sneha's answer. Best bet is to get the highest GPA you can.
Investment bankers and people in IB frequently talk about being from a "target school". Target schools are colleges and universities that have a reputation for being academically rigorous and with strong finance programs, which is seen as a prerequisite for being successful in investment banking. Here are some of the target schools investment banking firms like to hire from. In the Ivy League, you are talking about the usual suspects like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown. Other prestigious schools are places like MIT, University of Chicago, Northwestern, Duke, Stanford and University of Michigan. If you are not coming from a target school, a high GPA and finance counts for a lot.
If you are not in college yet, get the best GPA you can and focus on extracurriculars to get into a target school. If you can't get into a target school, find a non-target school with a great finance department, like Stanford. You're in luck because Stanford and UC Berkeley are two of the best California schools for IB and a lot of the IB, VC and other firms in Silicon Valley recruit from those. Here is a good list of the best IB schools in California and, quite honestly, you can't beat the tuition costs in California if you're a resident. Going to Harvard, for example, costs almost $90,000 a year for tuition, room and board. MIT is almost $86,000. Stanford is about the same, but UC Berkeley tuition is only about $16,600. Here is a list of great California schools for finance. https://edurank.org/economics/investment/california/
And remember too, IB loves MBAs. So even if you don't get into a target school for your finance undergrad, if you get great grades and do well on the GMAT you can get into a great school for an MBA. Honestly, the competition to get into a great school for an MBA (even a target school) is less than for undergrad, especially if you have a couple years of work in a corporate environment before you apply.
The very best resource I have found where you can learn all things Investment Banking is a site called Wallstreet Oasis. This incredible site has everything you need to break into investment banking. It has real nuts and bolts information from real people who work in IB (and those who are trying to breaking into it). It also has incredible training resources to prep you for interviews, learning financial modeling, leveraged buyouts, M&A, as well as great resources for venture capital and private equity. They even have resume help and salary guides. Their forums have real world intel from IB associates (and people trying to break in) on salary, GPA, schools, etc. They also have invaluable excel and other templates. I have personally used the resources and used the site's training courses and they have been great. Truly outstanding.
I cannot recommend the resource highly enough. They have assembled a fantastic community of other IB and finance folks just trying to help each other out with information and pointers. Check it out here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com.
Good luck!
Matthew L. recommends the following next steps:
Sneha Deb
Tech Consultant
194
Answers
Edison, New Jersey
Updated
Sneha’s Answer
Hey Everest, For investment banking recruiting, a GPA of 3.7 or higher is typically considered competitive, especially for top firms and roles in large financial hubs like New York. However, a GPA between 3.5 and 3.7 can still be acceptable if paired with strong internships, leadership experience, and networking. At more boutique or regional firms, the GPA cutoffs may be slightly lower, but high academic performance is still expected. Ultimately, while GPA matters, it’s also important to build a strong resume with finance-related experience, polish your technical skills, and start networking early to stand out. Good luck!