Drastic drop in GPA after accepting ft offer?

I recently got a FT offer and was wondering if a drastic change in my GPA will have any impact on it. This is what the offer letter said, “This offer is contingent on satisfactory completion of the Company’s drug screen, background verification process, and completion of your college degree.” The reason I’m asking is because I’m doing a math/econ major and basically saved all of my upper div math classes for my senior year (so that I can have a higher gpa while recruiting).

The letter doesn’t say anything about gpa; just that I finish my degree. The company is also a pretty big company so I’m certain HR is the only one that’s going to see my transcript (and they’re across the country and were pretty disconnected from my hiring process).

What do you guys think?

29 Comments
 

How drastic? Will youre cumulative gpa remain above a 3.0? Rescinding an offer over bad gpa post offer has happened. I've seen it. But it was in the case of GPAs below 3.0.

"I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
 

You're probably okay. If you get a call from HR just explain what happened. Just try not to get D's and F's and let it slide even further due to senioritis, etc. If you were accepted under the notion of a 3.5 and let it slide all the way to 2.9, 2.8... that throws up a red flag. The absolute worst thing that can happen is if you don't get a satisfactory grade in a class which causes you to not graduate. That would definitely be an issue.

 

It's not like your job offer will be rescinded, unless there was some specific GPA requirement at the time of your graduation, which I've never heard of. However, your GPA will still follow you after you graduate, especially if you're looking to do grad school, or looking to switch jobs a couple years after you graduate UG. At a certain point in your career, you obviously can take your GPA off your resume, but it will certainly still matter for a period of time after you graduate. People with a bit more post-UG experience than myself can probably advise you better on when the point of "GPA irrelevance" actually happens.

 

With the SA stint already on your belt going into your JR year you should be in great shape for other SA positions come next summer. Regardless of GPA. Now if you wanted to step into top PE, HF or VC opportunities next year you might have a little trouble since these places for the most park seek the best of the best ie: people who did SA going into jr year and who have high GPAs

ideatingI was actually really surprised to see this but buy-side firms definitely look at undergrad GPA, even after your 2 year FT stint. A 3.5 should be fine but ideally you would want 3.7+ for it to not even be an issue. Normally I don't condone these alarmist posts but I can tell you first hand that GPA is definitely a data point for a lot of top buy-side places.

3.7+ and it stops being an issue completely? Awesome. I have a 3.79 now and have been literally breaking my back to try to hit the 3.8 by the time I graduate. As you probabaly know an A- average is much easier to obtain than an A/A-!

 

that 3.7 is completely arbitrary. i'm sure the articulation of your knowledge during an interview matters more. especially when the first filter is simply a minimum of 3.5

 

I think what he meant was that past a 3.7, recruiters completely stop considering it as a point of issue. That is, they will never reject you for your GPA if it is 3.7+. Whereas if your GPA is a 3.6 or lower, they may harbor concerns over your academic competence. However, if you get the interview, the GPA is only secondary in importance. Your performance in the interview will be the principal decision maker for the company.

 

In the sense that it can only really hurt you, not help you. Generally anything above a 3.5 I view as "fine." So you don't have much to worry about.

Not to diminish what ideating said here, but not all buyside firms look at/care about GPA. It's still on your resume and they do look at it, but I think it matters less for buyside than it does for getting into banking.

On my resume now, GPA and undergrad are at the very bottom and IBD experience is at the top since I've been working for 2 years. I've never once been asked about my GPA by anyone in any interviews (between 3.5 and 3.6).

I suppose some places do use it as a filter but unless you have a 2.5 I would not panic over this.

 

Ipsum velit recusandae eum consequatur quo corrupti odio labore. Ullam deleniti aut eaque reiciendis ut quia odit inventore.

Ipsum est vitae rerum. Et officiis iusto id impedit fugit ut recusandae. Sequi occaecati non ut et magnam et. Corporis officiis aut et maiores. Consectetur quia et blanditiis delectus. Aut distinctio qui est vitae eos sit.

Odit blanditiis enim officia et aut. Atque magnam ipsum velit dolor libero suscipit et. A quia facere ut consectetur aut ut et.

Molestiae facilis unde similique. Et omnis soluta quia impedit et earum provident accusantium. Officia sed atque possimus voluptates at qui vitae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”