Investment Banking Technology Roles: University Preferences Explored
Investment banks are not solely in search of traditional investment banking candidates for their internship and graduate positions.
If your academic background is rooted in mathematics, computer science, or other STEM disciplines, a pathway to technology roles within these financial institutions may be open to you. However, which universities do banks favor for such positions?
In an effort to uncover this information, we have meticulously analyzed data from our comprehensive CV database alongside publicly accessible LinkedIn profiles for 16 prominent UK universities.
This bolstered our assessment, resulting in a proprietary scoring system that evaluates the likelihood of securing a banking technology role, factoring in the total number of alumni employed in banking and the proportion of intern/graduate-level professionals.
The findings are unequivocal. Imperial College stands as the most advantageous option, facing virtually no competition; it claimed the top position across all the metrics analyzed and boasted nearly three times the score of the runner-up, Warwick.
Many of the leading technologists in the global banking sector hail from Imperial. Notable alumni include David Coulson, partner and Chief Technology Officer of banking and markets at Goldman Sachs, who pursued a PhD in theoretical physics at Imperial.
Additionally, David Griffiths, Citi’s Chief Technology Officer, holds a master’s degree in computer science from this esteemed institution, while Jonathan Lofthouse, the Chief Information Officer at Citi, is a graduate of second-place Warwick.
According to the QS university rankings, Imperial holds a commendable 22nd position globally in computer science, ranking just behind Oxford and Cambridge in the UK.
Although graduates from these prestigious institutions are fewer in banking technology, they are still sought after, particularly by electronic trading firms such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities, known for offering lucrative compensation packages and aggressively recruiting top talent.
Other high-ranking universities typically serve as broad targets for banking recruitment, including the London School of Economics and University College London.
Securing a graduate technology position in banking transcends the mere affiliation with a prestigious university.

Prospective applicants must fine-tune their problem-solving skills, particularly with Leetcode challenges, to pass the rigors of banking technology assessments.
Furthermore, having several personal projects or contributions to open-source endeavors can significantly enhance your candidacy.
Source link: Efinancialcareers.com.






