Placement rates fall at 22 of 23 IITs since 2021: Govt data

Placements for B.Tech graduates fell at 22 out of 23 IITs in 2023-24 compared to 2021-22, with IIT Dharwad seeing the sharpest drop of 25 percentage points. Only IIT (BHU) Varanasi recorded an increase, rising by 4.89 percentage points to 88.04%, according to the Union education ministry’s data shared with the Parliamentary Standing Committee.

Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, 15 IITs reported placement rate drops exceeding 10 percentage points. IIT Dharwad’s placement rate fell from 90.20% to 65.56%, while IIT Jammu dropped from 92.08% to 70.25%. IIT Roorkee saw a major decline from 98.54% to 79.66%.

In 2021-22, 14 out of 23 IITs recorded over 90% placements, but by 2023-24, only IIT Jodhpur (92.98%), IIT Patna, and IIT Goa crossed that threshold. IIT Dharwad had the lowest placement rate at 65.56%. IIT Tirupati was the only IIT to see fewer students sitting for placements, while all other institutes recorded an increase in applicants.

Five IITs saw brief improvement in placements in 2022-23 before facing a sharp decline in 2023-24. IIT Delhi’s placement rate rose from 87.69% to 89.88%, only to drop to 72.81%. Similarly, IIT Roorkee’s placements fell from 98.54% in 2021-22 to 79.66% in 2023-24. IIT (BHU) experienced a rise to 95.62% before settling at 88.04%. IIT Bhubaneswar followed a similar trend, returning to its 82.48% rate after a brief rise to 86.07%.

IIT Goa recorded the highest placement rate in 2022-23 at 99.05% but fell to 92.73% in 2023-24. Despite the overall decline, three IITs—Kharagpur, Gandhinagar, and Tirupati—improved their placement rates in 2023-24. IIT Kharagpur rebounded from 79.70% in 2022-23 to 83.91%, while IIT Gandhinagar increased to 82.39% from 80.89%. IIT Tirupati saw the most significant recovery, rising from 70.18% in 2022-23 to 86.57% in 2023-24.

The parliamentary committee, led by Congress lawmaker Digvijaya Singh, highlighted this “unusual decline” in IIT and IIIT placements. The report also noted a decline in the average financial packages for students between 2022-23 and 2023-24. The committee linked the drop in placement rates to changing market trends, students opting for higher education, and pursuing start-up ventures.

The panel urged the higher education department to find new ways to improve employability and address the falling placement rates. It also observed a similar trend at the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), though specific data on NIT placements or average salaries was not provided.

The IIT placement season for 2024-25 will continue until June 30, 2025, with expectations for better market conditions.