A string of viral posts by educator Ravi Handa has cast a sharp spotlight on the placement crisis at IIM Trichy, triggering a wider debate on the saturation of India’s top B-schools, a weakening job market, and the diminishing edge of an MBA degree.
“IIM Trichy is one of the best colleges in the country. It is an IIM. I have taught MBA aspirants long enough to know how hard it is to get into an IIM,” Handa posted on X. His remarks followed a pointed observation about the institute’s placement outcome: “59 students at IIM Trichy didn’t get placed. (~15%). Only 104 of them got a CTC of more than 20 lakhs (~27%).”
The revelation, involving one of the newer but respected IIMs, stunned many. Handa added: “I knew that the markets are bad for an MBA but didn’t expect things to be this bad at an IIM… Getting into IIM Trichy isn’t easy. You have to crack a really tough exam. It is a dream college for a lot of people. Also, it isn’t cheap. It costs roughly 20L.”
His posts prompted a wave of responses pointing to systemic shifts in higher education and employment. One user wrote, “You stuff 1000 students into every batch at an ‘elite’ institution, then create 20 such ‘elite institutions’, then they’re no longer elite. Numbers are for example only, but you get the idea.”
Another chimed in, “Too many IIMs has diluted their brand. Most of these colleges don’t entertain cos with salary below a threshold to retain ‘brand’ value and that caused students [to] go unplaced. They will get a job offline but at a lower salary in most cases.”
Several users highlighted a fundamental mismatch between talent and opportunity. “What could be the problem? I also observe a similar pattern in my hiring. Great kids, high talent but not finding opportunities… Markets and employers have become merciless with their high expectations.”
One added, “Returning back to work after a sabbatical is like climbing Everest… Employment and career building in today’s times is indeed a tough battle.”
Others pointed to how shifts in the job market have reshaped demand. “The biggest consumer of MBAs in last decade used to be FMCG, Big4 and then tech in that order… Issue is, in tech, entry to product roles does not require an MBA… Even Tier 1 product companies no longer insist on a MBA degree for these roles for they have realised catching the talent young as a PM intern from an old IIT/BITS is good enough.”