National Institute of Technology (NIT), the oldest engineering college in the state, is fast losing ground to new institutions in Patna such as Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Birla Institute of Technology (BIT).

This year, more than 35 per cent of NIT students have not received any job offers. Last year, 85 per cent students of the institute had been placed with firms of repute in the country. The drop in placement figure sounds graver when you compare it with the performance of IIT-Patna, which saw 95 per cent of its first-batch students being placed with big companies this year. BIT, Patna, too, has recorded more than 90 per cent placement. IIT-Patna was set up in 2008, while BIT started its campus in the state capital in 2006.

According to sources in the NIT, computer science and IT departments have seen over 85 per cent placement this year. Students of the electronics department have also done well with over 75 per cent placements. “The departments (branches) witnessing the least placements are civil and electrical, where less than 50 per cent have received job offers,” the source added.

Not only in terms of placement figures, IIT and BIT students are also ahead in bagging fat pay packages. In IIT-Patna, the highest package this year was Rs 16.5 lakh, offered by leading IT sector company Microsoft IDC to three students. IIT-Patna registrar Subash Pandey said: “The placement figure of our first-batch students was above 95 per cent and the average salary was Rs 7.5 lakh.”

In BIT Patna, the highest package this year was Rs 14.5 lakh, offered to Davesh Kumar, a computer science student who did not join the company. BIT, Patna, training and placement officer Raj Kumar said: “More than 90 per cent students from our institute have been placed and the average salary of is Rs 4.25 lakh.”

In NIT, the highest package this year is Rs 10 lakh (approx), offered by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL). The average package of NIT Patna students this year was Rs 5.5 lakh (see chart).

Explaining the reason for low placement percentage at NIT, a senior officer said: “NIT is a government college and many of its students have less than 60 per cent marks in Matriculation and Class XII. During the placement interviews, some companies set a benchmark of 70 per cent marks which the students fail to meet.”

He added: “Many students are good in their subjects but lack communication skills. This hampers their chance to clear the interviews.”

Sanjeev Sinha, the placement in-charge of NIT, said: “The overall placement figure of students this year was around 65 per cent. We are hoping this figure will increase in the coming months as a few companies are planning to visit the institute.”