Canadian GPAs (3.8 vs 3.9)
I'm currently a freshman student applying to Canadian Big 5 banks for summer analyst roles in 2026 and hoping to recruit for BB/EB summer 2027. From first semester, my GPA is sitting at 3.9 but when I get my final unofficial transcript at the end of the year it's guaranteed to drop to a 3.85-3.89. I was wondering if any Canadians can share their experience with different GPAs when recruiting. Does it change when recruiting for BBs in Canadian offices compared to the states? Do Canadian firms care more about grades? Is there a problem listing a 3.88 as a 3.9? Do they ever bring up grades in interviews? Any help would be much appreciated.
Note: a 3.8 for Canadian university student's is much easier to get than in the states. I understand that killing yourself over a .1 difference in America isn't worth it, but here a majority of people recruiting are sitting at a 3.9+.
Nobody cares if it’s 3.85 or 3.88 or 3.90. That won’t be the reason why you get an offer or not.
I second this
Got 3 big 5 interviews last SA cycle with a 3.1 from a Canadian non-target, they asked abt it in 1Rs but had reasoning behind it of course - BB's I'm sure are more strict, but networking can get you basically anywhere
how did you get interviews in Canada assuming your transcripts were filled with B/C grades, gotta be god-tier networking or a hard major like engineering
Am a business major and I did terrible freshman year but did a lot better (all A's except one B) leading up to recruiting, so that helped improvement wise. Also was able to get a few solid internships.
But yeah I networked like crazy, that was the only reason I got them.
Del
Yeah maybe easier for unis that give massive grade inflation. Don't speak for the rest of us.
Yea a 3.8 from UofT and McGill are insanely difficult.
Only because they expect you to work unlike the rest of the country.
On a serious note, I doubt education quality is lacking with the majority of Canadian universities.
General rule, never round up the first decimal place.
Yea, Western students get curved to a 3.7 median. Median where I study is a 2.3 at best. Not sure why he made this generalization.
That is honestly just not true. Ivey HBAs do get curved to 80% but that's in 3rd and 4th year.
Generally, BMOS courses have averages in the 66-74% range with some lower and some higher. For context, a 72% is a 2.7 GPA in a course.
As a UWO student I'd still say getting a 3.7 is easier than getting one at UofT, but your comment just isn't the case
Not that deep bro
Funny enough Canadian banks are stricter with grades than BBs in Toronto
3.8/ 3.9?
Six seven
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