# The quant offer — Paths

> Top quantitative trading firms pay new graduates about $400,000–$650,000 in the first year. One IIT Madras graduate was reportedly offered about $508,000 to join Jane Street in Hong Kong. Year-one pay is set by firm revenue, not by the graduate's trading.

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Structural luck 2024–2026 Frontier pay

# The quant offer

First-year pay above $400,000, funded by a bonus pool the graduate has not yet earned.

**$400k–$650k** reported first-year total at a top quant firm

## What they did

The candidate studied a quantitative field, passed a multi-stage interview, and accepted an offer. Jane Street and Citadel hire at the start of careers and train internally.

## What they did not choose

Jane Street's roughly 2,631 employees generated average revenues of about $3.2 million per head in the first half of 2024. A new graduate's package is paid from that pool. Target school, a year of record firm revenue, and a city with a posting are each conditions the candidate did not set.

## Figures

- Jane Street new-grad total compensation: about $400,000–$650,000 in year one (levels.fyi, Wall Street Oasis, firm postings).

- Posted New York base for quantitative traders: $300,000.

- One IIT Madras graduate: about $508,000 for Hong Kong (eFinancialCareers / Bloomberg).

- Jane Street average revenue per head: about $3.2 million in H1 2024.

## Limit

Passing the interview is earned. The size of the bonus pool is not. The same candidate, in a weaker year or at a firm without a shared pool, receives a different package.

## Sources

- [eFinancialCareers — Jane Street hires student on $500k](https://www.efinancialcareers.co.uk/news/jane-street-student-salaries)

- [QuantVault — Jane Street salary 2026](https://quantvault.org/jane-street-salary.html)

- [Young & Calculated — How HFT hiring works in 2026](https://youngandcalculated.substack.com/p/how-hft-hiring-works-in-2026-compensation)

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