IITs struggle with high numbers of unplaced graduates

The specter of unplaced students continues to loom over the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), with hundreds of students facing uncertainty throughout their four-year courses.

The placement season, which commenced officially in December 2024 across various IIT campuses, is nearing its end. However, a recent RTI filed by Dheeraj Singh, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and the founder of the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, has shed light on persistent disparities in placement numbers over the years.

Singh's findings reveal that, as of April 29, 2024, 500 students out of 1,600 from the 2023-24 academic year at IIT Kanpur are yet to secure placements, representing a staggering 31.3% of the student body.

Comparing these figures to previous years, the RTI data indicates a recurring trend.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 167 out of 1,362 students remained unplaced, while in 2021-22, 177 out of 1,391 students faced the same predicament. The situation was similarly concerning in 2020-21, with 322 out of 1,135 students unable to secure placements.

This pattern extends to other IITs as well.

At IIT Kharagpur, for instance, 815 out of 2,490 students were left without placements in 2022-23, marking a 33% unplaced rate. The previous year saw 641 out of 2,256 students in a similar situation.

IIT BHU also grapples with high numbers of unplaced students, with 692 out of 1,735 awaiting placements in the current academic year, compared to 336 out of 1,428 in 2022-23.

The RTI responses, provided by the Career Development Cells of respective institutes, highlight the severity of the issue.

Even newer IITs like IIT Ropar and IIT Palakkad face challenges, with 93 out of 298 and 16 out of 211 students respectively remaining unplaced in 2022-23.

IIT Jammu is no exception, with 125 out of 251 students awaiting placements this year, and 33 out of 220 in the previous academic year.

Despite attempts by media outlets like FPJ to reach out to IIT authorities for comment, no responses have been received as of the publication of this report.