MFE Fall 2026: How do I strengthen my profile

[QuantPLZZ]

Hey everyone,
I am planning on applying for MFE programs for the Fall'26 intake and I was wondering if I had a decent application, I am currently living in the United States and want to target for programmes here. My background is as follows:

Majored in Computer Science
UGPA: 3.7/4.0
GRE Quant: 167
GRE Verbal: 158

Coursework:
Programming Languages: Python, C, C++, R, Java
MATH: Differential Equations and Transformations, Probability and Statistics, Complex Variables and Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics and Graph Theory, Calculus
ECON: Micro economics
Projects: Pure ML and software projects revolving around graph neural networks, and genetic algorithims.
2 Letters of reccomendations from my professors
1 letter of reccomendation from my place of work

Work Experience: Project manager Internship (2 months) and Buisness Analyst Internship (6 months)

Im planning to take up quant/MFE related courses to bridge my lack of economics oriented coursework and projects. Furthermore, I am aware I dont have a lot of work experience, in industries relevant to financial engineering. What can I do to help make my profile stronger?

Thank you for your time!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

As a Computer Science major, you can benefit from some quant finance courses that specifically tailored for MFE applicants.
I would recommend the Options course that we run. Its author is Prof. Stefanica, the director of the Baruch MFE program.

Intuition-Based Options Primer for Financial Engineering

Prepare for entry-level position interviews and for graduate studies with an emphasis on a deep understanding of options trading arbitrage and options valuation models

quantnet.com

 

[Ash Cross]

I second Andy's recommendation. Be sure to create a project as part of that course. That would move your CV in the right direction. Also, I'd highly recommend getting a technical internship or two - ideally something with financial datasets, predictive modeling, and/or building and backtesting strategies. Bonus points if you can get your GRE verbal above 160.

One internship is fine for the MFE application, but two technical internships + a relevant financial project or two will help during your Master's level internship search once you start your program.

Also, I’m guessing you’re not the only one on QuantNet who missing the finance piece - maybe a few of you can team up to build a project!

 

[QuantPLZZ]

Thank you for your replies Andy and Ash,
I will definitley look into the options course as suggested, is it possible to complete it earlier than the stipulated time?
Ive been looking into financial projects I can construct such as predictive modeling, Ill be sure to reach out to others on QuantNet.
I am in the process of looking for more technical internships but always seem to luck out, Ill keep looking and update y'all.
Though I dont really understand how important my GRE score is as compared to other parts of my portfolio.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Thank you for your replies Andy and Ash,
I will definitley look into the options course as suggested, is it possible to complete it earlier than the stipulated time?
Ive been looking into financial projects I can construct such as predictive modeling, Ill be sure to reach out to others on QuantNet.
I am in the process of looking for more technical internships but always seem to luck out, Ill keep looking and update y'all.
Though I dont really understand how important my GRE score is as compared to other parts of my portfolio.

Yes, you can complete as fast as you can. All the courses on QuantNet are self-pacing.
Here are a few projects by our members

Projects

quantnet.com