GPA cutoff for PE?

I'm currently in undergrad and am having a pretty hard time this semester. May not be able to keep my GPA above a 3.8, so wondering if that'll make PE recruiting more difficult in the not-so-distant future. 3.75+ should definitely be manageable though. For some background, I go to a non-target and have a MM IBD SA position lined up for next summer. Have no intentions of trying to find work in NY if that matters

 

I’m sure it’s totally dependent on where you are trying to work but my brother had a low GPA out of a semi target undergrad (lower than 3.5). It definitely made his life harder but he worked really hard at his first job (not PE) and networked his ass off and now works at a small PE shop three years out of undergrad. A 3.7 is still a really good GPA despite what a lot of people say on this site. If you don’t get PE right out of undergrad just keep at it and it will come.

 

Depends on your school too. MIT (admittedly on a 5.0 scale but will try and convert here) or Princeton or Columbia will have slightly lower GPA thresholds than say Harvard or Brown. Not that there is a threshold, but what people will consider impressive. But if choosing between two people from the same school and one has a 3.6 but great experience and is more polished than someone w a 3.9, I suspect the 3.6 will do better. 3.3 may not make it through the screen

 
Most Helpful

AFAIK I know lots of ppl with 3.6-3.8 GPA working at top UMM funds and some MF and that’s basically everyone at non nyc MM or LMM shops. There’s always gonna be people who make it and this is just one piece of the special unique pie that makes you, you.

No different than college apps, applying to a investment club, applying to IB, etc. How can you even ask this question tbh? You should already know the answer. You can’t even do anything to change it much anyway and it’ll still be in the same range.

Who cares, bust ur ass and get good experience and ‘make up for it’. For some people a 3.7 is also more than good enough and won’t care if ur 3.7 or 3.9. U going to a non target didn’t stop u from getting an IB job right... so same principle here. There’s no insight anyone can give you other than it’s ur responsibility to do well.

But also if ur going for MM or LMM firms you have a great profile. Don’t stress it, You’ll get interviews just gotta nail the case interviews

 

Yes sir. Trust me you’ve got a great profile. I was insecure as shit over bad grades (as far as just getting dinged) and while some people really really gave a shit over what classes I took and how well I did (like when I was interviewing, senior partners/ partners went line by line thru transcript) the juniors didn’t GAF but some seniors did and that was tough. But with that still ended up OK.

The first time I got grilled was for a PE program and I had some ‘acceptable’ answers for bad grades. Then I spinned it into something I’d accept as valid and was personal to me (all I wanted to do was be good at the basic stuff, excel in the hardest classes, and then spend extra time doing XYZ on resume). If u ever get asked u need to create the answer if you heard it would be a great answer and then actually agreeing with the logic.

 

Quo et quis veniam assumenda commodi. Odit dolorem non omnis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (90) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (205) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (387) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (314) $59
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”