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In the UK, a lot of funds will only look at people with first class degrees which converts to approx. 3.7-4.0 I guess.
Makes sense. Do you think a 3.6 would be enough for smaller funds?
Depends on a lot of factors... ex-athelete, fund, strategy, etc.
Fund strategy would dictate GPA cutoff?
Really what it comes down to is waht the PMs care about. If they didnt have great GPAs, probably care less. If they all went to ivy league schools and had great GPAs, good luck...
Chances are work experience much more important, since you're not going to join a top hedge fund right out of school
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we usually look for like 3.6 and above. Although chatter around grade inflation in last 3-5 years has some people on their toes about increasing the threshold.
Appreciate the feedback. Does your fund discount GPA by school ranking?
I'm okay w/ 3.3+ personally. For quant stuff, can easily assess ability in a 1 hr technical interview.
Is your threshold higher for non-technical majors?
I don't ever interview non-technical people. The non-quant FO positions definitely do have a higher cut off generally but I'm not sure what it is. I would guess 3.6. But we look at every resume that we are sent so I'm sure if someone caught our eye we would overlook gpa to some extent. We also don't hire that many people who are only 2 years out of undergrad so by 4+ years out people don't care as much anyway.
At least 3.72 or bust. Also if you have a 4.0 make sure to exaggerate downwards a little...you don't want to seem weird. Got to get it just right
How to exaggerate downwards to not appear weird?
I'll second the notion of it depending on the PM you work under. I work at a 'top' HF with a GPA ~3.5 but with a technical degree (including a 2yr MS). Good school in Midwest but by no means a 'target' school. I simply tried to appeal to the PM with my technical skills and did enough work leading up to the interviews to make him confident that I could fill in the gaps and learn quickly. FWIW he went to a much better school than me, but studied a similar subject.
Got it. So how polished you appear in interviews trumps GPA.
As with anything else, a solid GPA will help land an interview. Beyond that, it is going to come down to how your interview. If you interview like an ass they will perceive you as an ass regardless of your phd in rocket surgery.
Pretty sure the cut-off for applicants from a MM bank is a 4.1
Source: worked at a MM bank, don't work for a HF
aight man
i don't think it exists. i am at quant arm of a fund--didnt ask my gpa. tbf, my gpa was v low.
Not sure if this will help since I'm not offering a US perspective. Where I am, I managed to secure an interview with a top fund with a pass average from a target school. I'm not shitting you. I did well on their online testing (similar to IQ and personality tests), didn't come off as a wanker during the video interview and that was all it takes for me to land a final interview with them. But if they're not making you jump through these hoops and are culling purely by your CV and transcript, then I'd imagine no one will be able to get away with my kind of stats.
Does GPA matter for HF recruiting (Originally Posted: 10/21/2015)
No, definitely not possible!! You really should have focused more on academics.
Do you think your future employer cares more about your GPA or track record at current job?
Typical ivy.
Just great.
Very dependent on the fund, especially at smaller funds where 1-2 people make hiring decisions. GPA matters more for headhunters than for the funds themselves though.
Definitely matters. As someone said above its mostly to get past the headhunters, as once you get the interview you need to perform. However a lot of funds will have minimum 3.5-3.6+ or they won't talk to you. Below that people wonder how hard you work. Not insurmountable though if you have good experience and obviously once you get the interview it doesn't really matter much.
GPA is often a good indication of a person's work ethic, which is the most important deciding factor. The second most important factor would be a person's interpersonal skills which is a good indication of their attitude towards other people money and property. I am certain Hedge funds take these two characteristics into account when making a decision on which candidate is best for the job.
GPA for HF/Trading (Originally Posted: 11/03/2017)
Hey everyone, I just transferred to the University of Michigan -- I'm studying mathematics with a concentration in finance and would like to get involved in HF or trading. What GPA should I aim for to be competitive at top firms? Furthermore, is there a GPA cutoff where everything greater doesn't really aid all that much in job searching and applying to Grad school?
Hedge Funds would prefer to see 5.0 out of 4.0.
GPA for HF recruiting after IB? (Originally Posted: 02/27/2017)
Hey all,
So I know PE is pretty stringent about GPA's for recruiting after 2 years in IB. What's the case of a good HF? Is it just having a 3.5 minimum and then more focused how you think/idea generation?
Are there other factors, aside from being at a solid bank and having a good GPA that are more important for places like Greenlight, Baupost, and Bridgewater?
Requirements will be roughly similar. If you get interviews at top PE you will get them at any HFs that are recruiting post banking analysts. If anything HFs are less stringent because they are much more concerned with your ideas/ investment thinking, and will interview a bunch of ppl and weed out en masse
So is the best way to get interview with the better HF (if you are only doing HF recruiting and not PE), to impress the headhunters with ideas? Or is there a better way to target these funds and get the interview?
Post-IB to Hedge Fund GPA Question (Originally Posted: 03/22/2017)
Hi guys,
This is specifically for recruiting to hedge funds post-IB. So if I've got a 3.48 GPA, would it be acceptable to list it as 3.5 on my resume? Why I'm asking is, will this be fine in the eyes of headhunters and hedge funds that I might be sending it out to? Just want to clarify, since this may be a bit different from recruiting straight from undergrad to IB as I did earlier.
.
Yes, that is fine. Do you seriously think any employer is going to care about 2bps on your gpa?
It's a competitive market, and really would like to limit any screw-ups man; I'm probably a bit paranoid. But I appreciate the response, thanks. +1 SB
UK: Undergrad grades relevant for HF recruiting? (Originally Posted: 04/18/2013)
I saw using search that for PE/VC in the US undergrad GPA is still asked about in recruiting.
Apologies if this has been asked before, I had trouble finding much with search, but can anyone speak to the extent to which this is the case in HF recruiting, and also whether it is as relevant in the UK compared to the US? I gather that 'pedigree' is usually less important for HF recruiting and also grades are a bit less important in the UK, but it would be useful to hear some first-hand info.
My situation: Second year at a top UK target interning in IBD at a top BB. I'm specifically interested in L/S and special situations funds down the line. Return offers in the UK usually require a 2:1, which ~95% of people on my course at my uni achieve, so (assuming I get a return) I could essentially coast by if it isn't relevant to recruiting down the line.
US GPA 3.5 is equivalent to the 2:1, get that and you're good.
Grades matter in the US more than the UK. You must meet a bare minimum for grades but after that its your interview and work experience in the area. However, it should be noted networking is much more powerful in the US than the in UK.
And americans are prestige whores about schools but then again so is the UK.
95% get a 2:1 - thats really high! May I ask what course you are enrolled in?
as long as you are in oxbridge/lse with at least 2:1 then you are good. Some funds only recruit at theses schools.
In the interests of not revealing who I am, I'm on one of: Cambridge Econ/Oxford Economics & Management/ Oxford Philosophy, Politics & Economics, going to one of GS/MS/JPM as an SA this summer. ~95% 2:1 and above is about the average final mark distribution for my course.
I guess to specify my question a little better: For post-IBD recruitment, to those who have experience on either side of the UK/Europe HF recruiting process, or particular knowledge of it, has the 1st/2:1 distinction seemed particularly relevant? Xaipe, I gather you're still an undergrad--did you interview with HFs as well as PE firms? Do you have an investment track record? Thanks.
Yes I interviewed with HF, PE and VC firms for both the UK/US. 2:1 is definitely enough for most of the PE/HF if you have a good CV, and I am not in a quant course. All my previous experience are on buy side so that helps me to get interviews. All of the firms I interviewed with asked a lot about one of my internships specifically so I believe your previous experience is more relevant than your grade as long as it's above 2:1.
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