New Delhi: Campus placements at most first generation IITs have taken a hit in the last few years, according to data accessed by the Indian Express.
The report analyses six of the seven older IITs – IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati and IIT Bombay. Of the seven institutions, five shared their placement data from 2018-19 to 2023-24 in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query. IIT Guwahati and IIT Madras shared their annual reports instead.
Among those that responded, campus placements dropped by 5-16% at IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee.
IIT Bombay provided data only for 2022-23 and 2023-24, indicating a drop from 82% to 75%.
At IIT Guwahati, placements rose from 67% in 2018-19 to 71% in 2023-24 – higher than the pre-pandemic levels – however, it was lower than the 2022-23 which saw a placement record of 78%.
The only IIT that maintained a consistent placement record was IIT Delhi. It has recorded around 85% placement rates since 2018, barring the pandemic years when it fell to 80% in 2020 and 75% in 2021.
Why is placement falling?
The fall in numbers was attributed to post-pandemic mass hiring in 2022, a slowdown in the tech sector and increase in batch size, as per students and teachers at the IITs.
“In 2022, there was a spike in placement percentages as the market recovered after Covid, with rates exceeding 85%. This spike followed a two-year hiring freeze. Hiring in 2023 was more conservative, with fewer top MNCs coming in and a decline in software and tech recruitment. Placements this year might improve over last year, but are unlikely to match 2022 levels. The numbers may normalise by 2025,” a source from IIT Kanpur was quoted as saying by the paper.
Officials from both IIT Kanpur and Guwahati also said that placement numbers are better for B. Tech graduates as compared to post-graduate students, who prefer to go for higher education.
“PG students often prefer higher studies – they register for placements but do not pursue them further. The actual placement scenario is best reflected in undergraduate placements, where close to 80% students secure jobs, while 10% go for higher studies, 5% opt for civil services, and others pursue MBA programs,” an official was quoted as saying by the paper.
The official also said that it would be misleading to draw conclusions solely based on placement data, without comparing it with exit surveys.
“Many students shown as ‘not placed’ take routes like higher education or off-campus placements or entrepreneurship. The dip does not offer a true reflection unless compared with the exit survey,” the official said.
A newly introduced exit survey revealed that from 2018-2022, 57% of students were placed through campus placements, 10.3% found jobs independently, 1.6 % initiated start-ups, 8.3 % entered public services, 6.1 % were still seeking jobs, and 12 % pursued higher education in India or abroad, the Indian Express reported.
According to an exit survey by IIT Delhi this year, 53% confirmed receiving job offers, 8.4% said that they were self-employed, nearly 2% were working for a start-up and 2.5 % students were involved in entrepreneurship, the report said.
