Does indian count as URM?

Just wondering if indian would count to as being an URM (since my other stats aren't that great). I grew up in poverty  in a western european country. Due to political tensions my parents needed to leave India without completing their HS.  Therefore, I guess I would qualify as being a 1st generation college degree holder (whatever that BS is called in the US)?

My background:

ER at a well-known MM (think jeffs, RBC) in London

I have a bachelors from a known (but not elite) target in europe (like RSM, ESCP, UCL not Bocconi/HEC/LSE)

GMAT: 730

36 Comments
 
Most Helpful

It's not that Indians are inherently smarter than any one, rather some of the smartest Indians migrate here….selection bias. This is one reason why Indians are the highest earning demographic in America, so no Indians are not URM. They are a minority, but overrepresented in high paying jobs and in elite education. Compared to your Indian peers you’d look bad on paper, but it’s up to you to tell your story and nail interviews. Once you get to interview stage most things are within your control.

One could argue that if instead of specialised visa holders, if most of the Indians which migrated here were refugees then the situation would've been much different e.g. Vietnamese Americans are amongst the most impoverished demographics in America.

 

What a fucked up statement, the reason my parents left literally makes them refugees. Growing up in poverty, I faced the same challenges many of these URM kids felt (incl. racism). And yes while my parents pushed me to do reasonably well in school, they never knew of careers in finance (beside accounting). So why don't I qualify?

 

Not the case everywhere. In the U.K., many came over incredibly poor. They made a name for themselves and have become the highest earning ethnicity here and multiple other countries not because of selection bias but it’s the culture of them actually having to do well

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

My experience with indians is that they are thick as shit. Idk where this stereotype that indians are smart comes from.

thats a rough way to put it. i kinda agree that theyre overrate tho. lots of cheating at undergrad level here which helps them get good gpas and into top firms.

 

I've had the complete opposite perception of every Indian kid at my university. Extremely hardworking, clever, motivated, etc. 

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

INDIANS ARE ASIANS. Why do people separate them??

People from Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are not Indian. They are South Asian which makes them racially Asian. Indians are people from India only!!

 

Any demographic that does extraordinarily well in America is not considered an underrepresented minority. The URM title is reserved for demographics that don’t do well in American society due to systemic racism and institutionalized white privileged. For some odd reason, the Asian and Indian populace are immune to these diseases. It is not very clear why, but scientists are working very hard on this issue. We hope the cure can be passed on to blacks and Hispanics once it is discovered, but in the mean time we will have yearly diversity programs in case the white privilege disease mutates.

 

URM stands for under-represented minority and is only used in elite institutions because lower-tier institutions tend to have equal representation. It just means a group is under-represented at a given institution.So, OP, unless there are very few Indians/Asians at the institution you're at then no, you will not be an URM.But honestly you're not Indian anymore, now you're now half-Indian (dad), half Dominican (mom). Seriously, do you think they check your background? They don't. Just claim Latino, I saw some European guy named Hans do it in SEO and thought it was hilarious. Do what you need to do to break in if that's what you really want.

 

You can still talk about overcoming adversity or persecution in your essays or interviews. You just won't be considered URM if you are over-represented at the school or industry.

 

Without going into a whole essay, do you seriously think my stating in the essay that I'm the grandson of Holocaust survivors, son of people who were treated with bias daily growing up, and that I myself faced antisemitism daily in a grade with just 4 other Jews will get me anywhere? I don't think you're that naive. There are very particular types of prejudice that are fashionable now, and even if I wanted to bring those up (which I wouldn't because it's not like it's the crux or some relevant piece of my background), adcom would roll their eyes.  

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Quis in animi accusamus provident eius facilis. Fugit ab laborum itaque ea occaecati assumenda veniam. Quia aut esse est labore ipsum consequatur. Iure minus dignissimos repellat qui.

Nostrum ut dolores et eius fugit voluptas. Harum enim iure magni quam modi. Quis optio qui sed perferendis dolorem odit. Ea dolor quia occaecati consequatur rerum. Aspernatur et et voluptatem.

Natus dolorem odio error est. Voluptatem voluptas magni doloribus sit error non commodi. Illum id et sunt. Consequatur nam magnam nobis ea at praesentium. Corporis soluta non excepturi id. Ipsam neque sed harum enim alias quia.

Dolore quos ab non voluptatem voluptatem nostrum. Omnis similique fugit tenetur maiores sit. Sed odio nesciunt nihil excepturi tempora. Et cum autem id et. Veniam ut harum sapiente facere incidunt quis. Velit amet fugit provident non sunt natus.

 

Reiciendis doloribus vitae labore distinctio voluptas eius. Maiores illum illum non voluptas. Animi quia nobis ex voluptas reprehenderit quidem ullam.

Impedit dolore exercitationem id dolorem non. Accusamus voluptatem nesciunt corporis aperiam qui. Sequi et et nesciunt placeat eaque numquam voluptas. Voluptatem pariatur non voluptas excepturi. Eveniet voluptas hic voluptatem aut. Omnis sint doloribus totam rerum qui. Nisi eos dolores soluta est assumenda qui.

Eos cum omnis necessitatibus voluptatem ab repudiandae doloremque. Amet in at adipisci inventore possimus nam neque. Totam illo amet est. Est quidem nulla explicabo quam.

[Comment removed by mod team]

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”