Mumbai: After facing a setback in placement rates last year, which dropped to less than 75% from almost 83% in 2023, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has come up with certain plans to ensure that students receive more and better placements this year.
According to sources in the placement cell of the premier Institute, IIT-B is actively contacting more comp.es — including the elite ones as well as start ups — to hire students from the institute during this year’s placement cycle, which is scheduled to begin in the first week of December.
Additionally, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are also being included in the placement drive this year. Without naming any particular org.sation, sources in the placement cell confirmed that some PSUs are in the pipeline to hire students this year. The move is expected to up the scope of placements across government and public sectors.
Simultaneously, IIT-B is ramping up its outreach to the industry by actively inviting more comp.es, including core engineering firms, emerging startups, and consultancy firms to participate. This initiative aims to address the diverse aspirations of students and attract recruiters from traditional sectors as well as new-age industries. The placement cell has intensified efforts to connect with elite recruiters and ensure a robust turnout this season.
Student participation is also expected to increase, with over 2,400 students expected to take part in the placement process. In 2024, 1,979 participants actively took part in placements. To accommodate the rising numbers, IIT-B is implementing measures to streamline the placement process, ensuring efficiency for both students and recruiters, sources informed.
Special attention is being given to startups, with strict screening criteria to ensure reliability. Only those with a minimum of three to four years of establishment, a stable employment record, and the capability to offer competitive salaries will be considered. The placement cell is determined to maintain a high standard of offers and avoid situations where students might face challenges due to the unstable nature of early-stage ventures.
In line with this, IIT-B has set a minimum salary threshold of ₹6 lakhs per annum for participating comp.es this year to ensure fair compensation for the participating students and maintain the credibility of its placement process.
Another factor that the institute is massively increasing is Alumni outreach to enhance its placement drive. IIT-B is leveraging its vast alumni network to bring more recruiters on board with their support. Moreover, the institute is also collaborating with more international comp.es to convince them to take part in the placement process this year, sources said. In 2024, 258 students had received international job offers.
“The increased numbers till 2023 were seen as a result of the post pandemic boom. For two to three years during the pandemic, the hirings had almost come to a standstill. It was natural that it increased once the comp.es settled down once the pandemic was over. But we are leaving no stones unturned to ensure that maximum of our students get on-campus placement this year as well,” a source in the placement cell of the institute said.
A hybrid model, which has become a norm in the post covid world, will also be continued to be offered to comp.es so that the recruiters can choose between conducting interviews and selection processes on-campus or online, catering to their logistical preferences and ensuring a seamless process, the source added.
With all these moves, the institute hopes for better placement rates in the upcoming cycle. “While the number of students accepting the pre-placement offers will remain more or less the same as 2024 (258 had accepted out of over 300 who got offers), we believe that the number of accepted offers, which was 1,475 in 2024, will be surpassed in 2025,” a sources said.
