Breaking into the US IB from an international college?

Hi, I’m a student at top college in Asia (think HKU, U of Tokyo, Fudan U, NUS etc.)

I have a green card but have never lived in the US.

How likely is it for me to break into the US IB directly?

I have 10> alums who joined the banks after graduating from M7, and couple of my best friends work at MM IBs in NYC.

My goal here is to skip MBA.

Would I be considered a non target at recruiting or should I work for a designation like CFA to even be at that level?

Thanks in advance.

9 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Do you need sponsorship or can you work in US/EU/UK without a visa?  If you need the bank/firm to sponsor you, it is going to be a tough, uphill battle.

Given you are looking at a very coveted role, but you are coming from a less advantageous place, I would recommend doing whatever you can to make it as easy on the potential hiring firm as possible. Figure out how you can get resident status, figure out how you won't need a sponsorship, etc. If you need them to do all of the work to hire you, they are going to just pick someone else who already has the geographic/legal criteria.

 

Esse ducimus consectetur voluptas numquam suscipit non et. Pariatur sit eligendi ea officiis fugiat. Quaerat nam maiores nobis harum fugit excepturi labore. Voluptate neque occaecati soluta sed quia iure. Quis expedita error dolorum illo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
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
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...”