Several engineering graduates from prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are grappling with profound uncertainty after Oracle unexpectedly revoked their job offers. Many students had waited months, even up to a year, believing their careers were secured with lucrative packages, only to have their hopes dashed.
Dreams Turned to Despair for NIT Graduates
For one NIT student, who requested anonymity, landing an Oracle offer after six prior rejections felt like a life-changing moment. His family celebrated, and he believed his future was set following a challenging campus hiring season. However, a phone call in mid-May informed him that his offer, along with those of several peers, had been withdrawn.
Smit Jogani, another NIT student, shared a similar ordeal. After interning with Oracle's Corporate Architecture division in 2025, he awaited clarity on his pre-placement offer for nearly a year. His division was dissolved, and he was moved to Oracle Health and AI (OHAI). While batchmates in other Oracle units received offer letters, Jogani faced delays. By May 12-13, he, too, was informed his offer was revoked, a development he described as being “like drowning in the middle of the sea without any help.” Jogani noted that Oracle revoked offers for 22 out of 25 interns from his institute and his was the only campus placement offer withdrawn due to the OHAI unit being wound down.
The Impact of the "One Student, One Job" Policy
The situation is compounded by the "One Student, One Job" policy prevalent at many IITs and NITs. This rule bars students who accept a placement offer from applying to other companies through campus recruitment. Consequently, many affected students had ceased their job search, making Oracle their sole opportunity in an already tight job market. This policy has left them with no fallback, forcing them to restart their job hunt from scratch.
“If they didn't want to give us an offer, then why did they give the offer in the first place?” Jogani questioned, expressing the frustration shared by many. “If they were getting rid of OHAI, then why put us in that business unit at all?”
From High Hopes to Lowered Expectations
Students who had anticipated annual compensation packages ranging from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 36 lakh are now re-entering the job market with significantly reduced expectations. The anonymous NIT student stated, “I don't have any option. It's a compulsion rather than a choice.” Jogani, whose family relies on his expected income to help with a home loan, is now seeking roles in the Rs 12-15 lakh range, acknowledging the lack of bargaining power for freshers in the current climate.
This wave of revocations aligns with broader trends in the global technology sector, where companies like Meta, Amazon, and Cognizant have undergone restructuring, layoffs, and hiring recalibrations due to economic uncertainties and the rapid adoption of AI. The students describe a campus hiring ecosystem marked by delayed onboarding, shrinking opportunities, and revoked offers, a stark contrast to the booming tech market they had envisioned when beginning their engineering studies.