In spite of getting into four Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)—in Amritsar, Bodh Gaya, Jammu, and Sirmaur—Yash Jain didn’t join any of them. Not because he didn’t want to, but because students at these IIMs warned him.

They told him that job placements are difficult, especially for those coming in without work experience. More concerningly, they brought up how an increasing number of students are “opting out” of placements altogether, not of their own accord but because IIMs are making them.

“They will only tell you these things on call, because they’ve all signed the placement policy, which forbids them from talking about this with anyone,” said Jain.

Worried, the 22-year-old engineering graduate decided to muster some work experience at a chemical-engineering plant, and apply again next year, this time aiming only for top-tier IIMs. 

His concerns were not unfounded. An RTIRight to InformationAn application filed under the Right to Information Act, 2005, that allows every citizen the right to access information held by public authorities filed by a prospective student with IIM Amritsar revealed that of the 318 students in its 2025 MBA batch, 48 opted out of placements. Another 30 were unplaced. Another RTI revealed that of IIM Trichy’s PGPM batch of 384, 59 were without a job until May. That is, one in every seven students.

IIM Trichy, in its response to The Ken’s questions, acknowledged that 2024–25 was a “fairly turbulent year”, with a total of 26 students voluntarily opting out.

Ideally, the “opt-out” option is meant for students looking to pursue higher studies, join their family business, or start their own. But some of the newer IIMs are using this caveat to dress up their placement numbers. 

On 16 July, IIM Amritsar sent its students an email, seen by The Ken, saying that those not placed by the end of February 2026 would be considered “opted-out” of the placement process. A month before, IIM Kashipur received flak for an email from its placement committee that compelled unplaced students from its 2025 batch to fill out the opt-out form to, ironically enough, “maintain accurate records”.