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India’s top engineering institutes are preparing for a promising placement season, with early signs pointing to stronger hiring momentum compared to last year. Despite global economic uncertainty, placement officials at leading Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) say companies across sectors are showing keen interest in tapping into the upcoming graduating batch, according to a report by The Economic Times.
The placement season for the Class of 2026 will formally begin in December at the seven older IITs — Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur, BHU, and Roorkee. Recruiter registrations have already started, and early indicators suggest a more extensive lineup of firms this year, the news report mentioned.
Officials from placement cells say participation is rising across multiple sectors, including software development, artificial intelligence, data-driven roles, banking and financial services, startups, high-frequency trading, semiconductors, and core engineering.
Strong push from HFT firms
High-frequency trading (HFT) companies, which have been consistent recruiters at IITs in recent years, are expected to expand their hiring further. Firms such as Jane Street, Graviton Research Capital, Hudson River Trading, Millennium Management, and Da Vinci Derivatives are regular visitors.
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The Economic Times quoted Sanjay Gupta, chairperson of the Career Development Centre at IIT Kharagpur saying that the trend of rising participation from such firms is set to continue. Echoing this, Sudeept Sinha, founder of Atlas Research, noted that his company plans to multiply its hiring from IITs to support expansion.
IITs witness wider recruiter pool
IIT BHU, which closed last year with over 1,400 offers, expects a stronger placement season this year.
The news report quoted placement coordinator Sushant Kumar Shrivastava as saying that the institute is witnessing a sharp increase in interest from data science and analytics companies. Confirmed recruiters for this season include Tower Research Capital, Edgefocus, NK Securities, APT Portfolio, Quadeye, and Graviton. Several first-time recruiters, such as Atlassian, Coforge, and NK Securities are also joining.
IIT Roorkee too, is experiencing higher participation from HFT firms, startups, and new recruiters. Professor Vivek Pancholi, who oversees placements, said this year’s outlook is “highly promising”, with expectations of both higher offers and improved average salaries, as reported by The Economic Times.
Strategies to attract top recruiters
To keep momentum strong, IITs are adopting new strategies to appeal to recruiters. Initiatives include showcasing research projects, focusing on core companies, and offering employability training such as mock interviews, leadership workshops, and soft-skills sessions.
At IIT BHU, outreach has become more structured with sector-specific teams engaging recruiters from areas like quantitative research, consulting, and software development. IIT Roorkee is conducting alumni surveys to better understand company requirements, particularly in core industries, the news report said.
IIT Delhi sees record placement offers
Global corporations and leading domestic firms rolled out more than 850 job offers to undergraduate students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi during the 2024-25 placement drive. Recruiters included marquee names such as Google, Microsoft, American Express, Barclays, BCG, Oracle, PayU, and Squarepoint Capital.
According to the institute, this marked the highest number of unique offers received in the past three years. The count stood at 712 in 2022, rose to 768 in 2023, and reached 781 in 2024. The 2025 season surpassed these figures.
Several top recruiters across industries extended double-digit offers to IIT Delhi undergraduates, highlighting strong hiring demand.
Startups and PSUs boost hiring diversity
Startups and technology-led companies also played a big role in boosting the placement numbers. Firms like Meesho, Graviton Research Capital, and Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle were among the notable recruiters this year.
In addition, public sector undertakings (PSUs) such as Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Petronet LNG, Indian Oil Corporation, and the Centre for Development of Telematics hired students during the placement season, further diversifying the opportunities available on campus.
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