In the recent series of declining IIT Placements, the only institute that did not see a drop was IIT (BHU) Varanasi. Why have IIT placements dropped drastically in 2023-24? Which IITs suffered the biggest placement slump, and why? How did IIT (BHU) manage to maintain its placement record while others struggled? Are top companies hiring fewer IIT graduates this year? Which IIT recorded the lowest placement rate, and what does it mean for students? Let's answer these questions in the report below:
Placements for students of BTech students at 22 out of the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) decreased in 2023-24 as compared with those in 2021-22. Only IIT (BHU) Varanasi did not record a dip, according to the data released by the government.
The fall was most significant at the older and more established IITs. The data was presented to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, which described the drop as an “unusual decline.”
More than 10 percentage points decline in placing rates was registered by over half of the IITs. Here are some of the biggest drops:
| IIT | Placement Drop (Percentage Points) | Previous Placement Rate (%) | Current Placement Rate (%) |
| IIT Madras | 12 | 85.71 | 73.29 |
| IIT Bombay | 13 | 96.11 | 83.39 |
| IIT Kanpur | 11 | 93.63 | 82.48 |
| IIT Delhi | 15 | 87.69 | 72.81 |
Of the older IITs, IIT Kharagpur saw the least fall in placements, down to 83.91% from 86.79%, a drop of just 2.88 percentage points.
In fact, only three IITs—Jodhpur, Patna, and Goa record more than 90% placements in 2023-24. IIT Jodhpur registered the maximum (92.98 percent), and IIT Dharwad the minimum (65.56 percent).
For students who appeared for placements, job offers varied from 83.15% at IIT (BHU) Varanasi to 98.65% at IIT Goa. As many as 14 IITs recorded over 90% training placements among those who appeared for campus recruitment.
IIT Dharwad reported the steepest drop in placements, and saw a fall of around 25 percentage points (from 90.20% to 65.56%). There was also a big dip in IIT Jammu, from 92% to 70%.
At most IITs, except IIT Tirupati, the number of students who appeared for the placements increased. Placements are dependent on market conditions, they also pointed out, adding that some students could have chosen higher studies and/or startups over jobs. It also suggested that the department explore ways to enhance employability.
B.Tech Programme Placements Decline Reasons
- The committee noted there could be many reasons for the fall in placements. Instead of taking jobs, a lot of students would have probably pursued further studies or become entrepreneurs.
- Although placements are determined by market trends, the committee urged the Department to take measures to improve employability. It suggested ways to better help students obtain jobs.
- The same trend was seen in the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). According to the report, there was a decrease in the average salary packages offered to placed students in the 2022-23 to 2023-24 year. It did not, however, supply specific figures.
- The committee suggested that the department should launch mandatory faculty development programmes to tackle the issue. These programmes are designed to enhance faculty professionally and form collaborations between industry and academia.
