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Campus Placement Data Suspicious? RTI for Company-wise Offer Record
In one line. Public-funded institutions (IITs, NITs, IIMs, IIITs, Central Universities) and AICTE-approved colleges that are public authorities maintain placement registers that are disclosable under Section 4 of the RTI Act. Aspirants and accreditation bodies routinely extract company-wise, year-wise offer data through RTI.
Part of Pillar 3 — RTI for Students & Youth.
What is the problem
- Placement brochure claims 100% placement; reality differs.
- Highest / average package numbers look inflated.
- PPO (Pre-Placement Offer) counts unverified.
- Unplaced students not reflected in published reports.
- Internship-to-PPO conversion rate not disclosed.
When to use RTI
- Admission decision pending — verifying college's claims.
- Accreditation challenge (NAAC, NBA) — need placement record.
- Alumni audit of placement trends.
- RTI to hold the TPO (Training & Placement Officer) accountable.
What you can ask
- Branch-wise registered, placed, and unplaced student counts.
- Company-wise offers with CTC and roles.
- Internship-to-PPO conversion rate.
- Median / mean / mode CTC — not just highest.
- Dream offer, on-campus vs off-campus splits.
- TPO budget and activity calendar.
- NIRF / NBA data submission with placement fields.
Step-by-step RTI filing
- IITs / NITs / Central Universities / IIMs / IIITs / AIIMS → their CPIO via
rtionline.gov.inor institute RTI portal. - Private AICTE-approved colleges → not public authorities; RTI routes via AICTE for the data submitted to it.
- State universities → state RTI portal.
- Rs. 10 fee; BPL free.
Sample RTI application
To, The Central/State Public Information Officer, [Institute Name / AICTE (for NIRF / accreditation data)], [Address] Subject: Information under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, regarding campus placement records. Sir/Madam, I, [Name], [Student / Alumnus / Citizen], address [Full Address], submit: Institute / University: ________ Programme / Degree: ________ Batch / Year of graduation: ________ Please provide, for Academic Year [YYYY-YY]: 1. Branch-wise / programme-wise number of students registered for placements, placed (on-campus + off-campus), and unplaced. 2. Company-wise list of offers with role designation and CTC, anonymised at candidate level. 3. Internship-to-PPO conversion count and rate. 4. Median, mean, and mode CTC, separately for on-campus and off-campus. 5. Dream-offer and second-offer counts. 6. Training & Placement Office budget, head-count, and list of companies visited. 7. Placement data submitted to NIRF / NBA / NAAC, with any variance notes. 8. Certified copy of the Placement Policy adopted by the Institute. 9. Action taken if a company reneged on an offer in the same period. 10. First Appellate Authority contact. I enclose Indian Postal Order No. __________ for Rs. 10. I declare I am an Indian citizen. Yours faithfully, [Signature, Date, Place]
10 RTI questions
- Branch-wise placed / unplaced counts.
- Company-wise offers + CTC.
- PPO conversion.
- Median / mean / mode CTC.
- Dream / second offers.
- TPO budget.
- NIRF / NBA placement data.
- Placement Policy.
- Company-renege action.
- FAA contact.
What happens next
- Day 0–10 RTI routed to TPO / Registrar's office.
- Day 10–25 Placement register compiled.
- Day 30 Reply mandatory.
- Day 30+ First Appeal; NIRF / NAAC for data mismatch.
Common mistakes
- Asking for individual student names — third-party; denied under §8(1)(j).
- Filing to a private college's TPO directly — they are not public authorities.
- Not distinguishing offer from joined — ask for both.
- Missing the internship-to-PPO metric — most ranking bodies ask for it.
Pro tips
- Company-level data is not third-party when the company is identified publicly in offer letters / press releases.
- CTC bands (e.g., 10-15 LPA, 15-25 LPA) sidestep §8(1)(d) objections.
- Parallel NIRF / NAAC filing at
nirfindia.orgstrengthens the record. - For off-campus, ask the institute to cite the verification mechanism.
FAQs
Q1. Can a private college refuse?
Yes under RTI. But public-funded and substantially-financed private colleges are in scope; AICTE data is always in scope.
Q2. Is student-level data available?
Only in anonymised aggregate. Named data = §8(1)(j).
Q3. What's a “dream offer”?
A top-tier offer above the standard CTC threshold set by the TPO; policy documents clarify.
Q4. Can I ask about rejected applications from companies?
Yes — in aggregate; the company-wise rejection count is institute record.
Conclusion
Placement brochures sell. Placement registers tell the truth. RTI bridges the gap — and makes the numbers comparable across institutes and years.
Related reading
Sources
- RTI Act, 2005, Sections 2(h), 4, 8(1)(d), 8(1)(j)
- NIRF Framework SOPs
- AICTE Approval Process Handbook
Last reviewed: 21 April 2026.


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