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Jane Street new grad / entry level salary 2026: what I got and what I heard

analyst_ana · 4 replies

Okay, writing this up because when I was searching for Jane Street new grad / entry level salary 2026 there was almost nothing useful and I had to piece it together from old Levels.fyi data.

I went through the SWE new grad process this spring (class of 2025). Didn't get the offer, but two people from my school did and I got some data from them plus from a recruiter call where they were pretty open.

New grad SWE, NYC, 2026: Base: approximately $200-220k (higher than Google/Meta new grad base, which sits around $150-180k range) Bonus: yes, even at new grad level. Smaller than senior but not nothing. Both my classmates mentioned a signing component and a year-end bonus expectation, though they were careful to say 'discretionary' repeatedly. Total comp for new grads I've heard of in the $300-380k range all-in for first year depending on firm performance

For context, Google new grad NYC was offering around $185-210k TC last cycle, Meta similar. Jane Street new grad compensation is meaningfully higher at the base level.

Why the gap: they're hiring a different profile. Strong CS fundamentals, but also people who will likely be working directly on or adjacent to trading systems. The firm takes on substantial leverage in training costs for the people they hire, so they pay to get and keep them.

Interview to get there: two rounds of technical (OCaml problems, not LeetCode). One behavioral. One final round with more senior folks. No system design in the traditional sense. The functional programming requirement tripped up a lot of people I knew.

Would I apply again? Probably not for me long-term but for the first 2-3 years out of school it's hard to argue with the comp and the learning environment. Just know you're signing up for a specific world.

4 replies

pivot_pat

The OCaml thing is real. They genuinely use it. I spent three weeks learning OCaml basics specifically for Jane Street and still fumbled the second round. Not saying don't do it, just know that 'learn the basics' is not enough. You need to be comfortable writing actual solutions under time pressure.

bootcamp_bri

Is there any path in for people without a traditional CS degree or is this realistically only for people with strong academic backgrounds? I ask because the culture seems very academically selective.

jp_newgrad

Honestly, I think it's very academically selective. The people I know who got offers were all strong CS grads from well-known programs. I haven't seen bootcamp backgrounds succeeding there but I also don't have a lot of data points.

analyst_ana

Do they hire analysts / non-SWE roles at new grad level or is it almost all SWE and quant trader?