50 Comments
 

I don't ever interview non-technical people. The non-quant FO positions definitely do have a higher cut off generally but I'm not sure what it is. I would guess 3.6. But we look at every resume that we are sent so I'm sure if someone caught our eye we would overlook gpa to some extent. We also don't hire that many people who are only 2 years out of undergrad so by 4+ years out people don't care as much anyway.

 

I'll second the notion of it depending on the PM you work under. I work at a 'top' HF with a GPA ~3.5 but with a technical degree (including a 2yr MS). Good school in Midwest but by no means a 'target' school. I simply tried to appeal to the PM with my technical skills and did enough work leading up to the interviews to make him confident that I could fill in the gaps and learn quickly. FWIW he went to a much better school than me, but studied a similar subject.

 

As with anything else, a solid GPA will help land an interview. Beyond that, it is going to come down to how your interview. If you interview like an ass they will perceive you as an ass regardless of your phd in rocket surgery.

Only two sources I trust, Glenn Beck and singing woodland creatures.
 

Pretty sure the cut-off for applicants from a MM bank is a 4.1

Source: worked at a MM bank, don't work for a HF

Life's is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
 

Not sure if this will help since I'm not offering a US perspective. Where I am, I managed to secure an interview with a top fund with a pass average from a target school. I'm not shitting you. I did well on their online testing (similar to IQ and personality tests), didn't come off as a wanker during the video interview and that was all it takes for me to land a final interview with them. But if they're not making you jump through these hoops and are culling purely by your CV and transcript, then I'd imagine no one will be able to get away with my kind of stats.

I am NOT in denial!
 

Definitely matters. As someone said above its mostly to get past the headhunters, as once you get the interview you need to perform. However a lot of funds will have minimum 3.5-3.6+ or they won't talk to you. Below that people wonder how hard you work. Not insurmountable though if you have good experience and obviously once you get the interview it doesn't really matter much.

 

GPA is often a good indication of a person's work ethic, which is the most important deciding factor. The second most important factor would be a person's interpersonal skills which is a good indication of their attitude towards other people money and property. I am certain Hedge funds take these two characteristics into account when making a decision on which candidate is best for the job.

 

Hedge Funds would prefer to see 5.0 out of 4.0.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Requirements will be roughly similar. If you get interviews at top PE you will get them at any HFs that are recruiting post banking analysts. If anything HFs are less stringent because they are much more concerned with your ideas/ investment thinking, and will interview a bunch of ppl and weed out en masse

 

US GPA 3.5 is equivalent to the 2:1, get that and you're good.

Grades matter in the US more than the UK. You must meet a bare minimum for grades but after that its your interview and work experience in the area. However, it should be noted networking is much more powerful in the US than the in UK.

And americans are prestige whores about schools but then again so is the UK.

 

In the interests of not revealing who I am, I'm on one of: Cambridge Econ/Oxford Economics & Management/ Oxford Philosophy, Politics & Economics, going to one of GS/MS/JPM as an SA this summer. ~95% 2:1 and above is about the average final mark distribution for my course.

I guess to specify my question a little better: For post-IBD recruitment, to those who have experience on either side of the UK/Europe HF recruiting process, or particular knowledge of it, has the 1st/2:1 distinction seemed particularly relevant? Xaipe, I gather you're still an undergrad--did you interview with HFs as well as PE firms? Do you have an investment track record? Thanks.

 
Mike McDermottIn the interests of not revealing who I am, I'm on one of: Cambridge Econ/Oxford Economics & Management/ Oxford Philosophy, Politics & Economics, going to one of GS/MS/JPM as an SA this summer. ~95% 2:1 and above is about the average final mark distribution for my course.

I guess to specify my question a little better: For post-IBD recruitment, to those who have experience on either side of the UK/Europe HF recruiting process, or particular knowledge of it, has the 1st/2:1 distinction seemed particularly relevant? Xaipe, I gather you're still an undergrad--did you interview with HFs as well as PE firms? Do you have an investment track record? Thanks.

Yes I interviewed with HF, PE and VC firms for both the UK/US. 2:1 is definitely enough for most of the PE/HF if you have a good CV, and I am not in a quant course. All my previous experience are on buy side so that helps me to get interviews. All of the firms I interviewed with asked a lot about one of my internships specifically so I believe your previous experience is more relevant than your grade as long as it's above 2:1.

 

Numquam adipisci architecto omnis in est. Voluptatum soluta ea rerum accusantium odio eveniet iste numquam. Quisquam ut qui ut amet sapiente laborum. Amet ipsam quisquam quia sapiente. Adipisci repellendus ad consequatur animi. Nihil cupiditate voluptatibus nulla possimus ut sed ut. Quaerat delectus nesciunt minus tempore quae optio quaerat eveniet.

Perspiciatis ratione debitis sint. Aliquid at a quis impedit. Voluptas illo itaque ut.

Sint aut temporibus nulla ducimus sapiente velit. Tempora molestias voluptatem voluptas tempora vel. Possimus est magni nihil. Qui numquam cumque occaecati labore voluptatem. Expedita quis dolores pariatur totam et voluptates. Et natus repellat nostrum laudantium iure accusamus in. Aspernatur maxime esse et dolorum et.

Aliquid necessitatibus hic et est non. Animi tempore perspiciatis illum quia ad dolore. Possimus consectetur et similique. Fugiat quo voluptas autem quia et. Ab labore velit sunt enim eum molestiae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.1%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Millennium Partners 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (86) $288
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (77) $191
  • Analysts (242) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (282) $96
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”