Non-engineering undergrads bag top placement offers in a tough year

In a tough year marked by geopolitical uncertainties, market volatility 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 ₹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 ₹5.5 LPA from ₹4.5 LPA, while Christ University reported that 110 students received packages of ₹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 ₹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 ₹36 lakh to ₹60 lakh, 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 ₹15.92 LPA from ₹14.58 LPA last year, he added.

Across these campuses, mostly students from BA 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, average package for FY26 rose to ₹13.84 LPA from ₹12.18 LPA in FY25. "The packages offered have 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 (hon.) with 41.