Tier-1 and Tier-3 Differ by Just 5 Points in Skill. So Why Such a Gap in Offers?
Don't put all your trust in campus, and don't treat off-campus as "Plan B". The preparation for both is the same; you just need to start early. Data and reasons below.
Where these numbers come from
The India Skills Report is produced by ETS together with CII, AICTE and AIU. The 2026 edition is its 13th. It is based on the Global Employability Test (GET) taken by over 1 lakh candidates, plus responses from 7 industries.
Mercer Mettl's report (India's Graduate Skill Index 2025) assessed over 10 lakh students across 2,700+ campuses. The report came out in 2025, but most of its data is from 2024.
The two have one thing in common: these are test scores. They tell you how job-ready students' skills are, not how many actually got jobs.
What these numbers mean
The two reports measure differently, so the numbers look different. In the India Skills Report, B.Tech employability is about 70%. Mercer Mettl's scale is stricter and gives 42.6% for graduates of all streams combined. The 42.6% is not an engineers-only figure, and it is not "how many people get jobs" either; it is a skill-test score.
The most interesting part: according to Mettl, the gap between Tier-1 and Tier-3 colleges is only about 5 points. When it comes to skill, the college name matters less than we assume. The difference shows up in getting offers, because big companies visit only a select few campuses.
The numbers by tier
| College | Employability (Mettl) | Gap from Tier-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 | 48.4% | - |
| Tier-2 | 46.1% | 2.3 points lower |
| Tier-3 | 43.4% | 5 points lower |
The entire gap across all three tiers is 5 points. So a Tier-3 student is not as far behind in skill as they think. They just have to build, on their own, the proof that companies at Tier-1 campuses come and find for themselves.
The branch gap is bigger
In the India Skills Report 2026, CS engineers' employability was 80% and IT engineers' was 78%, against a B.Tech average of 70.15%. With the average at 70.15% and CS/IT above it, the other branches have to score below the average.
If you are not in CS/IT, that doesn't mean IT jobs are closed to you. It means companies will ask you for more proof: DSA, one or two working projects and GitHub. Whatever your branch, this is what interviews look at.
What changed from last year
In Mercer Mettl, overall employability fell from 44.3% (2023) to 42.6% (2024). Most of the drop came in non-technical skills such as HR and digital marketing. In technical roles such as AI/ML, graduates scored better, at around 46%.
In the India Skills Report, the B.Tech score slipped from 71.5% to 70.15%, a small dip. Meanwhile, the country's overall employability rose from 54.81% to 56.35%. According to the report, people aged 22-25 are the most employable (75.7%), and they are the ones you'll be competing with for fresher seats.
The report also says more than 90% of employees have started working with generative AI tools. The direct impact: basic work is now done by tools, and companies expect freshers to offer more than that: thinking, debugging, explaining.
The real picture of fresher hiring in 2026
There is demand for freshers, but it is spread unevenly. TeamLease EdTech's HY1 2026 survey spoke to 1,051 companies, and about 73% planned to hire freshers in January-June 2026, 3% more than the previous half. It also found that internship and real project experience carry more weight in decisions than a degree alone.
Here is what the big IT companies have said about their hiring. These are company statements, not firm offers, and plans keep changing.
| Company | What was said |
|---|---|
| TCS | Over 44,000 freshers in FY26. For FY27, it had already given 25,000 offers by April 2026, with further hiring depending on demand. An August 2026 report says the company is on track for about 40,000 a year. |
| Infosys | Plans about 20,000 college graduates in FY27. |
| Wipro | No fresher hiring target for FY27; entirely demand-driven. It took in about 7,500 freshers in FY26. |
The same foundit data also shows that overall fresher hiring in July 2026 was 10% lower than a year earlier, while demand for tech professionals rose 10%. STEM graduates make up the largest share of freshers (42%), and about 15% of fresher job postings listed no education requirement at all.
Don't rely only on the big IT companies. Their share is falling, and hiring is spreading toward GCCs, product companies, BFSI and engineering/production (share up from 6% to 8%).
Fresher hiring by city
According to foundit's July 2026 data, Delhi NCR has the largest share, at 19%. It is followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune at 14% each, Hyderabad at 11% and Chennai at 9%. Pune showed the biggest gain (from 12% to 14%), driven by engineering, manufacturing and GCCs. If you are willing to move out of your city, you get more options.
Comparing the two paths
| Campus placement | Off-campus | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | College and company tie-ups | You: resume, projects, referrals |
| Timeline | Fixed, usually within final year | Not fixed; a few weeks to many months |
| Support | Placement cell, mock tests | Your own prep or help from seniors |
| Biggest risk | Companies not showing up, or only low-package companies coming | Long waits and repeated rejections |
| Better for | Those whose campus attracts good companies | Those whose campus has fewer options |
Strategy by tier
If good companies visit your campus, put all your effort into converting your internship into a PPO. It is the most direct route. Also keep an off-campus profile (LinkedIn, GitHub) ready, so you still have options if one season goes badly.
If few companies visit your campus, don't wait for the campus season. Prepare like an off-campus candidate from the 5th-6th semester: DSA, one or two projects that actually run, and referrals from seniors/alumni. What helps more than collecting certificates is that someone can actually see your code.
Preparation by type of company
| Type | What the process looks like | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Service companies (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech) | Their own online test (TCS NQT, InfyTQ, Wipro NTH), then technical and HR interviews | Aptitude, basic coding, CS fundamentals (OS, DBMS, OOP) |
| GCCs and product companies | Fewer seats, deep and technical interviews | Strong DSA, full understanding of your projects, basic AI/data knowledge |
| Startups | Mostly off-campus, hire by looking at your work | A running project, GitHub, proof that you learn fast |
It is also worth being clear about packages. Wipro's CHRO said in 2023 that the company hires campus recruits at ₹3.5 lakh and everyone's starting salary is the same. So at mass recruiters there is little room to negotiate the package. If you want a higher package, you will have to prepare separately for GCCs and product companies.
How to apply off-campus
- Check daily. Keep an eye on companies' career pages and LinkedIn. IT companies' campus hiring usually runs from July to January and is fastest between August and February (HirePro), so be ready during this window.
- Keep your resume to one page. Read each job description and move the matching skills and projects to the top.
- Make your projects easy to look at. Write a README on GitHub explaining what the project does and how to run it. Add a live link if you can.
- Send a short message for a referral. Who you are, what you have built, which role it is for, and the link. Don't write a long story.
- Keep track. Note in a sheet where you applied, when, and what response came. Also note what was asked after each interview.
"Skill" doesn't mean certificates
According to Indeed's 2025 survey, about 80% of Indian employers value practical skills and experience over a degree, and 42% of hiring managers say they can't find candidates with the right capabilities. So recruiters are looking, but they want proof: a running project, internship work, or an open-source contribution.
What to do, semester by semester
This is a suggestion, not a government rule. Shift it earlier or later to suit your campus.
| Semester | What to do |
|---|---|
| 3-4 | Get one programming language solid. Start DSA, a little every day. Create a GitHub account. |
| 5 | Practise DSA consistently. Start your first real project. Build a LinkedIn profile and start talking to seniors. |
| 6 | Apply for internships. Whether campus or off-campus, an internship opens the path to a PPO. Keep your resume to one page. |
| 7 | Apply in both the campus season and off-campus. Give mock interviews. Start asking for referrals now; don't leave it for the last month. |
| 8 | Those without an offer should put full effort into off-campus. Those who have one should read the offer terms and keep building skills. |
The most common mistakes
Waiting only for the campus season. Anyone who starts preparing once the season arrives has only a few weeks, and those are the most important weeks.
Collecting certificates. No one asks about certificates in an interview; they ask about code and projects.
Building a tutorial project as is. The interviewer has seen that same project hundreds of times. Change something, add a feature of your own, and understand how it actually works.
Asking for referrals at the last minute. A referral comes from someone who already knows your work. Start talking to seniors early.
Stopping after one rejection. Rejection is common in off-campus hiring. After every interview, write down what was asked and where you got stuck.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Tier-3 college student get an off-campus job?
Yes, but it doesn't happen on its own. Off-campus hiring runs on your resume plus GitHub projects, internships and referrals. It is better to start all of this before the 6th semester.
If I miss campus placement, is there still a chance off-campus?
Yes. Many companies run separate off-campus hiring for freshers. The difference is that the timeline isn't fixed and you have to prepare on your own.
Can I prepare for campus and off-campus together?
Yes, and it is the smartest approach. DSA, projects and core CS preparation work for both paths.
What is a PPO?
PPO stands for Pre-Placement Offer. If a company likes your work during an internship, it gives you a full-time offer before you finish your degree. So an internship should be done for the offer, not just for the certificate.
Can a non-CS branch student get an IT job?
Yes, but you have to show proof of programming yourself: DSA, projects and GitHub. Whatever your branch, this is what interviews look at.
Does 70% employability mean 70% of students get jobs?
No. Employability is a skill-test score, not a job placement figure. Getting a job also depends on how many people companies are hiring and how strong your proof of skill is.
What is a GCC?
GCC stands for Global Capability Centre. It is the tech and operations centre a large foreign or multinational company runs in India. According to the 2026 Zinnov-Nasscom report, India has 2,117 GCCs employing about 2.36 million people. Seats are fewer, but selection is based on skill.
Is fresher hiring declining?
The picture is mixed. According to foundit, overall fresher hiring in July 2026 was 10% lower than a year earlier. On the other hand, hiring at large firms like TCS and Infosys is slowly improving, and in a TeamLease survey 73% of companies said they plan to hire freshers. So don't decide based on any single number.
Can I sit for tests of multiple companies at the same time?
Yes. Tests such as TCS NQT, Infosys InfyTQ and Wipro NTH are separate, and you can sit for all of them by planning around the calendar. Read each test's date and eligibility first.
Is there a chance with backlogs or a low CGPA?
Most campus drives have eligibility conditions, such as a minimum CGPA or no active backlogs. These differ for every company, so read the drive's eligibility first. Where the condition blocks you, you can create openings off-campus and at startups by showing proof of skill.
Sources
Mercer Mettl, India's Graduate Skill Index 2025 (42.6%, AI/ML, 2700+ campuses) · Entrepreneur India, 19 February 2025 (tier-wise figures: 48.4%, 46.1%, 43.4%) · Careers360 summary of India Skills Report 2026 (B.Tech 70.15%, CS 80%, IT 78%) · Careers360, India Skills Report 2026 (overall 56.35%) · AffairsCloud (age group 22-25: 75.7%) · GradRight, 24 April 2026 (Indeed 2025 survey figures). Business Today, 6 August 2026 and The Hans India (foundit Insights Tracker, July 2026) · Outlook Money (TeamLease EdTech, HY1 2026) · Business Today, TCS and Business Today, Wipro (April 2026) · Sights In Plus, 14 August 2026 (Infosys, TCS) · HirePro (campus hiring timing) · Outlook Business (Wipro, ₹3.5 lakh) · The People's Board (Zinnov-Nasscom GCC figures). Figures change over time; check the original reports before making any decision.