COMPARE MFE 2026 Profile Evaluation

[Astrotalker]

Hi,

I am planning to apply for MFE Graduate Programs. Wanted to know if my stats are competitive and what all I can work on. I also applied in 2025 and received the below

Princeton MFin (Rejected)
CMU MSCF (Rejected)
MIT MFin (Waitlist to Admitted - Got the admit last week and have no time to get a VISA by the time it starts)
Columbia MFE (Waitlisted)
UChicago MSFM (Waitlist to Reject)

Qualifications

Graduated from one of the top 7 IITs with a GPA of 9.1/10. Had courses in Corporate Finance, Multivariate Calculus, ODEs, PDEs, Numerical Analysis, Linear Algebra, Economics and Corporate Finance

Did internships at a fintech startup and a research lab related to machine learning and computer vision.

Currently working as a Risk Quant at Goldman Sachs for 3 years

Cleared FRM P1 and planning to appear for CFA L1 this year in August

GRE 334(Q170, V164) - Gave it fresh for this cycle, had a previous score of 332(Q168, V164) . Saw that most successful applicants had a full score in quant so retook it. TOEFL 110

Additional Courses

Currently taking up courses in C++(Quantnet), Linear Algebra and Python(edx). Took a Probability and Statistics course from NPTEL ( MOOC offered by Indian Government in partnership with IITs)

I seem to have been waitlisted a lot and wanted to improve on that. Have picked up courses in C++ and appearing for CFA since most applicants seem to have some form of the latter. Any suggestions as to what can be done to improve and what are my current chances of admission to the above programs + Yale, Cornell, Georgia Tech and UC Berkeley.

 

[nuraV]

profile seems great, Idk why you were rejected from all the aforementioned masters. what work ex/internships did you have (was it just the 3 yrs at Goldman sacs?) also, how does your gpa look like, that might have been a deciding factor. otherwise, everything else looks great

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Can you add your 2025 applications to the Tracker? Appreciate it.
This way, we can identify and suggest improvement for your 2026 profiles.
My impression is that you have a solid numerical profile but the soft quality (SoP, LoR, etc) is not convincing. In short, your profile is not standing out from the sea of Indian applicants with similar profiles.
My bet is that you did not clearly communicate why you want to do MFE program and why each of those programs is a good fit for your career.
The fact that you have FRM and CFA show that you are just taking certificates to fill up the profile without knowing a good reason why.
You don't do FRM unless you are genuine interest in the field of risk management.

 

[Astrotalker]

profile seems great, Idk why you were rejected from all the aforementioned masters. what work ex/internships did you have (was it just the 3 yrs at Goldman sacs?) also, how does your gpa look like, that might have been a deciding factor. otherwise, everything else looks great

Gpa was 9.1/10 in India l, so roughly 3.8 if you use WES scores to convert or 3.7 if you use linear. Workex was the same back then.

 

[Astrotalker]

Can you add your 2025 applications to the Tracker? Appreciate it.
This way, we can identify and suggest improvement for your 2026 profiles.
My impression is that you have a solid numerical profile but the soft quality (SoP, LoR, etc) is not convincing. In short, your profile is not standing out from the sea of Indian applicants with similar profiles.
My bet is that you did not clearly communicate why you want to do MFE program and why each of those programs is a good fit for your career.
The fact that you have FRM and CFA show that you are just taking certificates to fill up the profile without knowing a good reason why.
You don't do FRM unless you are genuine interest in the field of risk management.

Thanks Andy, I have added my applications to the trackers. Will need to review my SoPs and LoRs , I just gave FRM from a knowledge perspective without any mind on applications. I am appearing for CFA since it is very popular in India and just to have it on my resume. Mostly I targeted FO Quant roles and stated as such in my SoPs. Any idea what all could I rectify or add to make a more convincing case

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Thanks for sharing on the tracker.
As for SoP, @Leggoo MFE did post a few helpful pointer on how to craft your story. You should tie your work experience with your own preparation with the training from the program to lead to your career goal. This requires a thorough understanding of the industry and each role as well as which roles each program is well known for. This may take some time talking to current and past students, attend info sessions, etc.
Don't create generic SoP for all programs. They will sniff it out in a second and put it down as not having a genuine interest in the field.

Thread 'From Low CGPA to My Dream School: Columbia MAFN, NYU MFE, and More'

3/24/25

Hello QuantNet Community,

I wanted to share my journey to getting accepted into Columbia's MAFN program, NYU's MFE, NCSU's Mathematical Finance, and Nanyang Business School's MFE in Singapore. I'm still waiting on decisions from Columbia's MFE and GaTech's QCF. My hope is that this post helps those who feel limited by a low CGPA but are passionate about breaking into the world of quantitative finance.

My Biggest Drawback

• Low CGPA: I had a CGPA of 2.98/4.00 in both my undergrad and grad studies.
• Poor Math Grades: I had a B- in Mathematics 3 and a...

• Leggoo MFE
• Replies: 19
• Forum: Articles

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