In a tough year marked by geopolitical uncertainties, markvolatility and layoffs, India’s top non-engineering undergraduate colleges are reporting a strong placement season.
Delhi University’s St Stephen’s College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR), Chennai’s Loyola College, Bengaluru’s Christ University, and Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College have all seen higher average salaries and increased job offers for the class of 2026 compared to last year, placement officials told ET.
Meesho emerged as the top recruiter in terms of the highest package at both St Stephen’s and LSR, offering Rs 36.25 lakh per annum (lpa). At St Stephen’s, total offers rose from 41 last year to 56 this year. LSR also recorded a jump, from just over 100 offers last year to 154 this year. Loyola College saw its average CTC rise to Rs 5.5 lpa from Rs 4.5 lpa, while Christ University reported that 110 students received packages of Rs 10 lakh and above this year, up from 70 last year.
The top offer at both Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College and Christ University came from DE Shaw, which extended packages of about Rs 25 lpa this year.
“We have onboarded over 400 candidates across roles such as Software Development Engineers, Data Scientists, and Senior Associates…. we offer packages ranging from ₹36L to ₹60L, depending on the role and individual profile,” said Ashish Kumar Singh, CHRO, Meesho. “This year, we engaged with several of India’s leading engineering institutes, including top IITs and NITs, to hire undergraduate talent.”
“The placement season has been particularly strong, with increased PPO conversions, higher number of offers and more focused hiring by leading recruiters, reflecting sustained confidence in the talent pool,” said a placement executive at St Stephen’s. The average salary at Stephen’s rose to Rs 15.92 lpa from Rs 14.58 lpa last year, he added.
Across these campuses, mostly students from B.A. Economics (Honours), B. Com (Honours), and B.Sc. Mathematics (Honours) received the highest number of offers. Roles were largely entry-level, spanning business analyst, associate/associate consultant, analyst positions across domains, management trainee roles, talent acquisition executive, and executive assistant to CEO, among others.
At LSR, the average package for 2025-26 rose to Rs 13.84 lpa from Rs 12.18 lpa in 2024-25. “The packages offered by companies have slightly increased this year as opposed to last year,” an executive at LSR’s placement cell said. Economics (Honours) students received 48 offers, followed by B. Com (Honours) with 41.
A similar trend was visible at Loyola College. “Increase in salaries can be attributed to a noticeable improvement in the skill sets of our students and also due to the job market showing strong demand,” said Princely Samuel, director for training and placements. “There is not much of an impact of the job slowdown,” he added.
Christ University’s placement office also reported strong interest from recruiters. First-time recruiters this year included DESRI, LEK Consulting, Futures First, Baker Tilly (formerly Moss Adams), Sabre Corp, Haleon, Maruti Suzuki, Franke Faber and MNP Spark, according to placement officer Claudius V. “Close to 1,400 students already stand placed from UG programmes, similar to last year, and the recruitment process is still on,” he said. More companies, he added, are offering CTCs that are Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh higher than last year.
At St Xavier’s College, DE Shaw’s top offer was about Rs 25 lpa this year, compared to about Rs 23 lpa last year, said student placement cell convenor Radhika Tendulkar. The college’s average salary rose marginally to Rs 7.97 lpa from Rs 7.59 lpa. “The average salary increased because some of our old and new partners hired in bulk,” Tendulkar said.
