Question about GPA on resume

Hi everyone. Just thought I'd ask everyone's opinion on a GPA question I have.

I recently graduated with a degree in Economics, and my overall GPA was a 3.3. My Econ gpa was lower (between 3.0-3.1). However, I took 4 courses from the business school (2 accounting, 2 finance), and another Econ class that was essentially another finance course. For those 5 "finance/business" courses, I did pretty well, and my GPA was 3.55. People sometimes suggest to put major GPA if it's higher than cumulative, unfortunately that doesn't apply to me, but what about putting a finance or business GPA? Would it be ok to do that or would it be too much of a stretch since I wasn't a finance/business major or minor. Is it ok to put it in addition to my overall GPA?

I'm trying to get a job in finance right now (whether it's equity research, investment banking, etc.), but I've been having difficulty even getting an interview. I went to a pretty decent school (University of Michigan), but I feel my GPA has been really hindering me. There isn't much I can do about it now, obviously, but just thought I would ask to see if my suggestion is something that would be considered ok, and would help my chances.

Thanks in advance.

3 Comments
 

I don't know if that's a proper way to do it. If it is okay then I can just "compile" my own set of classes with all the As and say I have a 4.0? ie if my microeconomics classes are dragging my GPA down but my macro are all As, I can say I have a 4.0 on my macro classes.

And I think 5 classes is a bit too few to compute a reliable average statistically.

Take it with a grain of salt only though.

 
Best Response

Faking your GPA won t get you far (The world of finance is very small...). Instead, you have to be as proactive as possible and make a systematic, continous effort to network with some alumni, friends, friends of friends, etc, who are already in the industry. Especially in times like these, when even people with target school 4.0 GPAs are struggling to get anything decent. The fact that you are from a good school should help you with this (I m from Europe and I ve heard a lot of positive noise about U of M, which should be a good sign ;) And don t waste your time on applying to BBs for now, rather focus on good MM / regional boutiques, and get some solid finance experience there. Once things pick up, you ll have a better shot at making the transition to bigger places, and your GPA won't weigh in as heavily.

good luck!

 

Repellat asperiores assumenda quibusdam vitae. Eligendi molestias dolores iure quae facere delectus dolorem perferendis.

Deserunt consequatur ut dicta harum nobis. Non aut reprehenderit aut ut pariatur delectus distinctio. Est quam beatae impedit sequi iure non natus. Aut est est perspiciatis repudiandae aut.

Sunt ut officiis architecto sint quia velit dolores soluta. Nihil omnis et sit accusantium facilis est. Excepturi veritatis error sint consequatur non id cupiditate. Cum eum nemo velit natus eaque est.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”