What GPA do You Need for Investment Banking? (2024)

• Imarticus
• August 13, 2020

Investment Banking helps companies/firms in raising capital by issuing securities via debt or equity. Investment bankers also advise their clients throughout their financial career. They also help in managing mergers and acquisitions. To become a good investment banker, one needs to have a good GPA (Grade Point Average) so that grades never become a hindrance to one’s career growth.

A GPA is the average value of all the accumulated grades by a person in different courses in his studying career. The accumulated grades are added up and are divided by earned grades to find the value of GPA. Let us see how important a good GPA in an Investment Banking career is.

What GPA is Good in Investment Banking?

The standard rating of GPA across different schools and colleges is done out of 4.0. However, in weighted-grade systems followed by some institutions, GPA is rated out of 5. It is preferred that a student should have a GPA of 3.5 or above throughout his education career if he/she wants grades to never be a thorn in their career roadmap. Investment Banking companies/recruiters do consider the GPA of any candidate before hiring him/her. In the case of recruits who do not have working experience in the past, recruiters cannot judge them on work experience.

The GPA comes in handy at those times; the recruiters get a grasp of the candidate’s performance capability with the help of GPA. For Investment Banking, you need to be confident with numbers and must have good analytical skills. Your performance in school and professional courses will reflect your skills.

It is not necessary that GPA fully defines the skills of a person, anyone can grow later in his career too. But, having a good GPA will give you more chances to build a sound Investment Banking career.

Is good GPA only way to boost an Investment Banking career?

A candidate who is involved in activities besides having a good GPA is preferred by companies/recruiters. For example, if someone has a GPA of 3.9 but hasn’t done any internships or workshops may be preferred later in comparison to a candidate who has scored a GPA of 3.5 and has done internships/workshops under good banners in the field of Investment Banking. You need to have a blend of good GPA and internships to boost your skills and chances of getting recruited.

If you haven’t got a good GPA in your school or courses till now, you can still do any course in finance or any Investment Banking Course and can perform well in that to boost your GPA. Many big companies hire employees directly if they have a good GPA from any elite university because they know that any particular employee having an excellent GPA will perform better. GPA is not the only thing required to grow, but it is surely one of the most important things.

It reflects your journey as a learner and your overall performance. A lot of companies set GPA limits for the recruiting process and the candidate who doesn’t fulfil the criteria of minimum GPA cannot even sit in the recruiting process.

Conclusion

Investment Banking has a lot of opportunities and responsibilities. A good investment banker can help a company/firm to make better financial decisions and can raise capital quickly whenever required. He has good communication, analytical skills.

One should take his/her ongoing course seriously and should try to score well to get benefits in the future. There are no limits in gaining knowledge/experience but it would be best if your GPA throughout your education career is 3.5 or above. This article was all about a suitable GPA to grow as an investment banker.

Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional

Postgraduate Program in Banking and Finance

IIM Calcutta Executive Programme in Investment Banking and Capital Markets

IIM Lucknow Advanced Management Program in Financial Services and Capital Markets

Financial Analysis Prodegree

Credit Risk and Underwriting Prodegree

IIM Indore Postgraduate Certificate Programme for Emerging CFOs