A student at Nirma University has bagged an offer of Rs 94 lakh to work with LinkedIn — a new record for the university and among the highest offers across Gujarat’s institutions this year. The previous high at Nirma was Rs 88 lakh, set in 2022. The figure stands out because it arrives in a year marked by mass layoffs at major tech companies and growing uncertainty over how AI and machine learning are reshaping conventional tech roles.“Median salaries have improved by 15-25% compared to the past couple of years, with several students getting offers above Rs 50 lakh. Almost all major recruiters, including Google and Microsoft, participated in the process. We see it in light of changing market dynamics — the AI-ML boom is here to stay, but the industry needs experts to steer this change,” said Dr RN Patel, dean of the Faculty of Technology and Engineering at Nirma University. He noted that high-paying offers have traditionally gone to students from computer science and IT disciplines.At Dhirubhai Ambani University, the highest package this year was Rs 57 lakh. “The median salary has remained about Rs 15 lakh per annum, comparable to last year. We’ve seen good industry participation — 165 companies, including several major names,” said Prof Souvik Sarkar, placements coordinator.At Parul University, Vadodara, the top offer was Rs 43 lakh, from ServiceNow, the US-based enterprise software firm headquartered in Santa Clara. Other recruiters included Microsoft, HCL, TCS, Cognizant, BP, IBM, and L&T Tech. Median salary stood at Rs 4.5 lakh.“We saw 470 firms participate this year, higher than last season,” said Gurcharan Singh, director of training and placement at Parul. “We’re seeing two stories at once–Rs 20 lakh-plus offers and layoff news on the same feed. Both are true. The market isn’t shrinking — it’s splitting. Earlier, companies hired hundreds of graduates and trained them for months. Today, firms want a smaller pool who are already deployable in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, or full-stack roles.”At SVNIT Surat, 230 firms have confirmed participation so far this season — already ahead of last year’s 205, with placements running until July 31. “The highest offer so far is Rs 62 lakh for a CSE student. Median salary has improved from Rs 15.2 lakh to Rs 16.2 lakh in CSE. With over a month left, that figure could rise further,” said Prof HB Mehta, head of the career development cell.At CHARUSAT University, Anand, the top package was Rs 46.38 lakh, from Amazon. Median salaries in CS and IT have stayed above Rs 20 lakh at institutions including PDEU and IIT Gandhinagar, industry experts said.Computer science and IT have led Gujarat’s engineering placements for over a decade — but whether that dominance holds is now an open question. Sunny Vaghela, CEO of TechDefence Labs, which has hired from state institutions this year, said– “Cybersecurity, product development and emerging technologies need talent, but from next year, only students who’ve understood the changed landscape will survive the job market. Institutions must scale up and strengthen industry ties to keep this trend going.”Experts note that global layoffs have concentrated in roles now being automated — manual testing, basic support, legacy maintenance — while demand stays strong for those building AI-driven products and scaling infrastructure. “The emphasis now is on demonstrable skills, internships and project portfolios rather than academic qualifications alone. Many high-paying jobs went to students who’d already interned at those firms,” said a placement coordinator.
