The list is in. Fifty-one students learned on Friday, Aug. 25 that they would be in the University’s most highly prized financial program: Alts. Of the new class members, 12 are females and 39 are males. The median GPA for this group of students is a 3.9 and the average is a 3.96, the highest ever for an incoming Alts class.

The Alternative Assets Management program, commonly known as Alts, is a highly competitive honors finance program that has strong relations with financial institutions and investment banks.

Almost every student in Alts has a summer internship lined up by the end of the fall semester, said Hamiz Awan, an SMU senior and a member of the tenth Alts class.

Instead of applying during the fall semester, this year the Alts application process took place in August due to companies starting their job recruitment process earlier.

“While there are no strict qualifications, the program is probably the most selective at SMU,” Awan said.

Admission is based on academic performance, demonstrated work ethic, personal integrity, interviews, and strong recommendation letters from professors, employers and current Alts students. Once accepted into the program, students must maintain a 3.7 GPA in all accounting and finance classes.

The Alts application process is changing for next year. The program will start selecting students at the end of the spring semester. The two required Alts classes would then be completed the following academic year. The classes focus on investment banking and private equity, and hedge funds.

With this new application process, students can apply after their sophomore or junior year. Anyone interested in applying to Alts should complete their finance and accounting classes as soon as possible and check out the Alts website.