Choose the audience and freeze the reporting scope
Start your placement report with the graduating batch, programmes, campuses, placement cycle and cut-off date. State whether it includes campus recruitment, verified off-campus offers or both. Name the preparer, reviewer and version so you can reproduce the published figures later.
- Management: show outcomes by programme, employer and sector, with unresolved records and next actions.
- IQAC: provide traceable totals and an evidence index for internal review and accreditation or ranking submissions.
- Recruiters: share relevant programme and hiring information without exposing the full student register.
- Prospective students: publish an aggregate summary with clear salary units, reporting dates and population definitions.
These are suggested internal templates. For submission requirements, use the applicable category and year's form and read the guide to placement data for NAAC and NIRF. NIRF's 2023 DCS user manual illustrates programme-duration tables that include students graduating in the minimum stipulated time, students placed, annual median salary in rupees and in words, and students selected for higher studies. It is a historical field reference. [1]
Define the core numbers before filling the report
Use a short data dictionary with the report. The definitions below are a proposed internal convention; agree your institution's rules before counting. Job-specific eligibility can differ from eligibility to register for a placement cycle.
| Measure | Definition to record |
|---|---|
| Eligible | Distinct students meeting the stated cycle-level criteria at [cut-off date]; retain the criteria and roster. |
| Registered | Distinct students who registered for placement support in [cycle]. Record registration separately from eligibility. |
| Opted out | Students with a dated opt-out and recorded reason. Show whether they previously registered; avoid subtracting them twice. |
| Active registered | Registered students with no opt-out date on or before the cut-off. Keep this count separate from eligible, registered and opted out. |
| Placed students | Distinct student IDs meeting [approved placement rule] by the cut-off. Specify whether your internal rule requires an offer, acceptance or joining. |
| Offers | Separate offer IDs within scope, with withdrawn, declined and pending offers identifiable. Multiple offers can belong to one student. |
| Highest, median and average CTC | Salary measures from the declared student-level salary population. State annual units, included components and missing values. |
| Companies and sectors | Count distinct employers that issued qualifying offers. Track participating employers separately and assign each employer a consistent sector. |
| Batch and programme splits | Use the same graduating batch, programme, campus and reporting period across the summary and annexures. |
| Higher studies | For this internal report, record confirmed admissions with evidence. Keep intentions and entrance-examination results in separate fields. |
Calculate salary figures from a declared population
For your internal summary, select one qualifying offer per placed student using a documented rule. Keep every other offer in the offer register. Highest CTC is the largest selected annual value; average CTC is their sum divided by the number of selected values. Disclose missing salaries and the number included in the calculation.
To calculate the median, sort the selected annual amounts from smallest to largest. Use the middle value for an odd count, or the average of the two middle values for an even count. Leave missing amounts out of the sort and state how many values you included. In a worked example, Rs 3,00,000, Rs 4,00,000, Rs 6,00,000 and Rs 11,00,000 give a median of Rs 5,00,000 and an average of Rs 6,00,000. For a submission, use the median rule in that year's DCS manual.
Separate annual CTC, fixed pay, variable pay and internship stipends. Label international currency amounts and any conversion basis. Avoid combining unlike salary components into a headline average.
Template 1: one-page placement summary
Copy this placement report template into your document or spreadsheet. Replace each placeholder and repeat it for each programme where needed. Keep definitions and exclusions beside the totals.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Scope | [Graduating batch]; [programmes]; [campuses]; [cycle]; [start date] to [cut-off date] |
| Population | [Total cohort]; [eligible]; [registered]; [opted out]; [active registered at cut-off] |
| Employment outcomes | [Unique students placed]; [offers issued]; [offers withdrawn]; [students joined] |
| Placement rule and rate | [Qualifying outcome rule]; [unique placed numerator] / [named denominator] x 100; [exclusions] |
| Salary | Annual CTC in [currency]: highest [value], median [value], average [value]; [salary sample count]; [missing count] |
| Employers | [Participating companies]; [companies issuing qualifying offers]; [sector breakdown] |
| Programme and batch splits | [Programme and batch]: [population], [unique placed], [median annual CTC]; repeat as required |
| Higher studies | [Confirmed admissions]; [evidence pending]; [overlap with placed students] |
| Review | [Prepared by]; [reviewed by]; [approval date]; [version]; [annexure references] |
If the denominator is zero, display not applicable. Label any placement rate with its denominator.
Template 2: company-wise placement table
Use one row per employer, role and cycle, with a stable employer ID. Students with offers from several employers can appear in several rows, so calculate the institution's unique placed total from student IDs.
| Employer ID and name | Sector, role and scope | Counts | Salary and evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Employer ID]; [company] | [Sector]; [role]; [cycle]; [programme]; [batch] | [Offers issued]; [unique recipients]; [accepted]; [withdrawn]; [joined] | [Annual CTC range]; [currency]; [offer references]; [verified date] |
| [Next employer ID]; [company] | [Sector]; [role]; [cycle]; [programme]; [batch] | [Offers issued]; [unique recipients]; [accepted]; [withdrawn]; [joined] | [Annual CTC range]; [currency]; [offer references]; [verified date] |
Sum offers only within the same status definition. Deduplicate student IDs across employers for the overall student count.
Template 3: student-wise annexure columns
For a placement record format for college use, keep one row per student in this annexure and link it to a separate offer register. Restrict named records to authorised reviewers; use aggregate figures in the public report.
| Column group | Columns to copy |
|---|---|
| Identity | [Student ID], [name], [programme], [department], [campus], [graduating batch] |
| Participation | [Cycle], [eligible status], [criteria version], [registration date], [opt-out date], [opt-out reason] |
| Placement | [Placed status], [qualifying outcome date], [selected offer ID], [employer ID], [role], [recruitment route] |
| Salary | [Annual CTC], [fixed pay], [variable pay], [currency], [include in salary calculation (yes or no)], [missing-value reason] |
| Joining | [Acceptance status], [expected joining date], [actual joining date], [joined status] |
| Higher studies | [Institution], [programme], [admission date], [admission status], [also placed (yes or no)] |
| Evidence and review | [Offer document ID], [joining evidence ID], [admission evidence ID], [verifier], [verification date], [correction note] |
Store document references here and retain the source files in a controlled location.
Check common counting errors before approval
- Offers counted as students: deduplicate by student ID. Illustratively, 120 offers across 90 students means 90 unique recipients.
- Changing denominators: reconcile cohort, eligibility, registration and opt-outs; explain overlaps rather than assuming these groups are mutually exclusive.
- Mixed reporting periods: exclude another batch's offers and record late changes in a revised version.
- Inflated salary figures: check monthly versus annual amounts, currency, missing values and duplicate offers. Recalculate an overall median from individual values, not programme medians.
- Unconfirmed outcomes: separate offers, acceptance, joining and withdrawal. Keep higher-study intentions separate from confirmed admissions.
- Unreconciled annexures: ask a second reviewer to reproduce student counts, salary calculations and employer totals from the underlying records before sign-off.
How LineupX supports placement reporting
LineupX provides placement management software with offer entry, offer letters, joined status and one placed record per student. Standard reports include package-wise, company-wise, batch-wise and placement-cycle-wise reports, plus a job placement matrix.
Custom Excel templates with a column builder let you choose columns for institutional working files. Scheduled and weekly exports support recurring reviews. Agree your definitions, reconcile the exported totals and approve the evidence before publishing. Bring your existing worksheet when you book a demo to discuss the reports and columns you need.
Frequently asked questions
What should a placement report include?
Include the reporting scope, student population, unique students placed, offers, salary measures, employers, sectors and higher studies. Add programme splits, definitions, evidence references and reviewer approval.
How do you distinguish placed students from offers?
Count distinct student IDs for placed students under your declared outcome rule. Count separate offer IDs for offers. A student can have several offers while appearing once in the overall placed total.
Which denominator should you use for placement percentage?
For an internal report, name the population you use and show the numerator and denominator. For an external submission, follow its prescribed definition. Avoid comparing rates that use different populations.
Should the report show average or median CTC?
Show both when useful, with highest CTC, annual units and the salary sample count. State how you select one salary per student and disclose missing salary records.
Can you publish the student-wise annexure?
Use the named annexure for authorised review and prepare aggregate figures for public use. Before sharing individual records, check your institution's permissions and remove unnecessary personal details.
Sources
- NIRF, DCS User Manual IR 2023: placement and higher-studies table fields, historical reference., read on 23 October 2026
Requirements change: this guide quotes the official documents listed above, as read on the dates shown. Confirm every figure against the manual and data-capture form for your institution and year. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.