Hedgefund out of undergrad?

I’m a sophomore and a math major at Princeton. Is it possible to get a hedge fund research role out of undergrad? Has anyone heard of this. I assume being at a top school helps which I am, and being a math major. However I’m not sure if hedge funds even consider undergrads. If anyone knows something that could be helpful, please chime in.

9 Comments
 
Most Helpful

You can definitely get a research role at a hedge fund with your profile. As with all these things, the hedge fund universe is a large one, and your skillset will be better suited to certain shops over others. I'd suggest looking at broad quantitative, quantamental, and fundamental investors to begin with. If you want to go down the purer quantitative path as a researcher, you'll need to bolster credentials by doing a master's and likely PhD in mathematics / statistics. 

As an aside - and I don't know whether this is intentional - your tone is a little condescending. This was a lesson I learnt early in my career as well. Avoid using phrases like "feel free to chime in" - it makes it seem like people owe you their opinion, which, of course, they don't. It's also worth noting that it's better to "show" and not "tell". By this, I mean it's sufficient (in cover letters and the like) to say you study maths at Princeton - you don't need reinforce that statement by stating it's a top school / programme: those that need to know will know. 

"Work is the curse of the drinking classes" - Oscar Wilde
 

Sunt recusandae earum amet odio. Enim totam et quaerat labore numquam dignissimos. Dignissimos fuga non cum. Ducimus nam dignissimos nostrum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • Millennium Partners 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Blackstone Group 96.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.1%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.2%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.3%

Total Avg Compensation

June 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 (76) $192
  • Analysts (240) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (28) $146
  • 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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”