IIT Placements not to reveal the highest salary packages in their placement reporting norms

In response to the perceived “pressure” on students during the placement season, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are contemplating a shift in their placement reporting strategy. Recent discussions within the All IITs Placement Committee (AIPC) indicate a consensus to withhold information on the highest annual packages, with a focus on mean and median salary figures instead.

IIT-Bombay’s AIPC Meeting

The consensus emerged during a recent AIPC meeting, where discussions revolved around the IIT-Bombay placement report. This report initially claimed over 85 offers exceeding an annual package of Rs 1 crore. However, in a corrigendum issued later, IIT-Bombay revised this number to 22, citing a “technical error.” The meeting raised concerns about the potential impact of disclosing top salary figures on students, especially considering the overall subdued hiring sentiment in the current year.

IIT Placements Reporting Norms

Professor Debjani Mitra of IIT ISM Dhanbad, the current chairperson of AIPC, confirmed the consensus on not disclosing the highest salary packages. She emphasized the need for guidelines on how to declare placement reports, citing the confidentiality of offer letters and the challenge of verifying cost-to-company packages. The upcoming AIPC meeting in February is expected to solidify common guidelines for the release of placement reports.

Perspective on IIT Salary Figures

A member of AIPC highlighted that a significant portion of crore-worth offers is international, urging IITs to refrain from sharing such information publicly. This, the member argued, could negatively impact students’ mental health, and the details of salary packages should remain confidential between the candidate and the employer.

IIT-Bombay’s Stance and Error Clarification

Sameer Jadhav, faculty advisor to IIT-Bombay’s placement committee, echoed the sentiment against disclosing top salary packages. He emphasized that such high offers are outliers, received by a small fraction of students, creating unrealistic expectations. Jadhav regretted the earlier error in the announcement of 85 offers, attributing it to a technical glitch in the SQL query. He clarified that there are indeed 22 offers with packages of Rs 1 crore and above, with most being international positions, particularly in European countries with a high cost of living.