GPA Cutoffs in Banking

I don't think that is true. I had a 3.62 and I got almost every interview I applied to. Its all about a well rounded and CLEAN resume in my opinion. I also go to an Ivy target school.

Last year, kids with 3.5 from top IVY (think WHYP) got into GS, MS, JPM. Students with 3.5 also got into BX.

In another top tier Ivy (WHYP), kids placed into private equity like BX, GS- SSG, JPM, MS etc.

Kids with lower GPA got into CS, BAC, and UBS etc.

I do not think it is true at all.

I don't know, in Canada you don't get any interviews for BB unless you are 3.7+

3.5-3.7 you might get one with maybe the canadian ones

I still believe that 3.5 from a target school is enough to make them consider the rest of your resume.

Definitely not true. I had a mid-3.7 from a semi-target and got an offer from MS/GS. Only comments I got on my GPA was that it was very strong.

3.5 is fine from a target.

what about from a nontarget?

if a company doesnt recruit on campus does my school (ivy) go on the same level as non-targets? or will the school still be seen as a target for online apps, etc?

Gimmeshelter...you are still not considered a target in this case and will be lumped in with the rest of the pile (read: on-line apps). That said, if your resume does get a look, you will receive some credit for being at a reputable school.

Got an offer from a BB with a 3.3 non-target

At Penn, it seems that for BBs at least that the cutoff is 3.4/3.5. Once again, however, it REALLY depends on other things more than GPA, things like past experience***. GPA is just to reflect you're not an idiot.

Don't forget looks and polish - the two clinchers involved in any low GPA offer.

Good insight PowerMonkey

People put too much focus on the GPA. Yes, it is incredibly important, yes it is used to weed out undesirable candidates, and yes having a strong GPA does help your candidacy. That said, adjusting your GPA by a few hundredths or a tenth is not going to make or break your candidacy at all once you get over the 3.3 or so hurdle. Furthermore, once you get over a 3.5, you begin to look like everyone else who holds a strong GPA. The difference between a 3.6 GPA and a 3.8 GPA really isn't much to recruiters - both strong GPAs - at that point it becomes what else do you have to offer - experience, ECs, school name, etc.

A 3.5 from a Target is not going to get you dinged by any means - focus on the presentation of the rest of your resume and selling all of your experiences - if you are sitting at a Target school with a 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, etc GPA, you are in good shape from a GPA standpoint. For more on GPAs, check this out:

http://www.bankonbanking.com/2009/09/20/rounding-your-gpa-and-other-gpa…

If you have 3.5 or less, you better have strong connections or work experience.

Nothing else on your resume matters.

This is coming from experience.

and worked at a MBB over summer and is at Goldman Sachs IBD TMT

I have a 3.3 from a non-target, yet still very reputable school (Liberal Arts), and still got interviewed by 4 BB firms. I had a very hard dual major combo as well (Econ & Chinese). Three of the four of these interviews came directly through online applications. Granted I had great experience, 6 months at a BB in PBIG, summer internship at BB with Advisory, and another summer S&T internship with MM. So, I'd have to say past experience def. helps get over a sub-par GPA.

Anyone care to guesstimate the percentage of top tier US college juniors with 4.0 GPA?

~ European lad trying to figure out why low GPAs are so common place on this forum

I know a 3.3 kid from lehigh who is at JPM IBD, no big connections either. Also there's that kid on WSO who has a 3.4 citi S&T nontarget.

my friend has a 4.0, and people usually ask if she has a life or not.
i dont think people are that impressed or gpa gives her that big an edge.

playa hatin? honestly.

a networking connection can often help you bypass any HR-imposed cut-off.

I had a 4.0 when recruiting for internships last year, and I was only able to get first rounds with about 60% or less of the BBs/boutiques that came on campus. My experiences were somewhat weaker compared to classmates who had slightly lower GPAs (3.7-3.9 range) but received nearly every 1st round they applied for. In addition, in many of my first round interviews, I was asked the question, "what do you do for fun" which I inferred as, "ok you got a 4, but do you have a life?" I didn't move past any rounds that asked that question.

So, I would definitely say experience > GPA after a certain (3.7 seemed to the cutoff at my school) threshold. I realized that and slacked off this semester, losing the 4, for better or worse.

I'd say the minimum is between 3.4 and 3.5, but you should be around 3.6.

is this cumulative or overall gpa?

How about for experienced hires? At what point should you remove your GPA from your resume? I only had a 3.0, 1 year FT experience now. I'm trying to think of what other ways I can beef up my resume (I still do a lot of networking).

Less than a 3.5 from a non target but still wiggled my way into BB interviews. Landed at an EB. I would say that getting a foot in the door if you're lacking a stellar GPA has everything to do with experience and self-marketing. Don't let arbitrary cut offs hold you back

GPA cut off right now (Originally Posted: 11/29/2008)

What are the GPA cut-off for BB NYC and BB Asia internships right now?

GPA Cutoffs (Originally Posted: 05/20/2007)

Hey all,

I've heard different things being thrown around about GPA cutoffs, but I haven't heard anything definitive, so I figured I'd start a thread

What you think is the GPA cutoff to get a first round interview for Investment Banking? (Btw, I know you need a lot more than GPA to get an interview)

Does the cutoff vary for BB vs. boutiques, or IBD vs. other divisions like Research or Investment Management? Does it vary by liberal arts vs. engineering?

Specifically, I have a 3.4+ from an ivy, studying engineering

Responses are well appreciated, but try to back up your opinion in some way. Thanks

Is there a GPA cutoff? 2015 (Originally Posted: 05/19/2015)

Is there an updated GPA cutoff for BB junior internship opportunities 2015? There used to be a 3.5 or above GPA cutoff (also nontarget or target?) unless there were exceptional work experience or strong networks, and I was wondering what the criteria for the top 3 (GS/MS/JP) as well as for the rest of the BB's were in regards to IBD.

BB firms GPA cutoff - Is a 3.7? (Originally Posted: 08/05/2011)

I heard the GPA cutoff for most BB IBD is a 3.7 is that true?

IB gpa cutoff (Originally Posted: 10/19/2013)

I know that in investment banking, the consensus is that a gpa that of under 3.5 will generally get you dinged, but I was wondering if that is a hard cutoff. I have a gpa around 3.45 and I'm a mathematics and chemistry major. Do they take into account that my gpa is close to the cutoff and that I have very difficult classes, or am I autodinged? I know that this may vary person to person, but does anyone know the general rule here? Thanks guys.

Minimum GPA (Originally Posted: 03/05/2007)

What do you think is the minimum GPA to land a summer IB internship & full-time offer, coming from a target school?

How strict are the GPA minimums? (Originally Posted: 09/21/2013)

Let's say a BB bank has a minimum GPA requirement and you technically don't meet the requirement. If you can network really well and the committee reviewing resumes likes you, would they still be required to throw your resume out?

3.5 GPA in Banking (IBD)? (Originally Posted: 05/21/2008)

Hey guys,

I wanted to know if its common to see a 3.5 from an IVY in IBD for a jr summer analyst position for banks like Lehman, Goldman, ML.

Thanks!

BB firms GPA cutoff - Is this true? (Originally Posted: 08/05/2011)

I heard the GPA cutoff for most BB IBD is a 3.7 is that true?

Isn't 3.45 the real GPA cutoff? (Originally Posted: 05/07/2010)

if everybody rounds and 3.5 is the cutoff isn't 3.45 the real cutoff? does HR assume people round or something when they make that unofficial cutoff

Minimum GPA when applying (Originally Posted: 09/19/2008)

Some firms have a minimum GPA when applying. Lets say its says min. GPA of 3.2, and I have about a 3.12. I say I have a 3.2 on my resume. Hypothetically if I got an offer, would they rescind it cause my GPA isn't above 3.2?

It's obviously going to depend on who you talk to and what school you're coming from, however, I can tell you that I got interviews from a handful of those places you're mentioning, and I recruited with a 3.5 from a semi-target school. It mostly comes down to networking and showing genuine interest. At this point in the process, your GPA is what it is, so I would suggest you put any thoughts about cut-offs or averages out of your head and just focus on what you can control (which is networking).

It seems like joining a fraternity or a sorority is the way to go if you want to have a legit chance at any BB Banks. I know two people that graduated from a no-name school and landed summer internships and full time positions at GS. One of them I know for a fact had a 3.4 GPA. So it seems that it's all about the connections....
I am glad I saw this threat because, my college career started out pretty terrible. I moved across continents, had to learn english for months, then I had to write papers my first semester in college, which messed up my GPA big time. It was around 2.4 - 2.7. MY academic advisor basically told me I will never make it to the Business School because they require a minimum 3.0. I didn't even listen to her, because at my previous foreign business school back home, I was in the top 10 of my class every semester because all I do is study. So I just kept taking more classes and studying really hard. When I finally got 3.0, I was accepted into the Business School, I even received an offer for a Risk Management/ Corporate Finance Internship, which I accepted. I thought, this is great right. I will keep working harder to get in a even better position. I learned a lot during the internship, which lasted for 1 year 7 months. Even to date, I get offers for full time position at similar companies. Unfortunately, the internship didn't go well. My boss was a very sensitive person who brought family issues to work (a co worker told me about it when I asked why her behavior was so off sometimes, it even affects my work) and it was almost like she was lashing out people's work, especially mine. Additionally, I was overworked, I didn't have enough time to study between the internship, commuting, and even working on weekends. I even ask if I could structure my schedule like the other interns and just come on certain days, instead of everyday. She wouldn't have it. Though, it gave me significant experience, I regret taking it because I could have taken another internship and be okay overall, especially academically. My GPA suffered to below 3.0. I am currently sitting with a 2.8 with a crushed dream of every getting into a BB for ER or IB, though I prefer ER. Now I have to graduate and keep taking classes in the hopes of reaching 3.0 because I have both Finance and Economics as majors and a Math minor. By December, I will have to take 40+ hours to get to a 3.1 GPA, including retaking some classes. Any advice? I know I am sitting duck a this point.

Getting around GPA Cutoff (Originally Posted: 01/18/2010)

My GPA from Canada is 73% (that's how our school grading system works). I'd say it's around or even a bit above average (I recall a presentation saying that class averages here are typically 65-70%).

However, it's getting me auto-rejected from some companies. How do I get around this?

Some schools usually give higher grades, and it seems the HR ppl are just applying a uniform "If your make is less than X, auto cut off" formula to this.

As one of our minimum criteria for graduate application is that candidate must be holding minimum GPA 3.4 or above, I am afraid that your current score of 73% does not match with our requirement.

May we wish you all the best in your search for another opportunity.