For one NIT student, securing a position at Oracle after six unsuccessful placement attempts felt like a turning point in life. His family was overjoyed, and relatives were informed. After enduring months of uncertainty during a challenging hiring season, he believed his future was finally secure.
However, a phone call altered everything.
This student, who preferred to remain anonymous, is among a number of engineering graduates from IITs and NITs whose job offers from Oracle were abruptly withdrawn, casting their futures into doubt amid a technology job market already experiencing pressure due to layoffs, AI-driven restructuring, and slower recruitment.
A student expressed that a person who had not been selected anywhere suddenly had secured the best placement in college. The student stated that the achievement was unexpected, but the happiness of his family was immense.
Must read: Oracle revokes placement offers; an IIT Kanpur fresher shares feelings of hitting rock bottom right at the finish line.
He reported that he successfully passed three rounds of interviews before getting the offer in October, alongside three peers.
Smit Jogani, another student from an NIT, shared a similar narrative. Jogani interned for two months in Oracle’s Corporate Architecture division in 2025 and awaited clarity on his pre-placement offer for nearly a year.
During this time, his division was dissolved, leading him to be transferred to Oracle Health and AI (OHAI), the company’s unit focusing on healthcare infrastructure.
By early January, when his batchmates in other Oracle divisions began receiving offer letters and background verification notices, Jogani shared that he only received a message instructing him to initiate the application process after confirming the offer. Startup Superb has seen the email sent to him.
The response was filled with confusion.
Around May 12-13, students reported being informed of their offer revocations.
The NIT student conveyed that there was an overwhelming sense of disappointment and panic since they had no idea about the next steps to take. It felt like drowning in the ocean without any assistance.
Jogani mentioned that while the situation wasn’t entirely unexpected, it still left him reeling.
Internally, he understood that the offer might be rescinded. Yet when it actually occurred, he felt utterly blank and helpless.
Jogani noted that of the 25 interns selected from his institute, 22 offers were later revoked. Additionally, six students secured jobs through campus placements, and solely his offer was cancelled due to the OHAI unit’s closure.
These revocations are happening as tech giants worldwide are restructuring in light of economic challenges and increased AI integration. Companies like Meta, Amazon, and Cognizant have announced workforce reductions or recalibrated hiring strategies in the past year.
Must read: Meta to lay off 8,000 employees on May 20; internal memo reveals AI restructuring plans.
One Student, One Job
Many affected students found the situation even worse as they had already exited the recruitment process after accepting the offer from Oracle.
Numerous IITs and NITs implement a “One Student, One Job” policy, whereby students who obtain a placement cannot seek further opportunities through campus recruitment.
This effectively made Oracle their last chance during a particularly weak hiring landscape.
A question lingered in Jogani’s mind: if Oracle did not intend to provide the offer, why was it given in the first place?
He questioned the rationale behind placing students in a unit that was being dismantled. If Oracle was aware that they could not offer positions, they should have communicated this earlier, enabling students to pursue other opportunities and potentially secure other offers.
However, their approach became frustrating for the students.
Must read: What is Oracle? A history of the US software giant facing criticism after the IIT, NIT offer retractions.
From Dreams of Rs 36 LPA to Job Searching Again
Students who had once anticipated salaries ranging from Rs 30–36 lakh per annum (LPA) were now re-entering the job market with significantly more modest expectations.
The NIT student expressed that he had no choice in the matter; it felt more like an obligation than an option.
Jogani noted that this setback has put financial strain on his family, who are repaying a home loan. He had hoped to make a significant contribution with his anticipated Oracle salary.
Currently, he is searching for jobs within the Rs 12-15 lakh range, while acknowledging the limited leverage of fresh graduates.
The overall hiring climate remained weak throughout their engineering journey. Jogani added that geopolitical issues in the West have exacerbated the situation, contributing to reduced hiring activity and making recruiters more selective regarding skills and experience.
Students are now observing a campus environment increasingly characterised by delayed onboarding, diminished opportunities, and rescinded offers, starkly contrasting the thriving tech hiring climate they expected upon entering engineering college.
