India’s campus hiring market remains resilient, with employers increasingly prioritising specialised skills, critical roles and job readiness, according to Aon’s 15th annual Campus Study Report 2026-27.
The study found that 56% of organisations plan to increase hiring of Chartered Accountancy and Company Secretary graduates, while 51% expect to hire more interns. About 40% intend to recruit more diploma holders and 36% foresee higher hiring of engineers. However, median intake sizes across several graduate cohorts have remained largely unchanged.
Projected campus pay is expected to rise 2% to 7% year-on-year across major streams. Median total cost to company (TCC) for the 2027 cohort at the seven IITs covered is projected at around Rs 16.46 lakh, while Tier-1 engineering colleges could see TCC rise from Rs 13.85 lakh to Rs 14.75 lakh. For MBA graduates, median TCC at top IIMs is expected to remain at Rs 26 lakh, while Tier-1 management institutes could see an increase from Rs 20.89 lakh to Rs 21.50 lakh.
Kolkata is also likely to reflect the broader trend, with employers expected to focus increasingly on job-ready graduates, specialised capabilities and internship-to-employment pipelines rather than significantly expanding intake volumes. The findings indicate a measured campus compensation environment rather than an overheated hiring cycle.
Around 90% of organisations hire interns, while 80%-85% use pre-placement interviews or offers to convert interns into full-time employees. Offer-to-joining ratio is monitored by 66% of respondents, while 82% track early attrition. Culture alignment, inclusion and AI-enabled candidate assessment are also gaining importance in campus recruitment.