Undergraduate GPA affecting MF placement

If I complete my undergraduate degree from a non-core state school (UT McCombs/IU Kelley/Michigan Ross) with a 3.7 but work at a tier 2 BB in one of the top groups (M&A/LevFin/Sponsors), what are my chances at landing a MF gig for PE recruitment? Assuming a good gmat score of 750+

5 Comments
 

In general for many MegaFunds, state schools including Ross/Kelley/McCombs are still not considered to be in the upper-tier of schools (not HYPS/Stanford/MIT). This is not hypothetical, I just signed with a 2nd tier BB (BAML/CS/Barclays) in one of their top groups. I'm estimating that my GPA will be a 3.7 cumulative by graduation.

I just wanted to know if I needed to take additional classes to get it closer to a 3.8 if I wanted to target MF for PE Recruitment.

 

The difference between a 3.7 and 3.8 will not matter for headhunters. What specific group you are in and what your staffer / other references say is going to matter way more than GPA or GMAT. You don't have a bad GPA and you don't go to a bad school.

That being said, you will have an uphill battle for certain funds on the basis of pedigree, and that's not something that GPA will change. It's a school bank and group name thing, but I think people overestimate how important this is.

Also big variance between those 3 groups at those 3 banks... so that's going to play a big role as well

 

Magni est molestias iure. Culpa animi quia delectus soluta pariatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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

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...”