rti-for-campus-placement-data
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Campus Placement Data Suspicious? RTI for Company-wise Offer Record

RTI for campus placement — RTI Wiki

⚠️ DPDP Rules, 2025 (14 Nov 2025) amended Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act — public-interest override now under Section 8(2). Read the note →

· 2026/04/19 05:02 · 0 Comments

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.in or institute RTI portal.
  • Private AICTE-approved collegesnot 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

  1. Branch-wise placed / unplaced counts.
  2. Company-wise offers + CTC.
  3. PPO conversion.
  4. Median / mean / mode CTC.
  5. Dream / second offers.
  6. TPO budget.
  7. NIRF / NBA placement data.
  8. Placement Policy.
  9. Company-renege action.
  10. 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.org strengthens 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.

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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