Will recruiters/computers know that a 4.0 GPA at one college is the same as a 3.0/4.0 at another college?

For example, some positions require you to have at least a 3.5 GPA. A person from a Cuny college can easily get a 3.5 GPA. But then this 3.5 GPA quality of work at a CUNY might be the same as a 2.75 quality of work at an Ivy League college.

So if you have these 2 candidates with the equivalent quality of work in college but graded differently: 1. Cuny graduate 3.5 GPA 2. Ivy League graduate 2.75 GPA

Does the recruiter/computer system automatically disqualify candidate 2. because he did not meet the 3.5 GPA threshold even though his school has a stricter grading standard?

5 Comments
 

Yes, a lot of applications with GPAs below a certain threshold will get automatically dinged, regardless of the name of the school. Humans will then typically filter out the high GPAs from institutions that aren't rigorous/prestigious enough. For any selective job, neither of your hypothetical candidates are getting an interview.

 

This is false it isn't funny. Just because a college is ranked higher on U.S. News, does not mean that it has harding grading criteria. I hear Harvard (ever heard of it?) has some pretty nice grade inflation.

Maybe stop determining individual's self worth based on their high school performance, which determines where they can go to college, and start looking at other more important characteristics.

 
"hockey34" This is false it isn't funny. Just because a college is ranked higher on U.S. News, does not mean that it has harding grading criteria. I hear Harvard (ever heard of it?) has some pretty nice grade inflation.

Maybe stop determining individual's self worth based on their high school performance, which determines where they can go to college, and start looking at other more important characteristics.

OP is exaggerating, but I transferred from a nontarget to a target, and grading is absolutely harder at the target.

 
Best Response

Sit ut nihil qui nam deserunt velit. Dolor esse illum ut culpa voluptate. Fugit qui modi magnam amet facilis ut voluptatem sequi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”