GPA for KKR, TPG, Carlyle, etc.

before anyone says "troll" or whatever, what I'm asking is if an analyst is already working for a solid investment banking group right below GS TMT/MS M&A (e.g. JPM M&A, GS Industrials, etc.), how much will a low GPA hurt for recruiting with the megafunds? it seems like they like to take kids with very high GPAs (like 3.8+) and would love to get more information or know if a lower gpa (3.4+) will disqualify a high-performing analyst at an already solid group. Are the GPA qualifications for KKR and TPG even higher than those for GS and MS? What about the other top 10 funds like Apollo, Providence, Warburg, etc.?

12 Comments
 

After your group, your school is going to be the most important thing. MOST people in top groups (or even the next rung down) already have high GPAs, but a 3.4 will certainly be looked down upon. When KKR is looking to add 3-4 people to their pool, they can be as selective as they'd like.

Top PE firms are probably LESS selective than HFs in terms of arbitrary shit that shouldn't matter anymore (college, GPA, etc), but it still happens. Coming from Wharton/Harvard will give you a leg up over the kid next to you who went to Brown.

 
Best Response

megafund associate here, we have pretty much wrapped our interviews in the last 48 hours.

what matters the most in my opinion, behind group, is how you reference that group. references will determine which candidates the headhunters push at our firm.

your resume will get distributed, but the only people who are shallow enough to care about it a lot are the associates and maybe the VPs. Generally I think the Partners / MDs at the firm will skim a resume to find something to talk about, but they aren't trying to poke holes in a kids resume the way associates and VP's might.

once you have an interview, resume doesn't really matter that much anymore. we care more about how your case goes and whether you can talk like a potential PE guy in your interview.

if it comes down to a side by side for equal candidates, sure maybe we'd rationalize a 4.0 harvard guy over a 3.5 brown guy (not that many of those guys find their way into our universe), but frankly its only very rarely a side-by-side situation...

 
what matters the most in my opinion, behind group, is how you reference that group. references will determine which candidates the headhunters push at our firm.

Can someone explain this a bit more for those unfamiliar with the PE recruiting? How do references, headhunters, etc. fit into the process?

 
AstonMartin
what matters the most in my opinion, behind group, is how you reference that group. references will determine which candidates the headhunters push at our firm.

Can someone explain this a bit more for those unfamiliar with the PE recruiting? How do references, headhunters, etc. fit into the process?

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but would love to get more insight on this. Thanks a lot.

 

Voluptates error ut ullam nesciunt autem eum officiis quod. Corrupti mollitia reiciendis magni ut a minus et. Distinctio quibusdam rerum repellendus eveniet voluptate et.

Est enim saepe iusto ut vel voluptas nostrum. Enim et dolor consectetur omnis quidem. Vitae quas aliquam mollitia quidem. Ab ut odio perspiciatis eaque soluta porro nemo.

Dolores voluptate dolorem aut vitae. Eos rerum ducimus sunt quidem.

Corporis incidunt quas accusamus cum voluptatem voluptatem. Recusandae mollitia necessitatibus consectetur qui et ex. Quia soluta facilis impedit commodi. Deserunt et repellat sit dolores occaecati in.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”